IRS Drastically Expands Electronic Filing Requirement for 2023 Tax

khunt August 2023, Newsletter Tags:

Aug 10, 2023

The Internal Revenue Service finalized regulations on Feb. 23, 2023, significantly expanding mandatory electronic filing of tax and information returns that require almost all returns filed on or after Jan. 1, 2024, to be submitted to the IRS electronically instead of on paper.

Under the new rules, filers of 10 or more returns of any type for a calendar year generally will need to file electronically with the IRS. Previously, electronic filing was required if the filing was more than 250 returns of the same type for a calendar year.

The discussion below focuses primarily on common workplace IRS information forms, such as Form W-2 and 1099 filings and employee benefit plan filings, but the new rules broadly apply to other types of returns.

Insight
Affected employers may need significant lead time to implement new software, policies and procedures to comply with the new rules. Thus, even though electronic filing is not required until 2024 for the 2023 tax year, employers should evaluate what changes may be needed. Simply doing the “same as last year” will not work for many employers.

General Rules
Who is affected? Practically all IRS filers of 10 or more information returns when counting any type, such as Forms W-2, Forms 1099, Affordable Care Act Forms 1094 and 1095 and Form 3921 (for incentive stock options) and other disclosure documents, are impacted by this change this year – that is, for 2023 returns that will be filed in 2024. Even workplace retirement plans may need to file Form 1099-Rs (for benefit payments) and other forms electronically with the IRS starting in 2024 for the 2023 plan or calendar year.

Which returns are affected? In addition to the information returns that are the primary focus of this article, the new rules cover a broad variety of returns, including partnership returns, corporate income tax returns, unrelated business income tax returns, withholding tax returns for U.S.-source income of foreign persons, registration statements, disclosure statements, notifications, actuarial reports and certain excise tax returns.

The rules are not relaxed under these regulations. Thus, returns that are already required to be filed electronically, including partnership returns with more than 100 partners, tax-exempt organization annual returns in the Form 990 series, Form 4720 (for certain excise taxes) and most Forms 5500 (Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan) continue to be subject to the electronic filing requirement. However, under the new regulations, any taxpayer with 10 or more returns, including income and information returns, must also file its income tax return electronically.

How to count to 10? A significant change introduced by the new regulations is that the 10-return threshold for mandatory electronic filing is determined on the aggregate number of different types of forms and returns. The aggregation rules are confusing because the filings included in the count change depending on which form the determination is made. Also, some filers must be aggregated with all entities within its controlled or affiliated service group to determine if 10 or more returns are being filed for the tax year. For instance, Form 5500 employee benefit plan filers (but not Form 8955-SSA employee benefit plan filers) must count the filings of the employer who is the “plan sponsor” and other entities in the employer’s controlled and affiliated service group.

Example 1: Company A is required to file five Forms 1099-INT (Interest Income) and five Forms 1099-DIV (Dividends and Distributions), for a total of 10 information returns. Because Company A is required to file a total of 10 information returns, Company A must file all of its 2023 Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV electronically, as well as any other return(s) that are subject to an electronic filing requirement. The reason for this result is that “specified information returns” such as Forms 1099 and W-2 must be aggregated when counting to determine whether the new 10-or-more threshold for electronic filing is met.

Example 2: Company B is required to file nine Forms W-2 and one Form 8955-SSA. Company B is not required to file the Forms W-2 electronically because the aggregation rules for “specified information returns” take into account only other specified information returns that do not include Form 8955-SSA nor the income tax return. But Company B must file the Form 8955-SSA electronically because the aggregation rules for Form 8955-SSA takes all returns into account.

Example 3: Corporation X, a C corporation with a fiscal year end of Sept. 30, was required to file one Form 1120 (U.S. Corporation Income Tax Return) during the calendar year ending Dec. 31, 2023, six Forms W-2 (for employees), three Forms 1099-DIV (for dividend distributions), one Form 940 (Employer’s Annual FUTA Tax Return) and four Forms 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return). Because the Form 1120 aggregation rules include returns of any type during the calendar year that ends with or in the taxable year and Corporation X is required to file more than 10 returns of any type during calendar year 2023, Corporation X is required to file its Form 1120 electronically for its taxable year ending Sept. 30, 2024.

Insight
Any payers that currently file any returns on paper should consult with their tax advisor to determine if the new electronic filing requirements apply to them based on the number of returns that they anticipate filing in 2024 for tax year 2023.

Filers must, for the first time, pay particular attention to the total number of returns across all return types, because the new electronic filing threshold is determined based on the aggregate total, not the number of returns per return type. This might require coordination between different departments within an organization and immediate consultation with the IT department and/or software provider to ensure there is adequate time to implement technology solutions or software upgrades before the 2024 filing deadline.

The IRS’s new — and free — online portal for filing these returns electronically, Information Returns Intake System (IRIS), is especially helpful for small filers dealing with electronic filing for the first time. According to the IRS, IRIS is secure, accurate and does not require any special software. This free service is available to filers of any size.