How do I report payroll expense on schedule C with tips? When it says match line 1 on W-3 form, but tips are not in income?

[MarilynG1]

Tips can be reported on the W-3, Boxes 5 and 7.

When entering Employee Wages on Schedule C, Wages and Tips can be entered separately (screenshot).

This will transfer to the Schedule C Worksheet as separate items under general category 'Wage Expense' (screenshot). 

Click this link for more detailed info on Reporting Employee Wages. 

[DanG91]

How do you report the wages you paid then? as the original question asked is mine also. it states that line 1 on the W-3 must match what you put there on line 26?    It appears that in your example, you still would be reporting tips as an expense, whereas the tips were not an expense incurred by the business.    Side question, if this was reported erroneously last year, what is the recourse of action to take to make sure taxes are paid correctly?  @MarilynG1 

[AmyC]

Wages paid goes on line 26 of the sch C. See line 26 instructions here. The w2 wages in box 1 includes tips. Take your total wages transmitted, line 1 and enter on line 26. The tips came in and the tips went out. They passed through your records and into the employees hands.

The  IRS: About Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement states: 

Box 1—Wages, tips, other compensation.

Show the total taxable wages, tips, and other compensation that you paid to your employee during the year.

Side answer: The w2 instructions cover instructions on handling incorrect w2s. Including, filing a new form 941 if additional taxes are due. Click here.

[DanG91]

@AmyC  thanks for your time. I think where i am getting confused is in the following:

Box 1—Wages, tips, other compensation.

Show the total taxable wages, tips, and other compensation that you paid to your employee during the year.

I did report their total wages and tips in Box 1.  However, I did not pay the tips to them, the tips came from customers.  I think i am starting to see what i need to do; and please let me know if you think i am right.  I think i need to then also record their tips in my business income, to record as you mentioned the money coming in and then going out.  ?  In other words, when they receive tips, i need to record it as income, and allow them to keep the tips, which would appear as an employee wage expense.?  Or, as in the suggestion by @MarilynG1  for the original question, do i simply enter wages and tips in the tax software, keep them combined for Box 1 of the W2, and then not enter as business income?(I dont think this is right, but it seems to be the alternative and the reason for it being something i cant seem to grasp! 🙂   )  

[AmyC]

@DanG91   The employees turn in their tip sheets for you to keep. You may have to allocate tip income if the paperwork is not enough. You are responsible for making sure their tips are reasonable, reported,  and taxed. Tips are not a part of your business income. 

From Wolters Kluwer, Employers and Tips:

You are responsible for withholding income taxes and FICA (social security and Medicare) taxes on reported tips, and for paying the employer's portion of FICA and FUTA taxes on them, even though you have no control over the amount of tips the employees receive.

[DanG91]

@AmyC Please bear with me. 🙂  Tips received by employees are not reported as income by the business owner, but they must pay the various taxes on them. I understand and thankfully i am doing that. 

However, I'm still not fully seeing why i would report the tips as part of my business expense, which is what i would do if i report Box 1 from the W3  as my employee wage expense on the Schedule C.

[ColeenD3]

You are not reporting the tips themselves, only your portion of SE taxes and FUTA, if any. These come out of your pocket and are an expense to you.

[DanG91]

@ColeenD3 I'm still not grasping it.  When you use the W3 box 1 figure, it has all the tips received, not  the FUTA and SE Taxes.  So i am reporting the actual tips received if I use box 1 as the wage expense item, and the turbotax software states that this item must match box1.  

Now, in another area i do get to enter the various tax expenses related to tthe tips.  

[DanG91]

In the directions for wage expense it states that the number must match box 1 of the W2s, or W3.  and When you fill out Box 1, it says to include all wages and tips.  So, arent we including tips on Schedule C line 26, i believe, when it says it should match box1 of the W3?    If we are, then shouldnt we be offsetting that somehow, somewhere else? @ColeenD3   Sorry to give two responses.. im getting close to April 15th and want to file. 🙂  I know i have til May, but prefer to keep things like normal....

[ThomasM125]

If you report the tips as compensation to the employees and list it in box 1 on their W-2 form, then you need to include the tips as income on your business tax return, so the two amounts cancel themselves out. The wages on line 26 of schedule C should be no less than the amount reported on your W-3 form for gross wages.

[DanG91]

@ThomasM125  Unfortunately i just sent off my tax return a few hours before your reply.  Do you feel an amended return is in order? Or, are amended returns a way to guarantee an audit?

[ThomasM125]

@DanG91 If your net income is not correctly stated on your tax return, then you need to file an amended return to correct that. If you simply put some numbers in the wrong expense or income category but the net income is correct, then it is not critical that you do the amended return.

An amended return does not increase your chances of being audited. 

[MilesJohnson]

Thank you for explaining this. I am in a similar boat as the original poster. 

So, to effectively cancel the numbers out should I report the credit card tips that passed through me before going to the employees under "other income" on my Schedule C? 

I've been a self employed filer for years but am new to having employees and have never used the "other business  income" field before. But it seems wrong to include them in gross receipts. 

Thank you @ThomasM125 ! 

[ThomasM125]

@MilesJohnson Yes, Other Income would be appropriate to report the tip receipts.