Navigating your W-2 filing deadlines for the 2025 tax season as a Texas employer requires all filers to set the stakes early by knowing why they should not overlook deadlines. Missing your small business’s W-2 deadlines can and often will be costly, especially if:
- You accrue penalties from the Internal Revenue Service
- You need to hire an accountant or pay fees to an existing one to reconcile oversights
- The employee turnover rate rises due to frustration about late or incorrect forms
Texas may not have a state income tax, but meeting W-2 form deadlines still matters. Filing the form is essential for any Texas business that compensated their employees during the year and withheld federal income tax, Social Security, or Medicare taxes.
Do not file W-2 forms if your business:
- Operates as a sole proprietor without any employees
- Only hires independent contractors who receive 1099 forms
The best way to handle meeting all of your W-2 deadlines while accurately completing forms is by getting comprehensive tax software. Advanced Micro Solutions’ base W-2/1099 Forms Filer program is the most affordable solution on the market. Our software supports small businesses in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
What are the Key W-2 Filing Deadlines For Texas Employers?
Keeping up with deadlines should not feel inherently overwhelming when you have tax software. The Jan. 31 deadline is one that all employers are aware of when it comes to tax season. Make sure that you are aware of the deadline in order to:
- Provide any W-2 forms to your employees
- File Copy A with the Social Security Administration
The same date is also important for submitting Form W-3 to the Social Security Administration. If you ever need to request a Form W-2 extension, there are specific criteria that your business must meet. Additional details can be found on IRS Form 8809.
What Do Texas Employers Need For W-2 Tax Filing?
Small business employers learn quickly that compliance looks different across state lines. For a business that operates in Texas, employers are not required to do:
- State-level W-2 filing
- State income tax withholding
Make sure that you do not confuse not having a state tax with having less reporting as a whole. Texas employers must still include all federal wages and withholdings, plus Social Security and Medicare taxes.
Getting software should involve checking to see if a program operates in all of the regions that you will need it. If you purchase our W-2/1099 Forms Filer with an add-on AMS Payroll module, you can see different state and federal tax liabilities at any time with a View command feature.
| Texas Employers | Employers (Other States) |
| No State Income Tax | State Income Tax Withholding |
| No State W-2 Filing | State W-2 Filing Often Required |
| Federal Filing Still Required | Federal Filing Still Required |
Best Practices For An Easy W-2 Filing Season
Finding ways to simplify how you report and file using your tax forms makes everyone’s lives easier. There are little things that you can do before and during tax season to streamline the process while also keeping it affordable for your business. Before the end of the year:
- Review all wage and tax reports
- Confirm employee names and Social Security numbers
Running the final payroll reports in early January is also helpful rather than waiting until the last week of the month. Meanwhile, keeping payroll centralized and using automated W-2 software throughout the year are both good long-term practices. Sending forms directly from software to the appropriate party can help reduce the error rate from 21% for paper returns to less than 1%.
Is AMS Software the Right Choice?
There are all different considerations that small businesses need to make before choosing their next software program. It is important to plan ahead and account for how you see the business evolving or expanding over time. If you currently have a business in Texas, make sure that you think about whether your software is compatible with other state rules and regulations.
The W-2/1099 software features that are favored by small businesses include:
- A Common Payee File to avoid re-entering the same information multiple times
- Selected fields that you can calculate
- Easy importing from Excel, form print files, and ordinary text files
- A Browse command tool to enter data with a spreadsheet format
Our core product is part of a larger accounting suite of tools. Users of any of our six optional add-on modules can build out their system now or later. The modules include:
- AMS Payroll
- Software Generated Forms
- Forms Filer Plus
- 1042-S Filer
- Affordable Care Act Filer
- E-File
Download our free 1099-etc Demo software today and enter real data to see if our system is the right choice for your small business needs.