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Read this when you want to know what Bolto handles on the tax side, when, and how to see it. Your CPA will ask.

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Filing authorizations (Form 8655 and state POAs)

To file returns and pay taxes for you, Bolto needs written permission from your company for each tax agency. These are permission slips. They don’t change who owes the tax. Your company does. They let Bolto act as your agent. When you’ll be asked. Form 8655 comes during onboarding or migration. A state POA comes once that state’s registration is complete and an employee is assigned to a work location there. You’ll get an email, and Bolto shows a banner in the app for any that are outstanding.
Payroll can’t run until Form 8655 is signed, and a state’s filings can’t be submitted until its POA is signed. Sign them as soon as they appear.
How to sign.
  1. Open the link from the email or the banner in Bolto (Organization → Documents, or the task on your overview page).
  2. Review the pre-filled form. The signer should be your company’s authorized signer: an officer who can bind the company.
  3. Sign electronically. The signed copy is stored under Organization → Documents → Authorization documents.
If the link won’t open, or you can’t see where to sign, email support with the state name and we’ll resend it.

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With every payroll

  • Employee withholding: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state (and where applicable local) income tax, and state-specific items such as disability or paid-leave contributions
  • Employer taxes: the employer share of Social Security and Medicare, federal unemployment (FUTA), and state unemployment (SUI)
  • Deposits: Bolto debits the taxes with net pay and deposits them with the IRS and states on the schedule each agency requires
The total debit for a payroll is net pay plus all taxes. Payroll History shows both.

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Quarterly

  • Federal Form 941: due the last day of the month after the quarter ends (April 30, July 31, October 31, January 31)
  • State withholding and unemployment returns: most states follow the same quarterly deadline. Some are monthly or annual.
  • Quarter-end true-up: if deposits during the quarter were slightly under the final liability, Bolto debits the difference as a small balancing payment. It can be a few dollars or a few hundred. You’ll see it in Payroll History.
Agencies usually take 5 to 10 business days to process a filing after Bolto submits it.

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Annually

  • Federal Form 940 (FUTA): due January 31 for the prior year
  • W-2s for employees and 1099-NECs for US contractors: filed with the agencies and delivered to workers in their Bolto portal by January 31
  • State annual reconciliations where required

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What Bolto doesn’t file

  • Secretary of State filings, annual reports, and franchise tax. Those belong to your registered agent or law firm.
  • Corporate income tax. That’s your CPA.
  • Filings for periods before you joined Bolto, unless agreed as part of your migration. Confirm who files the quarter in which you switch providers. See Shutting down your previous provider.
  • Returns for states where you haven’t signed a filing authorization. See Filing authorizations above.

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Where to see filings

  • Organization → Documents → Tax documents lists quarterly and annual filings Bolto has made for you, with copies to download.
  • Each submitted payroll’s detail page shows the status of its related filings.
  • If you need a copy of a specific return or deposit confirmation that isn’t there, email support with the form, quarter, and state.

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Switching providers mid-quarter

If Bolto runs any payroll in a quarter, Bolto files that quarter’s returns covering the wages it paid. Make sure your previous provider doesn’t also file for the same quarter. If they do, the second filing is rejected and may need an amended return (941-X) to fix. Bolto’s tax team can prepare amended returns. You sign, and we mail them.