Form 1042-S Due Dates and Filing Deadlines for 2026

Form 1042-S has the following deadlines for reporting tax year 2025 transactions:

Weekend/Holiday Rule: When March 15 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the due date moves to the next business day.

Form 1042-S has a March 15 deadline while most 1099 forms have January 31 (recipient copy) and February 28/March 31 (IRS filing) deadlines. The reasons include:

• Complexity: International withholding involves treaty analysis and multiple status codes
• Coordination: 1042-S must coordinate with Form 1042 (the annual tax return)
• Recipient needs: Foreign recipients may need the form for their home country tax filings
• Single deadline: Unlike 1099s, there is no difference between paper and electronic deadlines

Form 1042, Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source Income of Foreign Persons, is the tax return that summarizes all withholding reported on Forms 1042-S.

• Purpose: Reconciles total tax withheld with deposits made
• Filing: Filed separately from Forms 1042-S but due the same date
• Relationship: Total Box 7 amounts on all 1042-S forms should match Form 1042

You must file Form 1042 if you withheld any tax under Chapter 3 or Chapter 4, even if the total is zero due to exemptions or treaty benefits.

Form 1042-T, Annual Summary and Transmittal of Forms 1042-S, is the transmittal form that accompanies paper Forms 1042-S when filed with the IRS.

• Paper filing: Required when submitting paper 1042-S forms
• Electronic filing: Not required when e-filing (data is transmitted electronically)
• Summary: Reports the number of 1042-S forms and total amounts

Yes, you can request an extension using Form 8809, Application for Extension of Time to File Information Returns.

• Automatic extension: Form 8809 provides an automatic 30-day extension
• Additional extension: One additional 30-day extension may be available
• Recipient copies: Extensions for IRS filing do not automatically extend recipient copy deadlines
• Form 1042: Request separate extension using Form 7004 for the annual return

Important: An extension of time to file does not extend the time to deposit withholding taxes. Deposits must be made timely regardless of filing extensions.

The IRS imposes penalties for late, incorrect, or missing Form 1042-S filings:

Additional penalties: Failure to deposit withheld taxes timely can result in additional penalties up to 15% of the unpaid tax, plus interest.

Withheld taxes must be deposited with the IRS according to a schedule separate from filing deadlines:

• Semi-weekly depositors: Deposit by Wednesday or Friday following the week of withholding
• Monthly depositors: Deposit by the 15th of the following month
• Quarterly depositors: Deposit by the last day of the month following the quarter

Deposit schedules depend on the total amount of tax liability. Most withholding agents are monthly depositors. Use EFTPS (Electronic Federal Tax Payment System) to make deposits.