Deck 3: Social Security Taxes

Question 1

Exempt educational assistance includes payments for tools that employees keep after they complete a course of instruction.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Dismissal pay is considered taxable wages under FICA.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Under FICA only, cash tips of more than $100 in a month are defined as taxable wages.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Employers do not pay payroll taxes on payments made to independent contractors.

Question 5

Employees may use Form 4070 to report the amount of their tips to their employers.

Question 6

Employees are liable for their FICA taxes only until the taxes have been collected from their pay by their employer.

Question 7

FICA includes partnerships in its definition of employer.

Question 8

FICA does not consider the first six months of sick pay as taxable wages.

Question 9

The FICA tax rates and taxable wage bases are exactly the same for the employee and employer when the employee makes $200,000 or less.

Question 10

Each year, the FICA (OASDI portion) taxable wage base is automatically adjusted whenever a cost of living raise in social security benefits becomes available.

Question 11

FICA defines wages as including the cash value of meals provided for the convenience of the employees.

Question 12

The highest paid executives of a firm are excluded from coverage under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA).

Question 13

Peter, age 17 and employed by his family-owned corporation, is covered under FICA.

Question 14

A worker hired by the federal government in 2016 is covered under FICA.

Question 15

The Federal Insurance Contributions Act levies a tax upon the gross earnings of self-employed persons.

Question 16

Payments made to a worker's spouse for hospital expenses in connection with an accident disability are not considered wages under FICA.

Question 17

In its definition of employee, FICA clearly distinguishes between classes or grades of employees.

Question 18

In computing their own FICA taxes, employers may exclude the total amount of tips reported to them by their tipped employees.

Question 19

Employees of a state government hired before January 1, 1986, and covered by a public retirement plan, are exempt from FICA coverage.

Question 20

Employer payments made directly to employees in lieu of health insurance coverage are taxable wages.

Question 21

Self-employed persons include their self-employment taxes in their quarterly payment of estimated federal income taxes.

Question 22

Monthly depositors are required to deposit their taxes by the 15th day of the following month.

Question 23

State and local government employers must make their tax deposits according to a different schedule than private employers.

Question 24

The employees of a semiweekly depositor are paid every Tuesday.The accumulated payroll taxes must be deposited on or before the following Friday.

Question 25

Noncash items given to household employees by their employers are subject to FICA tax.

Question 26

Under SECA, all of an individual's self-employment income is counted in determining the HI tax.

Question 27

A monthly depositor is one who reported employment taxes of $50,000 or more for the four quarters in the lookback period.

Question 28

The Social Security Act requires workers to obtain a new account number each time they change jobs.

Question 29

Businesses with $2,500 or less in quarterly tax liabilities can pay the taxes when they file Form 941.

Question 30

If an employee, who works two or more separate jobs, pays OASDI taxes on wages in excess of the taxable wage base, the employee is entitled to a refund of the overpayment.

Question 31

Under the safe harbor rule, when employers deposit their tax liabilities, they may have a shortfall of no more than $200 without incurring any penalty.

Question 32

An employer's social security and withheld income taxes for the quarter are less than $2,500.The employer must deposit the taxes at its bank at the time of filing the fourth quarter Form 941.

Question 33

Nonagricultural employers who withhold income taxes and are liable for social security taxes must file a monthly tax and information return.

Question 34

The requirements for depositing FICA taxes and income taxes withheld from nonagricultural employees' wages vary according to the amount of such taxes reported during a "lookback period."

Question 35

Form 941 is used by employers to make their quarterly return of FICA taxes and withheld income taxes.

Question 36

The Social Security Act does not require self-employed persons to have an account number.

Question 37

If the accumulated employment taxes during a quarter are less than $2,500, no deposits are required.

Question 38

OASDI taxes are levied when the wages are earned by, rather than when paid to, employees.

Question 39

All employers of one or more persons must file an application for an identification number.

Question 40

On Form 941, the employer does not show the date of each tax deposit during the quarter.

Question 41

Employers who fail to file employment tax returns are subject to both civil and criminal penalties.

Question 42

Which of the following deposit requirements pertains to a nonagricultural employer who has employer FICA taxes and withheld employee FICA taxes and income taxes of $125,000 at the end of payday on Friday, August 14, 20--?

A)No deposit is required until Tuesday, August 18.
B)The taxes must be deposited by the close of the next banking day.
C)The taxes must be deposited on or before August 31.
D)The undeposited taxes should be carried over to the end of September.
E)None of the above.

Question 43

To be designated a semiweekly depositor, how much in employment taxes would an employer have reported for the four quarters in the lookback period?

A)More than $50,000.
B)More than $100,000.
C)Less than $50,000.
D)More than $2,500.
E)None of the above.

Question 44

Which of the following deposit requirements pertains to a monthly depositor who has accumulated employment taxes of $2,900 at the end of October?

A)No deposit is required.
B)The undeposited taxes should be carried over to the end of November.
C)The taxes must be deposited on or before November 15.
D)The taxes must be deposited on or before the next banking day.
E)None of the above.

Question 45

If an employer fails to file an employment tax return on the due date, a penalty based on a certain percentage of the amount of tax required to be reported may be added to the tax.

Question 46

The taxes imposed under the Social Security Act consist of:

A)two taxes on employers.
B)two taxes on employees.
C)OASDI and HI taxes.
D)taxes on the net earnings of the self-employed.
E)all of the above.

Question 47

The FICA tax rates for the self-employed are:

A)6.2% (OASDI) and 1.45% (HI).
B)12.4% (OASDI) and 1.45% (HI).
C)6.2% (OASDI) and 2.9% (HI).
D)10.0% (OASDI) and 1.0% (HI).
E)none of the above.

Question 48

FICA excludes from coverage all of the following kinds of employment except:

A)domestic service performed in a college sorority by a student.
B)service performed by a 16-year-old child in the employ of the mother.
C)babysitting service performed by a 35-year-old person who receives $40 in cash during the calendar quarter.
D)federal government secretaries hired in 1990.
E)services performed by a railroad worker for an employer covered by the Railroad Retirement Tax Act.

Question 49

Form 944 (annual form) can be used by all new employers instead of Form 941.

Question 50

The OASDI taxable wage base is correctly defined as:

A)all amounts earned by an employee during a calendar year.
B)the maximum amount of wages during a calendar year that is subject to the OASDI tax.
C)all amounts paid an employee during a calendar year.
D)all amounts either earned by, or paid to, an employee during a calendar year.
E)none of the above.

Question 51

Each of the following items is accurately defined under FICA as taxable wages except:

A)value of meals furnished employees for the employer's convenience.
B)value of meals furnished employees for the employees' convenience.
C)commissions.
D)dismissal pay.
E)$500 award for productivity improvement suggestion.

Question 52

Which of the following deposit requirements pertains to a semiweekly depositor who has accumulated employment taxes of $17,500 on payday, Saturday, May 16, 20--?

A)No deposit is required until May 18, the next banking day.
B)The undeposited taxes should be carried over to the next payday on May 23.
C)The taxes must be deposited on or before Tuesday, May 19.
D)The taxes must be deposited on or before Friday, May 22.
E)None of the above.

Question 53

Which of the following statements does not describe an employee's FICA taxes and withholdings?

A)The employee's taxes are collected by the employer and paid to the IRS along with the employer's taxes.
B)The employee's taxes are deducted from the employee's wages at the time of payment.
C)The employee's liability for the FICA taxes continues even after the employer has withheld them.
D)The amount of tax to be withheld is computed by multiplying the employee's taxable wages by the current tax rate.
E)The employee is entitled to a refund for overpayment of FICA taxes resulting from having worked for more than one employer.

Question 54

Barr fails to make a timely deposit of FICA taxes and withheld income taxes until five days after the due date.The penalty facing Barr is:

A)2% of the undeposited taxes.
B)5% of the undeposited taxes.
C)10% of the undeposited taxes.
D)25% of the undeposited taxes.
E)none of the above.

Question 55

Employers file Form 941 with the IRS center of the region in which the employer's principal place of business is located.

Question 56

Which of the following payments are not taxable for FICA?

A)Back-pay awards.
B)Wage supplements to cover difference between employees' salaries and their military pay.
C)Dismissal pay.
D)Difference between employees' regular wages and the amount received for jury duty.
E)Retroactive wage increase.

Question 57

FICA defines all of the following as wages except:

A)year-end bonuses.
B)standby payments.
C)total cash tips of $15 received by a tipped employee in May.
D)employees' social security taxes paid for by the employer.
E)first six months of sick pay.

Question 58

FICA defines all of the following as employees except:

A)vice presidents.
B)partners.
C)superintendents.
D)full-time life insurance salespersons.
E)payroll managers.

Question 59

Ashe, an employer, has made timely deposits of FICA taxes and withheld income taxes during the first quarter of 2016.The latest date on which she may file Form 941 is:

A)April 10.
B)April 30.
C)May 1.
D)May 10.
E)May 15.

Question 60

Form 941 is due on or before the 15th day of the month following the close of the calendar quarter for which the return is made.