Rev. Proc. 2024-11

.01 The purpose of this revenue procedure is to provide general rules and specifications from the IRS for paper and computer-generated substitutes for Form 941, Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return; Schedule B (Form 941), Report of Tax Liability for Semiweekly Schedule Depositors (referred to in this revenue procedure as “Schedule B”); Schedule D (Form 941), Report of Discrepancies Caused by Acquisitions, Statutory Mergers, or Consolidations (referred to in this revenue procedure as “Schedule D”); Schedule R (Form 941), Allocation Schedule for Aggregate Form 941 Filers (referred to in this revenue procedure as “Schedule R”); and Form 8974, Qualified Small Business Payroll Tax Credit for Increasing Research Activities.

Caution. Before creating a substitute Form 941, see Pub. 1167, General Rules and Specifications for Substitute Forms and Schedules, for additional rules and specifications for payment vouchers (Vouchers), printing in margins (Marginal Printing), and additional instructions (Additional Instructions for All Forms).

Note. Substitute Spanish-language forms (for example, Form 941 (sp) and Schedule B (Form 941) (sp)) should also generally conform to the specifications outlined in this revenue procedure. However, some of the measurements provided in the exhibits, later, may need to be adjusted for substitute Spanish-language forms.

.02 This revenue procedure provides information for substitute Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule R, and Form 8974. If you need more in-depth information on who must complete these forms and how to complete them, see the Instructions for Form 941, the Instructions for Schedule B, the Instructions for Schedule D, the Instructions for Schedule R, the Instructions for Form 8974, and Pub. 15, Employer’s Tax Guide, or go to IRS.gov.

Note. Failure to produce acceptable substitutes of the forms and schedules listed in this revenue procedure may result in delays in processing. This may result in penalties.

.03 Forms that completely follow the guidelines in this revenue procedure and are exact replicas of the official IRS forms do not need to be submitted to the IRS for specific approval. Substitute forms and schedules need to be scanned using IRS scanning equipment.

If you are uncertain of any specification and want clarification, do the following.

Internal Revenue Service

Attn: Substitute Forms Program

SE:W:CAR:MP:P:TP:TP ATSC

4800 Buford Highway, Mail Stop 061-N

Chamblee, GA 30341

Note. Allow at least 30 days for the IRS to respond.

.04 However, software developers and form producers should send a blank copy of their substitute Form 941, Schedule B, and Schedule R in Portable Document Format (PDF) to SCRIPS@IRS.gov. The purpose is not specifically for approval but to assist the IRS in preparing to scan these forms. Submitters will only receive comments if a significant problem is discovered through this process. Submitters are not expected to delay marketing their forms in order to receive feedback. Submitters must not include any “live” taxpayer data on any substitute form submitted for review.

.05 Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule R, and Form 8974 have a six-digit form ID code in the upper right-hand corner. The first two digits of the form ID code represent whether the form is an official paper form or a substitute 6x10 grid. The third and fourth digits of the form ID code are a unique identifier that is subject to change each quarter when changes are made to a page of the form. The fifth and six digits of the form ID code generally represent the year in which the IRS made major formatting changes to the layout of a page of the form. The following six-digit form ID codes, some of which have been updated for the first quarter of 2024, are currently used on Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule R, and Form 8974.

You must always use the form ID code provided on the current form for the applicable quarter for which you are creating a substitute form, even if this revenue procedure is not superseded to reflect a change to a form ID code.

.06 This revenue procedure will be updated only if there are major formatting changes to the layout of the forms (that is, changes to the measurements provided in the exhibits at the end of this revenue procedure) or there are other changes that impact the processing of substitute forms. This revenue procedure won’t be updated solely because a line is changed to “Reserved for future use” or solely because a form ID code changes without major formatting changes.

.01 Form 941 was revised to delete all lines related to the credit for qualified sick and family leave wages, as enacted under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and amended and extended by the COVID-related Tax Relief Act of 2020, for leave taken after March 31, 2020, and before April 1, 2021, and the credit for qualified sick and family leave wages under sections 3131, 3132, and 3133 of the Internal Revenue Code, as enacted under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the ARP), for leave taken after March 31, 2021, and before October 1, 2021. Additionally, all lines that were previously “Reserved for future use” have been deleted. Form 941 is now a two-page form instead of a three-page form.

.02 The Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice was removed from Form 941. The Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice is now in the Instructions for Form 941.

.03 Forms 941-SS and 941-PR were discontinued after 2023. Employers in the U.S. territories will file Form 941, or if they prefer their form in Spanish, they can file new Form 941 (sp).

.01 Draft forms. Draft forms can be found at IRS.gov/DraftForms.

.01 Submit substitute Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule R, and Form 8974 to the IRS for specifications review. Substitute Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule R, and Form 8974 that completely conform to the specifications contained in this revenue procedure do not require prior approval from the IRS, but should be submitted to SCRIPS@IRS.gov to ensure that they conform to IRS format and scanning specifications.

.02 Print the form on standard 8.5-inch wide by 11-inch paper.

.03 Use white paper that meets generally accepted weight, color, and quality standards (minimum 20 lb. white bond paper).

Note. Reclaimed fiber in any percentage is permitted provided that the requirements of this standard are met.

.04 The IRS prefers printing Form 941 on both sides of a single sheet of paper, but it is acceptable to print on one side of each of two separate sheets of paper.

.05 Make the substitute paper form as identical to the official form as possible.

.06 Print the substitute form using nonreflective black (not blue or other-colored) ink. Printing in an ink color other than black may reduce readability in the scanning process. This may result in figures being too faint to be recognizable.

.07 Use typefaces that are substantially identical in size and shape to the official form and use rules and shading (if used) that are substantially identical to those on the official form. Use font size as large as possible within the fields.

.08 In the same location as shown on the official IRS forms, print the six-digit form ID code (if one exists on the official form) on each form using nonreflective black, carbon-based, 12-point font. The use of non-OCR-A font may reduce readability for scanning. Use the official form to develop your substitute form.

Note. Maintain as much white space as possible around the form ID code. Do not allow character strings to print adjacent to the code.

The following six-digit form ID codes are used on Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule R, and Form 8974 for the first quarter of 2024. Print “950124” on Form 941, page 1; “950224” on Form 941, page 2; “960311” on Schedule B; “950424” on Schedule R, page 1; “950524” on Schedule R, page 2; and “951823” on Form 8974. You must always use the form ID code provided on the current form for the applicable quarter for which you are creating a substitute form, even if this revenue procedure is not superseded to reflect a change to a form ID code. See Section 1.5 for information on form ID codes for software-generated forms.

.09 Print the OMB number in the same location as on the official form. Be sure to include the OMB number on Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule R, and Form 8974.

.10 Print all entry boxes and checkboxes exactly as shown (location and size) on the official forms.

Note. Instead of a four-sided checkbox for the entry, just the bottom line of the box can be used as long as the location and size remain the same.

.11 Print “For Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see separate instructions.” at the bottom of page 1 of Form 941.

.12 Print “For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see separate instructions.” at the bottom of Schedule B and Schedule D.

.13 Print “For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see the separate instructions.” at the bottom of Schedule R.

.14 Print “For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see the separate instructions.” at the bottom of Form 8974.

.15 Do not print the form catalog number (“Cat. No.”) at the bottom of the forms or instructions. Instead, print your IRS-issued three-letter substitute form source code in place of the catalog number on the left at the bottom of page 1 of Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule R, and Form 8974.

Note. You can obtain a three-letter substitute form source code by requesting it by email at SubstituteForms@IRS.gov. Enter “Substitute Forms” on the subject line.

.16 Do not print the Government Publishing Office (GPO) symbol at the bottom of the forms or instructions.

.01 You may use the PDF files to develop the layout for your forms. Draft forms found at IRS.gov/DraftForms can be used to develop interim formats until the forms are finalized. When forms become finalized, they are posted and can be found at IRS.gov/Forms. You may use 6x10 grid formats to develop software versions of Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule R, and Form 8974.

Please follow the specifications exactly to develop the fields.

.02 If you are developing software using the 6x10 grid, the following six-digit form ID codes are used on Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule R, and Form 8974 for the first quarter of 2024.

.03 If producing both the form and the data or the form only, print your three-letter source code at the bottom of Form 941, page 1; Schedule B; Schedule D; Schedule R, page 1; or Form 8974. See Section 1.4.15.

.04 If producing only the data on the form, print your four-digit software industry vendor code on Form 941. The four-digit vendor code preceded by four zeros and a slash (0000/9876) must be pre-printed. If you have a valid vendor code issued to you through the National Association of Computerized Tax Processors (NACTP), you should use that code. If you do not have a valid vendor code, contact the NACTP via email at president@nactp.org for information on these codes.

.05 Print “For Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see separate instructions.” at the bottom of Form 941, page 1.

.06 Print “For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see separate instructions.” at the bottom of Schedule B and Schedule D.

.07 Print “For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see the separate instructions.” at the bottom of Schedule R, page 1.

.08 Print “For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see the separate instructions.” at the bottom of Form 8974.

.09 Be sure to print the OMB number in the same location as on the official forms on substitute Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule R, and Form 8974.

.10 Do not print the form catalog number (“Cat. No.”) at the bottom of the forms or instructions.

.11 Do not print the Government Publishing Office (GPO) symbol at the bottom of the forms or instructions.

.12 To ensure accurate scanning and processing, enter data on Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule R, and Form 8974 as follows.

Note. The IRS prefers that you use a minus sign for negative amounts instead of parentheses or some other means. However, if your software only allows for parentheses in reporting negative amounts, you may use them.

.01 To properly file and to reduce delays and contact from the IRS, Schedule D must be produced as close as possible to the official form.

.02 Use Schedule D to explain why you have certain discrepancies. See the Instructions for Schedule D for more information. In many cases, the information on Schedule D helps the IRS resolve discrepancies without contacting you.

.03 If a substitute Schedule D is not submitted in similar format to the official IRS schedule, the substitutes may be returned, you may be contacted by the IRS, delays in processing may occur, and you may be subject to penalties.

.01 To properly file and to reduce delays and contact from the IRS, Schedule R and Continuation Sheets for Schedule R must be produced as close as possible to the official form.

Note. Do not present the information in spreadsheet or similar format. We may not be able to properly process nonconforming documents with an excessive number of entries. Complete as many Continuation Sheets for Schedule R (Schedule R, page 2) as necessary. If Continuation Sheets are not used or they vary in form from the official form, processing may be delayed and you may be subject to penalties.

.02 Use Schedule R to allocate the aggregate information reported on Form 941 to each client. If you have more than 5 clients, complete as many Continuation Sheets for Schedule R as necessary. Attach Schedule R, including any Continuation Sheets, to your aggregate Form 941 and file it with your return.

Enter your business information carefully.

Make sure all information exactly matches the information shown on the aggregate Form 941. Compare the total of each column on Schedule R, line 9 (including your information on line 8), to the amounts reported on the aggregate Form 941. For each column total of Schedule R, the relevant line from Form 941 is noted in the column heading. The March 2024 revision of Schedule R now has some columns that are used only when Schedule R is attached to Form 941-X. If the totals on Schedule R, line 9, do not match the totals on Form 941, there is an error that must be corrected before submitting Form 941 and Schedule R.

.03 Do:

.04 Do not:

.05 If substitute Schedules R and Continuation Sheets for Schedule R are not submitted in similar format to the official schedule, the substitutes may be returned, you may be contacted by the IRS, delays in processing may occur, and you may be subject to penalties.

.01 To properly file and to reduce delays and contact from the IRS, Form 8974 must be produced as close as possible to the official form.

.02 Use Form 8974 only if you are claiming the qualified small business payroll tax credit for increasing research activities.

.03 If a substitute Form 8974 is not submitted in similar format to the official IRS form, the substitutes may be returned, you may be contacted by the IRS, delays in processing may occur, and you may be subject to penalties.

.01 The Paperwork Reduction Act (the Act) of 1995 (P.L. 104-13) requires the following.

.02 This information must be provided to any users of official or substitute IRS forms or instructions.

.03 The OMB requirements for substitute IRS forms are the following.

.04 If no instructions are provided to users of your forms, you must furnish to them the exact text of the Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice.

.01 You can order forms and instructions at IRS.gov/OrderForms.

.01 Revenue Procedure 2023-13, 2023-13 I.R.B. 581, dated March 27, 2023, is superseded.

.01 Please follow the specifications and guidelines to produce substitute Form 941, Schedule B, Schedule D, Schedule R, and Form 8974.

.02 These forms are subject to review and possible changes, as required. Therefore, employers are cautioned against overstocking supplies of privately printed substitutes.

.03 Here is a review of references that were listed throughout this document.