T
The Daily Insight

Why would an S Corp owe taxes?

Author

Sarah Duran

Published Mar 29, 2026

S-corporations are pass-through entities. That is, the corporation itself is not subject to federal income tax. Instead, the shareholders are taxed upon their allocated share of the income. Shareholders do not have to pay self-employment tax on their share of an S-corp’s profits.

What is a reasonable cause of late S Corp filing?

Reasonable causes are that your company’s president, chief executive officer or similar responsible person neglected to file the election, or your corporation’s tax professional or accountant neglected to do so.

How late can you file S-Corp election?

When To Make the Election Complete and file Form 2553: No more than 2 months and 15 days after the beginning of the tax year the election is to take effect, or. At any time during the tax year preceding the tax year it is to take effect.

How late can you file Form 8832?

There’s no “deadline” to file Form 8832—it can be filed either right when you start your business, or at any point during your business’s lifetime. However, the filing date is important. The tax status for the business is effective either: Up to 75 days before filing the form.

How does an S corporation file a tax return?

For tax purposes, an S corporation is considered a pass-through taxing mechanism. That is, the tax on the S corporation is passed through to the owners for federal income tax purposes. First, the corporation files a business tax return on Form 1120-S.

Where do I put Scorp on my tax return?

On the 1120S form, you will enter the income and expenses of the business for 2017. Each shareholder’s portion of the income, credits and deductions of the SCorp will be included on a K-1 form, which is used to pass through the income, credits and deductions to their personal return.

How are the shareholders of a corporation taxed?

For example, if the profits of the S corp are $100,000 and there are four shareholders, each with a 1/4 share, each shareholder would pay taxes on $25,000 in profits. As noted above, shareholders of corporations pay tax on the dividends they receive from the corporation, in addition to the income tax imposed on the corporation itself.

Do you have to pay taxes on dividends to an S corporation?

No tax is imposed on the S corp, and there are no dividends. The owners of an S corporation pay regular income tax on their distribution, but they are not considered to be self-employed, so they pay no self-employment tax on this distribution.