Tax season is in full swing, and for individuals, the critical date is April 15; tax returns for 2014 must be in by this date or taxpayers are subject to penalties on taxes owed. For businesses and self-employed individuals, however, there are several other tax filing deadlines to be aware of before we reach the middle of April.

It is already late February and some of these deadlines are past. But even if you missed a particular deadline, the old adage “better late than never” definitely applies to IRS filings. With that in mind, here are some of the important dates for businesses to be aware of as we progress through the first quarter of 2015:

January 15

• Deadline for self-employed estimated quarterly taxes for fourth quarter 2014.
  

• Deadline for farmers and fisherman to pay their estimated 2014 taxes if filing form 1040-ES. If you missed this deadline, you must file your 2014 tax return and pay any taxes due by March 2 or be subject to a penalty.

February 2: Because January 31 fell on a weekend this year, the filing deadline was moved to February 2 for the following:

• Sending employees copies of W2s

• Sending most contractors/subcontractors copies of 1099s

February 10

• Deadline to file Form 941 for income tax, Social Security and Medicare tax withheld during the fourth quarter of 2014. This form should only be filed if tax was deposited properly, timely and in full.

• Deadline to file Form 945 non-payroll income tax withheld for 2014. This form should only be filed if tax was deposited properly, timely and in full.
  

February 17:

• Deadline for sending copies of 1099s to recipients if reporting payments in boxes 8 or 14.

• Deadline for filing Form 1065-B, Election of Large Partnership or Form 7004 if filing for an automatic 6 month extension.

• First installment of estimated income tax for corporations during the 2015 tax year is due. You may use Form 1120-W to assist you in creating this estimate.

March 2: Deadline for all businesses to send paper copies of Forms W2G, 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921 and 3922 to the IRS.

March 16

• Deadline for corporations to file a Form 1120 (corporate income tax return) and pay any income taxes due. You may use Form 7004 to file for an automatic 6 month extension (if needed).
• Deadline for S corporations to file Form 1120S (income tax return) and pay any taxes due. This is also the deadline for S corporations to provide shareholders with a copy of Schedule K-1 (Shareholder’s share of income, deductions and credits). You may use Form 7004 to file for an automatic 6 month extension (if needed).
• Deadline for large partnerships to furnish each partner with a copy of Schedule K-1 (Partner’s share of income and loss).
• If you are a corporation or LLC that wants to be treated as an S corporation for tax purposes during the 2015 tax year, this is the deadline to file Form 2553. Filings made after this date do not take effect until the 2016 tax year.

March 31: End of first quarter 2015 and deadline for all businesses to send electronic copies (if choosing to file electronically) of Forms W2G, 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921 and 3922.

This covers most of the major filing deadlines for businesses in the first quarter of 2015. Depending on the type of business or industry you are in, there are some other forms that may be due. If you missed any of these deadlines and/or want to make sure your business taxes are fully in order, speak to your local accounting firm.