Form 941 - Quarterly Federal Payroll Tax Return
Internal Revenue Service · Form 941
Applies
- Due
- Within 30 calendar days of quarter-end
For employers
Your compliance program, in every state you hire in.
Kreto files your state registrations, keeps your obligations and deadlines on one calendar, and covers payroll tax and the employment programs: PFML, I-9, workers' comp, wage and hour. Run it yourself, or with your CPA.
Free for 90 days, no card.Book a walkthrough
SOC 2 Type II · audit in progress
Hiring in a new state starts a list.
Register before the first paycheck.
Withholding and unemployment insurance, and in some states paid leave. Each has its own agency, form and account number.
A remote hire counts too.
Payroll can run for months in a state you never registered in. Kreto works out what each of your states requires, from your company's record.
Then the letters start.
Rate notices, wage report reminders, penalty notices. Often the letter is the first time anyone hears something went wrong.
How an employer starts.
- Add your company and its states.Then upload your payroll register, the CSV or Excel file your payroll provider already gives you.
- Kreto files and builds your calendar.Kreto files each registration your states require and tracks it to the state's confirmation. Your obligations and deadlines go on one calendar, with an iCal feed.
- Bring the letters in.Upload a notice or forward it to your private Kreto address. Kreto reads it and gives it a respond-by date.
- You approve what leaves.Kreto drafts the reply with the evidence attached. Nothing goes to an agency without your approval, and every step lands in the audit trail.
Your program, in one place.
Every line is live in the product. A limited line says its limit.
- State registrationsLiveKreto works out what each state requires, files the registration from your record and tracks it to the state's confirmation.
- Business licensesLiveBusiness licenses tracked per company, beside its registrations.
- State referenceLiveAgency, protest window, wage base and programs for 50 states and DC. A figure shows its source where one is recorded; an unchecked figure says so.
- Compliance calendarLiveNotice response deadlines and license expirations on one calendar, with an iCal feed. Where the agency's rule moves a deadline past a weekend or holiday, the notice shows the day it moves to.
- Obligations by stateLiveWhat each company owes, state by state, in one tracker.
- Payroll uploadLiveUpload the payroll file, with a guide to download the report from your payroll provider.
- Federal payroll taxLiveExpected Social Security and Medicare from the payroll on file, beside any Form 940, 941 or FTD penalty notice.
- SUI rate checkLimitedRate notices checked against the agency's 2026 schedule in 51 states.Each state's status is on its page in the state directory.
- Voluntary contribution ROILiveWhether a voluntary SUI contribution is worth making: its payback period and three-year return.
- Paid family and medical leaveLiveEnrollment gaps by employer and state, with the estimated exposure.14 programs: 13 states and DC.
- I-9LiveAn I-9 roster built from payroll: Section 1 and 2 forms, documents and work-authorization expiry dates.
- Workers' compLivePolicies, class codes, deposit and audited premium and expiry dates, with E-Mod and premium calculators.30 NCCI reference codes.
- Wage and hourLiveA risk score per employer from its profile: pay below the state minimum, exempt staff, contractors and hours.
- ACALiveEach employer's ALE status from its full-time-equivalent count.With an estimated 4980H exposure.
- Credentials vaultLiveState-portal logins kept in a vault, with every reveal logged.
- Hash-chained audit trailLiveEvery action recorded, each record carrying the hash of the one before it.
- PII redactionLiveSSNs, EINs and bank numbers redacted before any model sees the text.It does not yet remove people's names.
- Notice intakeLiveUpload a PDF or scan, or forward it to a private address. Each notice is fingerprinted, so a duplicate is caught.
- Read and deadlineLiveAgency, notice type, tax period and the response deadline, read from the notice.
- Payroll cross-checkLiveThe agency's figures set against the payroll on file, with the difference in dollars.Rate notices against the agency's 2026 schedule in 51 states, and Form 941 notices against your payroll in every state; every other notice is read and its deadline tracked.
- Drafted response lettersLiveA response drafted with the evidence attached, on your letterhead, waiting on a person's approval, assembled with the notice into one packet.
What one company's file looks like.
Sample data. Harbor & Pine Co. is fictional.
With or without a CPA.
Run it yourself
Create an account, add your company and its states, and approve what Kreto files and drafts.
With your CPA firm
If your CPA firm runs your program in Kreto, the firm keeps the file. When it invites you, you get your own portal to upload documents, approve and see where everything stands.
What Kreto checks, and what it reads.
Rate notices are checked against the agency's 2026 schedule in 51 states. Form 941 notices are checked against your payroll in every state. Where Kreto checks a notice, it shows the difference in dollars. Every other notice is read and its deadline tracked.
Each state’s page says what Kreto does there. Open the state directory
Priced by where you hire and how many.
The same three prices as every Kreto customer. Annual billing is 2 months free.
| Per month | What an employer counts | On annual billing |
|---|---|---|
| $149/mo | Starter3 states, 20 employees | $1,490 a year2 months free |
| $399/moRecommended | Growth15 states, 100 employees | $3,990 a year2 months free |
| $899/mo | Scale30 states, 250 employees | $8,990 a year2 months free |
| Priced with you | EnterpriseBeyond 30 states or 250 employees | Enterprise termsTalk to us |
You move up a tier when either cap is crossed, at the next billing cycle.Free for 90 days, no card.Create an account
Questions employers ask first.
Does Kreto file my state registrations?
Yes. Kreto works out which registrations each of your states requires, files them from your company's record once you approve, and tracks each one to the state's confirmation.
I got a letter from the state. What now?
Upload the PDF to the free notice scan. Kreto tells you what it is, which agency sent it, the deadline and a suggested next step. No account needed.
Do I have to switch payroll providers?
No. Upload the payroll register your provider already exports, as CSV or Excel.
How are employers priced?
By the states you operate in and the employees on payroll: Starter $149 a month for 3 states and 20 employees, Growth $399 for 15 and 100, Scale $899 for 30 and 250. You move up a tier when either cap is crossed, at the next billing cycle.
Is there a free period?
Yes. Free for 90 days, no card. When you're ready to continue, we'll set up your plan with you.
Do I need a CPA to use Kreto?
No. You can run your own program in Kreto. If your CPA firm uses Kreto, it can run your file and invite you in.
Does Kreto pay my payroll taxes?
No. Your payroll provider or your team pays them. Kreto keeps the registrations, deadlines and notices around those payments.
Bring your company and its states.
A walkthrough of your registrations, your obligations and your programs in Kreto.
Free for 90 days, no card.