# The founder's annual calendar

> The founder's year, worked out on Northwind: payroll deposits and 941s, the January forms, Delaware's March 1, and the corporate return.

Source: https://lopifi.com/learn/startup-back-office-calendar
Part of: Lopifi — US GAAP books on autopilot, checked by a CPA (https://lopifi.com)

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**What are a startup's tax and filing deadlines in its first year?** The founder's year, worked out on Northwind: payroll deposits and 941s, the January forms, Delaware's March 1, and the corporate return.

Most back-office deadlines are written as rules, not dates: *the last day of the month after the quarter*, *the 15th day of the 4th month after the year ends*. The date changes every year, and one more rule moves it whenever it lands on a weekend.

> “If any date shown next for filing a return, furnishing a form, or depositing taxes falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the due date is the next business day.”

— [IRS Pub. 15 (2026), Calendar](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15), A due date on a weekend or legal holiday moves to the next business day

Northwind paid its first wages on September 25, 2026, in the third quarter. That starts its payroll calendar. A new employer is a [monthly schedule depositor](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/monthly-schedule-depositor) for its first calendar year, so the $2,335.20 owed on September's wages is deposited by October 15, 2026. The quarter's first [Form 941](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-941) follows.

> “Under the monthly deposit schedule, deposit employment taxes on payments made during a month by the 15th day of the following month.”

— [IRS Pub. 15 (2026), §11 — Monthly Deposit Schedule](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15), Monthly depositors deposit by the 15th of the next month

> “File your initial Form 941 for the quarter in which you first paid wages that are subject to social security and Medicare taxes or subject to federal income tax withholding. … Your Form 941 is due by the last day of the month that follows the end of the quarter.”

— [Instructions for Form 941 (03/2026), When Must You File?](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i941), The first Form 941, and every quarter after it

## Northwind's first year

- **Every month** — Close the books for the month before. Bookkeeper prepares, founder signs off
- **October 15, 2026** — Deposit September's payroll tax, $2,335.20. Payroll provider (Federal tax deposit)
- **November 2, 2026 (October 31 is a Saturday)** — Third quarter of 2026, Northwind's first. Payroll provider (Form 941)
- **February 1, 2027 (January 31 is a Sunday)** — [W-2s](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-w-2) to employees and the SSA, [1099-NECs](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-1099-nec) to contractors and the IRS, [Form 940](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-940), and the fourth-quarter 941 (due February 1, 2027). Payroll provider; bookkeeper for 1099s (W-2, 1099-NEC, 940, 941)
- **March 1, 2027** — [Annual report](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/state-annual-report) and [franchise tax](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/delaware-franchise-tax) for 2026. Founder or registered agent (Delaware annual report)
- **April 15, 2027** — [Corporate return](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-1120) for the short year September 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026, or [Form 7004](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-7004) to extend the time to file. CPA, from the closed books (Form 1120 or 7004)
- **April 30, 2027; August 2, 2027 (July 31 is a Saturday); November 1, 2027 (October 31 is a Sunday)** — First three quarters of 2027. Payroll provider (Form 941)
- **April 15, June 15, September 15, December 15** — [Corporate estimated tax](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/corporate-estimated-tax) for 2027, if Northwind expects to owe income tax. CPA (Estimated tax)

Every date is computed from its rule. Federal dates move past weekends and legal holidays; Delaware's March 1 is Delaware's own.

*[Figure: form 941]*

Northwind's first Form 941: September's liability, deposited in October, reconciled on the return.

> “The due date for filing 2026 Forms W-2, W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, W-2VI, W-3, and W-3SS with the SSA is February 1, 2027, whether you file using paper forms or electronically.”

— [General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026), Due date for filing with SSA](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/iw2w3), 2026 Forms W-2 are due February 1, 2027

> “For tax years beginning after 2025, the minimum threshold amount for reporting certain payments required to be reported on certain information returns and/or perform backup withholding on those payments increased to $2,000 and may be adjusted for inflation beginning in calendar year 2027. … Section 6071(c) requires you to file Form 1099-NEC on or before January 31, using either paper or electronic filing procedures.”

— [Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC (12/2026), What's New and Filing dates](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1099mec), Form 1099-NEC: the $2,000 threshold and the January 31 deadline

> “Generally, a corporation must file its income tax return by the 15th day of the 4th month after the end of its tax year. A new corporation filing a short-period return must generally file by the 15th day of the 4th month after the short period ends.”

— [Instructions for Form 1120 (2025), When To File](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1120), Form 1120 is due the 15th day of the 4th month

> “Payments are due on the 15th day of the 4th, 6th, 9th, and 12th months of the corporation’s tax year.”

— [IRS Pub. 509 (2026), Tax Calendars](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p509), The 2026 tax calendars: employer, corporate and general

— [Delaware Division of Corporations, Annual Report and Tax Information](https://corp.delaware.gov/paytaxes/), Delaware annual report and franchise tax: due March 1 for the prior year

> **A small first quarter.** Northwind's third-quarter liability is $2,335.20. A quarter under $2,500 may be paid with a timely filed Form 941 instead of deposited. Depositing on the monthly schedule is always on time, and once payroll grows, depositing is the rule. [Payroll tax deposits](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/payroll-tax-deposits) covers when the schedule changes.

States add their own calendar to this one: withholding and unemployment returns wherever employees work, sales tax returns wherever the company is registered, and annual reports in each state it's qualified in. None of it is computed here, because each state sets its own rule, weekends included.

**Exercise — When is it really due?.** Each row gives the day the rule names. Enter the day the filing is actually due. When the named day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the due date is the next business day. Type it in the workbook at https://lopifi.com/playground.

> **Calendar the date the filing is actually due, worked out from the rule each year. Never copy last year's date, and never use the day the rule names when it falls on a weekend.**

Where this goes next: [the annual compliance calendar](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/startup-annual-compliance-calendar) adds the dates that follow events, and [Form 1120](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/form-1120-corporate-income-tax), [corporate estimated tax](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/corporate-estimated-tax-payments) and [the 1099 deadlines](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/1099-nec-and-1099-misc-deadlines) each get a lesson. On the payroll side, [deposits](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/payroll-tax-deposits), [Form 941 line by line](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/payroll-tax-returns/form-941-line-by-line) and [the year-end W-2s](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/payroll-tax-returns). [The forecast](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/13-week-cash-flow-forecast/payroll-and-tax-dates-in-the-forecast) puts these dates into the cash plan.

## Where this lesson's rules come from

- [IRS Pub. 15 (2026), Calendar](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15) — A due date on a weekend or legal holiday moves to the next business day (irs)
- [IRS Pub. 15 (2026), §11 — Monthly Deposit Schedule](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15) — Monthly depositors deposit by the 15th of the next month (irs)
- [Instructions for Form 941 (03/2026), When Must You File?](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i941) — The first Form 941, and every quarter after it (irs)
- [General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026), Due date for filing with SSA](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/iw2w3) — 2026 Forms W-2 are due February 1, 2027 (irs)
- [Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC (12/2026), What's New and Filing dates](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1099mec) — Form 1099-NEC: the $2,000 threshold and the January 31 deadline (irs)
- [Instructions for Form 1120 (2025), When To File](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1120) — Form 1120 is due the 15th day of the 4th month (irs)
- [IRS Pub. 509 (2026), Tax Calendars](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p509) — The 2026 tax calendars: employer, corporate and general (irs)
- [Delaware Division of Corporations, Annual Report and Tax Information](https://corp.delaware.gov/paytaxes/) — Delaware annual report and franchise tax: due March 1 for the prior year (state)
- [IRS Publication 15 (2026), Circular E — Introduction](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15) — Withheld payroll taxes are the government's money, held in trust (tax)

## Read further

- https://lopifi.com/md/startups/startup-compliance-calendar
- https://lopifi.com/md/startups/startup-tax-deadlines-by-month
- https://lopifi.com/md/startups/form-941-and-payroll-tax-deposits
- https://lopifi.com/md/startups/w2-year-end-for-startups
- https://lopifi.com/md/startups/form-1120-what-to-give-your-tax-preparer
- https://lopifi.com/md/accounting/delaware-franchise-tax
- https://lopifi.com/md/accounting/form-1120
- https://lopifi.com/md/accounting/1099-nec

- **Track:** [Back office core](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/core)
- **Lesson:** Lesson 7 of 9 — 9 min
- **Terms taught:** [Monthly schedule depositor](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/monthly-schedule-depositor), [Form 941](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-941), [Form W-2](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-w-2), [Form 940](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-940), [Form 1099-NEC](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-1099-nec), [Form 1120](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-1120), [Form 7004](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/form-7004), [Corporate estimated tax](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/corporate-estimated-tax), [State annual report](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/state-annual-report), [Fiscal year](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/fiscal-year), [Close](https://lopifi.com/md/glossary/close)
- **Previous:** [Money in and money out, Core · Lesson 6](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/money-in-and-money-out)
- **Next:** [Keeping the records, Core · Lesson 8](https://lopifi.com/md/learn/how-long-to-keep-business-records)
- **The course:** https://lopifi.com/md/learn