Which forms are used to report payroll wages and withholding for employees of an alarm company?

• A. DE-9 (wage & payroll tax withholding), W-2 Federal Form
• B. W-4 Employee Withholding Certificate
• C. Form 941 Employer's Quarterly Tax Return
• D. W-9 Request for Taxpayer Identification

Answer: (A)

Reporting payroll wages and withholding involves documenting what you paid employees and what you withheld, to both federal and state authorities. In California, the state needs a wage and withholding report called DE-9, filed periodically. For the employee’s records and for federal/state tax agencies, you also issue a W-2 at year-end, showing each employee’s wages and the taxes withheld. The W-4 is kept by the employer to determine withholding amounts but is not a report of wages or withholdings to the agencies. The Form 941 is the federal quarterly payroll tax return that summarizes tax liabilities, but it isn’t the per-employee wage reporting document; it focuses on tax payments rather than wage‑withholding detail. The W-9 is a request for taxpayer identification used when engaging contractors, not a payroll reporting form. Therefore, the combination of DE-9 for state reporting and W-2 for year-end wage reporting best covers reporting payroll wages and withholding.