Filing a return

Every form Bokapsys prepares (a 941, a 940, a W-2, a 1099 and so on) has its own filing page. This page walks you through it from top to bottom: checking the figures, reading the filing instructions, signing off, filing with the agency yourself, and recording what you did. It also covers recording a return that you or your accountant filed somewhere else.

Caution

Bokapsys does not transmit anything to the IRS, the Social Security Administration or any state, and it does not move money. You file and pay through the agency’s own service. Mark as filed only records what you did, so your records match.

1. 1Ready to review
2. 2Signed
3. 3Filed

A filing's status. You sign it before you record it as filed.

Before you start

• The form is generated. See Payroll filings or Contractor 1099s.
• The period the form covers has ended. You can build a draft earlier to look at the figures, but signing and recording it as filed ask you to confirm that you really mean to before the period is over.
• Your own records for the period are to hand: payroll registers, bank statements showing your tax deposits, and last quarter’s form if you have it.
• Your account on the agency’s service is set up: EFTPS for federal tax payments (enrolment can take up to a week the first time), SSA Business Services Online for W-2s, IRS IRIS for 1099s, your state’s employer portal for state reports.
• Your role allows the step you want to take. Seeing a filing, signing it, marking it filed and correcting it are separate permissions, so you may see some buttons and not others. See Team and roles.

Open a filing

1. Go to Tax → Filings. Pick the All Filings, Payroll, 1099 Contractors, Sales Tax or Business Income tab.
2. Find the row. Each row shows the Form, who it is For (on per-person forms such as W-2s), the Period, the State, the amount, the Due date (red when overdue) and the Status.
3. Click the row, or View. The filing page opens. Its title is the form, for example Form 941 (Quarterly federal payroll), and underneath you see the tax year, the period and the due date.

You can also open a filing from the Tax Calendar (Open on its row) or from the Tax Dashboard.

What’s on the filing page

From top to bottom:

Part	What it shows
Buttons at the top	Back, Download form and any government file for this form (Download W-2 file, Download 1099 file, Download wage report or Download the worksheet), and, depending on the status and your role, Schedule payment, Sign, Mark as filed and File a correction
Summary	For a return: Still owed (with the total due beneath it), Deposits on the return (for a 941 or 940), Paid against the balance, Status and Filed. For a per-person form such as a W-2 or 1099: Status, Signed and Filed
This period has not ended yet	Shown when the period is still running, because anything paid after today is missing from the figures
This return is overdue	Shown when the due date has passed and it is not recorded as filed
A government file cannot be built yet	Lists what is stopping the W-2 file, 1099 file or wage report from being built, such as a missing Social Security number
Your payroll has changed since this was built	Shown when your posted payroll no longer matches the figures on the form, with what changed
Check this before you sign	A reminder to read every line against your own records. Shown while the form is Ready to review
Tax Filing Sign-off	The sign-off statement and the tick box you must tick before Sign works
How to file this	Where the form goes, how to send it, the steps, links, the deadline and, for information returns, the electronic filing rule
What this form says	Every line of the form with its figure
Documents for this return	Files you have attached, such as an acceptance notice or payment receipt, with Attach a document
Signed by	Who signed it, and when
Recorded as filed	After you mark it filed: how, when and your reference

Statuses

Status	Meaning	What you can do
Ready to review	Bokapsys has worked out the figures. Nothing has been signed or sent	Check it, rebuild it with fresh figures, or Sign it
Reviewed	Someone has reviewed it	Sign
Signed	Someone in your workspace ticked the sign-off and clicked Sign	Mark as filed
Filed	You recorded that you filed it with the agency	File a correction if it turns out to be wrong (941, W-2 and 1099-NEC)
Accepted	Recorded as accepted by the agency	File a correction if it turns out to be wrong
Corrected	A correction has been created for this filing	Work on the correction, which is a separate filing linked from this page

Step 1: Check the figures

1. Read the What this form says card. Each line has a plain-English label, for example Federal income tax withheld or Box 1 — Wages, tips, other compensation.
2. Compare each figure with your own records. The Payroll filings page has worked examples of a 941 and a 940.
3. Check Still owed. For a 941 or 940, it’s the tax for the period minus the deposits you have recorded. If you paid a deposit but didn’t record it, it is shown as still owed.
4. If something is wrong, don’t sign. Fix the source (a pay run, an employee’s details, a deposit) and generate the form again. A form that has not been signed is updated in place.
5. If you see Your payroll has changed since this was built, click Rebuild it to bring the figures up to date before you sign.

Step 2: Read the “How to file this” card

This card is built for each kind of form. It contains:

Item	Example for a Form 941
Destination badge	IRS
How you send it	E-file provider or paper. Other forms show Upload a file, Type it in, Upload or type in, On paper or Paper or an approved transmitter
What you send	“the Form 941 this page prints”
Numbered steps	What to do, in order
Links	A link to the IRS page for the form, and Pay at EFTPS for money owed
When:	The deadline rule, for example “Due the last day of the month after the quarter ends, moved to the next working day when that is a weekend or a public holiday.”
Electronic filing note	On W-2s and 1099s: how many information returns you have this year, and whether the IRS requires you to file electronically (10 or more of all kinds combined, 2026 figure)

For a state form, the link goes to your own state website if you saved it on the state registration under Tax → Tax Setup → Jurisdictions (State website you sign in to). The link then reads Your portal.

The links Bokapsys uses are only the agencies’ own stable addresses: eftps.gov, ssa.gov/bso, irs.gov form pages and IRS Direct Pay. Every card ends with the same reminder: record how you filed, because nothing is sent on your behalf.

Step 3: Download the form

Click Download form. You get a PDF worksheet prepared by Bokapsys: your business details, the period and every line and figure of the form, with a note to check every figure before you file.

This PDF sets out the figures. It is not the official IRS form layout. To file a 941 or 940 on paper, copy each figure onto the official form from the IRS page linked in How to file this. For W-2s and 1099s, the agency gets the upload file (see Payroll filings and Contractor 1099s), and the PDF is the copy you give the employee or contractor.

Step 4: Sign off

1. Read the Tax Filing Sign-off card. It says that by signing you certify the information is true, correct and complete to the best of your knowledge, that Bokapsys generates the form from your data, and that the legal responsibility for the filing rests with the person signing.
2. Tick I have read this and I am the person responsible for what is filed.
3. If the period has not ended yet, also tick I need to sign it before the period ends, and I know these figures may change. in the This period has not ended yet panel. Without it, Sign stays greyed out.
4. Click Sign.
5. A message Filing signed appears and the status changes to Signed. A card shows who signed it and when.

When you tick the sign-off box, Bokapsys records who accepted the statement, which version of it, when, and for which filing. That record is kept in case a filing is ever questioned.

Signing in Bokapsys is your internal sign-off. It is not an electronic signature with the IRS. Sign the paper form or follow your e-file provider’s signing step as the agency requires.

Step 5: File it with the agency yourself

Follow the steps in How to file this. In short:

Form	What you do
941, 940	Post the signed paper form to the IRS address for your state (listed on the IRS form page), or give the figures to an IRS-authorised e-file provider. Pay any balance at EFTPS (eftps.gov), choosing Form 941 or 940
W-2	Upload the W-2 file at SSA Business Services Online (ssa.gov/bso), Submit or Resubmit Wage File. Give each employee their copy
1099-NEC	Upload the 1099 file at IRS IRIS. Give each contractor their copy
1095-C	Give each employee their copy and file with the IRS as How to file this describes
State quarterly wage report	Upload the CSV or type the figures into your state’s employer portal, and pay the state unemployment tax there
State sales tax return	Type the worksheet’s figures into your state’s website and pay there

If the form shows money owed, click Schedule payment on the filing page to plan it in Tax payments. That plans it only. After you pay at EFTPS or your state, open Tax → Tax Payments, click Record payment on that row and enter the confirmation number. That is when the payment reaches your books.

Step 6: Record that you filed

1. On the signed filing’s page, click Mark as filed. The Mark this as filed window opens, reminding you that Bokapsys does not send anything to the tax authority.
2. Fill in the fields below. If the period has not ended yet, tick the box confirming you really filed it early; Record it stays greyed out until you do.
3. Click Record it. A message Recorded as filed appears.
4. The status changes to Filed, the summary shows the Filed date, and a Recorded as filed card shows how, when and your reference.

Field	What it means	Required	Example	Where to find it
How did you file it?	The route you used: E-filed through tax software (IRS e-file), Filed on the tax authority website, Posted a paper form, Uploaded the W-2 file to Social Security, Uploaded the 1099 file to the IRS, Filed on a state website or Filed by my accountant. It starts on the usual route for the form	Yes	Uploaded the W-2 file to Social Security	Your own action
Date filed	The day you sent or uploaded it. Defaults to today and cannot be in the future	Yes	2027-01-28	Your post receipt or the portal’s confirmation
Reference number	The confirmation, receipt or tracking number you were given	No, but strongly recommended	BSO receipt WFID 123456	The SSA BSO receipt, IRIS receipt ID, state confirmation, or postal tracking number
Notes	Anything you want to remember	No	Sent by certified mail	—

Attach the agency’s acknowledgement or your proof of posting under Documents for this return with Attach a document, so it stays with the return. See Compliance.

How to check it worked

• The row on Tax → Filings shows Filed and the date it was filed.
• The Tax dashboard no longer counts it as open or overdue.
• The Tax calendar shows the matching deadline as Filed.

Record a return filed outside Bokapsys

Bokapsys doesn’t prepare business income tax returns (Forms 1120, 1120-S, 1065, Schedule K-1 or state business income returns). You or your accountant prepare them elsewhere, often from the Book to tax pack. Recording each one in Bokapsys keeps every return you filed in one place, on your calendar and in your tax reports.

1. Go to Tax → Filings and open the Business Income tab.
2. Click Record a filed return. The Record a return you filed window opens.
3. Fill in the fields below and click Record it.
4. You see Return recorded, and the return’s filing page opens with status Filed.

Field	What it means	Required	Example
Return	Which return: Form 1120 (C corporation), Form 1120-S (S corporation), Form 1065 (Partnership), Schedule K-1 or State business income return	Yes	Form 1120-S (S corporation)
State	For a state business income return, which state	Yes, when shown	Texas
Tax year	The year the return covers. Defaults to last year	Yes	2025
How was it filed?	E-filed through tax software (IRS e-file), Filed on the tax authority website, Posted a paper form, Filed on a state website or Filed by my accountant	Yes	Filed by my accountant
Date filed	The day it was filed. Cannot be in the future or before the tax year it covers	Yes	2026-03-12
Reference number	The acceptance or confirmation number, if you have one	No	20261234567
Tax on the return	The total tax the return shows	No	4825.00
Still owed	What was still owed when it was filed. Leave blank if it was paid in full	No	1250.00
Notes	Anything you want to remember	No	Extension filed in March

A recorded return has no PDF to download, because Bokapsys did not prepare it. If it shows money still owed, use Schedule payment on its page, then record the payment in Tax Payments once you have paid.

Common problems

What you see	What it means	What to do
Sign is greyed out	You haven’t ticked the sign-off box, or the period hasn’t ended and you haven’t confirmed signing early	Tick I have read this and I am the person responsible for what is filed., and the early-signing box if shown
No Sign or Mark as filed button	Your role doesn’t include that step, or the status doesn’t allow it. Mark as filed appears only once the filing is Signed	Sign it first, or ask an admin, or check the status table above
Record it is greyed out in Mark this as filed	The period has not ended and you haven’t ticked the box confirming you filed early	Tick it if you really filed early; otherwise wait until the period is over
The filing date cannot be in the future.	Date filed is after today	Enter the day you actually filed
“A … filing for this period already exists in status “signed”. Amend it instead of regenerating.”	You tried to regenerate a signed or filed form	Signed and filed forms can’t be replaced. To fix a filed form, see Corrections
This filing could not be opened	It may have been removed, or it belongs to another workspace	Click Back to filings, or Try again

Related

Payroll filings941, 940, W-2, 1095-C and state reports.

Contractor 1099s1099-NEC and the IRIS file.

Tax paymentsSchedule and record what you pay.

CorrectionsWhen a filed form is wrong.