An employee who is eligible for the earned income credit (EIC) and who has a qualifying child is entitled to receive EIC payments with his or her pay during the year. To get these payments, the employee must give you a properly completed Form W-5, Earned Income Credit Advance Payment Certificate. You are required to make advance EIC payments to employees who give you a properly completed Form W-5, except that you are not required to make these payments to farmworkers paid on a daily basis.

Certain employees who do not have a qualifying child may be able to claim the EIC on their tax return. However, they cannot get advance EIC payments.

For 2002, the advance payment can be as much as $1,503. The tables that begin on page 42 reflect that limit.

Form W-5. Form W-5 states the eligibility requirements for receiving advance EIC payments. On Form W-5, an employee states that he or she expects to be eligible to claim the EIC and shows whether he or she has another Form W-5 in effect with any other current employer.

You must include advance EIC payments with wages you pay to eligible employees who give you a signed and completed Form W-5. Form W-5 is effective for the first payroll period ending (or the first wage payment made without regard to a payroll period) on or after the date the employee gives you the form. It remains in effect until the end of the year or until the employee revokes it or gives you a new one. Employees must give you a new Form W-5 each year.

An employee may have only one Form W-5 in effect with an employer at one time. If an employee is married and his or her spouse also works, each spouse should file a separate Form W-5.

For more information, see Form W-5 or Circular E.

How to figure the advance EIC payment. Figure the amount of advance EIC to include in the employee's pay by using either the wage bracket or percentage method tables that begin on page 42. There are separate tables for employees whose spouses have a Form W-5 in effect.

Note: During 2002, if you pay an employee total wages of at least $29,201 ($30,201 if married filing jointly) you must stop making advance EIC payments to that employee for the rest of the year.

Paying the advance EIC to employees. Advance EIC payments are not wages and are not subject to withholding of income, social security, or Medicare taxes. An advance EIC payment does not change the amount of income, social security, or Medicare taxes you withhold from the employee's wages. You add the advance EIC payment to the employee's net pay for the pay period. At the end of the year, you show the total advance EIC payments in box 9 on Form W-2. Do not include this amount as wages in box 1.

Employer's returns. Show the total payments you made to employees on the advance EIC line (line 10) of your Form 943. Subtract this amount from your total taxes on line 9 (see the instructions for Form 943). Reduce the amounts reported on line 15 of Form 943 or on Form 943-A, Agricultural Employer's Tax Record of Federal Tax Liability, by any advance EIC paid to your employees.

Generally, you will make the advance EIC payment from withheld income tax and employee and employer social security and Medicare taxes. Advance EIC payments are treated as deposits of these taxes on the day you pay wages (including the advance EIC payment) to your employees. The advance EIC payment is applied first to the amount of income tax withholding, then to withheld employee social security and Medicare taxes, and last, to the employer's share of social security and Medicare taxes. For more information, see Circular E.

Required Notice to Employees

You must notify employees who have no income tax withheld that they may be able to claim a tax refund because of the EIC. Although you do not have to notify employees who claim exemption from withholding on Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate, about the EIC, you are encouraged to notify any employees whose wages for 2001 were less than $32,121 that they may be eligible to claim the credit for 2001. This is because eligible employees may get a refund of the amount of EIC that is more than the tax they owe.

You will meet the notification requirement if you issue the IRS Form W-2 with the EIC notice on the back of Copy B, or a substitute Form W-2 with the same statement. You may also meet the requirement by providing Notice 797, Possible Federal Tax Refund Due to the Earned Income Credit (EIC), or your own statement that contains the same wording.

If a substitute Form W-2 is given on time but does not have the required statement, you must notify the employee within 1 week of the date the substitute Form W-2 is given. If Form W-2 is required but is not given on time, you must give the employee Notice 797 or your written statement by the date Form W-2 is required to be given. If Form W-2 is not required, you must notify the employee by February 7, 2002.

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