.png)
Tax season can feel overwhelming, especially if it’s your first year as a household employer. The good news? If you’re with Poppins Payroll, most of the heavy lifting is already done for you.
This guide answers the most common questions families have about W-2s, Schedule H, quarterly payments, and what to expect during tax season, so you can feel prepared and skip the stress.
How Poppins Handles Tax Season for You
Before we dive into FAQs, here’s a quick overview of what Poppins takes care of for active customers:
- Preparing your employee’s W-2
- Submitting the W-3 to SSA on your behalf
- Preparing your Schedule H and year-end tax documents
- Making all required federal quarterly estimated tax payments (1040-ES) on your behalf throughout the year
- Handling state filings and contributions (varies by state)
- Delivering all documents to your Poppins dashboard so they’re easy to access (note the W-3 is submitted to SSA on your behalf but will not be accessible in your dashboard)
If you've stayed active with Poppins during the tax year, your federal household employment taxes have already been paid—you’ll just enter them on your personal return.
W-2 & Year-End Filing FAQs
When will I receive my W-2 and year-end documents?
For active customers or those that have elected for these services upon account termination, Poppins prepares W-2s and takes out W-3s for you and your employee. Once your W-2 is ready, we’ll notify you and upload directly to your dashboard.
What do I need to do with the W-2s?
Poppins will handle the filing, all you need to do is give an employee copy to your caregiver for their personal tax filing.
How do I enter my Poppins tax payments into my personal tax return?
Poppins makes federal estimated payments (1040-ES) throughout the year for your household employment liability.
When filing your personal return (Form 1040):
- Enter these payments on Line 26 – Estimated Tax Payments
- This will ensure the IRS recognizes the payments already made on your behalf
- Your Schedule H liability should match the 1040-ES payments Poppins made
Schedule H FAQs
What is Schedule H and why do I need it?
Schedule H reports your annual household employment federal tax liability to the IRS.
It must be filed with your personal federal return if:
- You paid wages to a household employee subject to Social Security, Medicare, or FUTA, OR
- You withheld federal income tax for your employee
If you're a Poppins client, we’ve already calculated and paid these taxes quarterly. Schedule H simply reports them.
Where do I enter Schedule H information on my federal return?
You’ll attach Schedule H to your Form 1040. The total liability appears on the “Other Taxes” section (Schedule 2). Your tax software or accountant will guide you through this.
Why does my Schedule H list both my SSN and my EIN?
- Your SSN ties the tax liability to your personal return.
- Your EIN ties wage reporting to your employee’s W-2. The IRS and SSA cross-check everything, so both numbers are expected.
My tax software is showing I owe money—why?
This usually happens for one of two reasons:
- The Schedule H tax was entered, but estimated payments weren’t. Be sure to enter your 1040-ES payments on Line 26 of your Form 1040.
- You entered payments you didn’t actually make. Only enter payments Poppins has listed on the Schedule H cover page, as these were the exact payments we made to the IRS.
If you’re a current Poppins client, your Schedule H liability should be fully offset by your estimated payments.
Do I enter state taxes on Schedule H or my state return?
No. State income tax withholdings are not estimated payments and should not be entered as such.
Exception:
Illinois employers make separate state estimated payments, which appear only on your IL-1040.
Why does my Schedule H show a state unemployment (SUI) contribution?
Your timely SUI payments reduce your federal unemployment tax rate, from 6% down to 0.6%.
If any prior-year SUI wasn’t paid on time, the IRS may bill you for the difference.
What happens if I don’t file Schedule H?
The IRS and SSA reconcile:
- Employee wages (W-2)
- Employer W-3
- Employer Schedule H
If Schedule H is missing, you may:
- Receive notices
- Get an unexpected refund of your estimated payments
- Need to file an amended return to correct the record
Can Poppins prepare Schedule H for a prior year?
Yes! Note that:
- Your federal personal tax return for that year will need to be amended
- Your employee may also need to amend their own return
- State rules vary by location
General Tax Season FAQs
Do I need to worry about filing deadlines?
Your personal return (with Schedule H attached) is due by the IRS filing deadline, typically April 15 unless extended.
If you file for an extension, Schedule H is due with your extended return.
Does Poppins file my personal taxes for me?
No. Poppins prepares all employer-side documents, but you (or your accountant) file your personal income tax return.
Where can I find all my year-end documents?
Everything is uploaded to your Poppins dashboard under your Filing Cabinet > Federal Taxes and scroll to Year-end Documents.
We’ll email you as soon as each form becomes available.
TurboTax FAQs (Common Questions We See This Time of Year)
Many Poppins families use TurboTax to file their personal tax returns. While Poppins does not file personal taxes and is not affiliated with TurboTax, the questions below reflect common issues shared with us by other household employers—and how they were able to resolve them.
💡 The most common issue: forgetting to enter the estimated tax payments that were already made throughout the year, which can make it look like you owe more than expected.
I entered my Schedule H and now TurboTax says I owe more, why?
This usually means the federal estimated payments (1040-ES) haven’t been entered yet.
- TurboTax typically has you enter estimated tax payments under Deductions & Credits
- Be sure the amounts match the estimated payments listed in the Schedule H instructions provided by Poppins
- Once entered correctly, your Schedule H liability should be offset by those payments
TurboTax generated a “Schedule H-T” — do I need to use that?
Not necessarily.
- Poppins has already prepared your official Schedule H
- You do not need to use TurboTax’s Schedule H-T if you’re using the documents from Poppins
- If you choose to use TurboTax’s version anyway, double-check that:
- Your answers in Part II match Poppins’ Schedule H exactly
- FUTA and estimated payment questions align line-by-line
After that, follow the filing instructions included with your Poppins Schedule H.
TurboTax is asking for a “State Experience Rate” — what does that mean?
This usually indicates that one of the FUTA questions in Page 2, Part II of Schedule H was answered incorrectly.
- Verify that Yes/No answers were entered in the correct order
- Compare your entries directly against the Schedule H provided by Poppins
Correcting this typically resolves the prompt.
Still running into TurboTax issues?
If none of the above resolves the problem, we recommend reaching out directly to TurboTax support for help navigating their software.
If you have questions about the documents Poppins provided, our team is always happy to help.
More Questions?
You may find the answer in this guide, our Help Center, or in your dashboard resources, but if you still need help, our team is here.
Just keep in mind, tax season is our busiest time of year. Checking this guide first helps us assist families with urgent filing needs faster.
