The Alabama Department of Revenue offers a FREE electronic service, My Alabama Taxes (MAT), for filing and remitting withholding tax. MAT is an online filing system developed to allow taxpayers to file and pay their withholding tax electronically.
If you are unable to access your account via the Internet, please contact the Department at (334) 242-1300. In order to access your account via My Alabama Taxes (MAT), you will need your withholding tax account number and Sign On ID and Access Code provided by the Department to sign up in MAT.
Yes, if your business entity type changed, you will need to apply for a new state withholding tax account number by filing the Combined Registration/Application.
Please view your account online through My Alabama Taxes (MAT) to verify receipt of payment. Since checks take longer to process the Department encourages employers to electronically file and pay. Payments of $750 or more are required to be filed and paid electronically.
Contact the Withholding Tax Section at (334) 242-1300 or your local Taxpayer Service Center. Please include the following information: employer’s name, address, phone number and number of employees.
If your federal identification number changes, you will need to apply for a new state withholding tax account number by filing the Combined Registration/Application available online.
The State of Alabama recognizes the following Federal Code Sections: Section 125 Cafeteria Plan, Section 401K, and Section 403B. For information on other exclusion from gross income, please see page 2 of the Withholding Tax Tables and Instructions for Employers.
Severance pay exemption of up to $25,000.00 is available upon approval from the Department. Please visit the Severance Pay Exemption page. Employees will not receive this exemption unless the Employer applies for the exemption and is approved by ADOR.
Accountants and tax filing services who file withholding tax returns and payments on behalf of employers must register with the ADOR as a bulk filer and must utilize their bulk filer registration when filing withholding tax returns on behalf of their clients. View more information concerning Bulk Filing.
Employers and filing agents who submit 10 or more Form W-2s (and/or Form 1099s with Alabama tax withheld) or who have filed and paid electronically during the year must electronically file this information and the Form A-3 online through My Alabama Taxes on or before January 31 of the following year.
One penalty is for the late filing of the withholding tax return and the other penalty is for late payment of the withholding tax. Please see the billing code explanation enclosed with your letter.
Overpayments may be taken as a credit on Line 5 of your next withholding tax return. The return on which a credit is claimed must be accompanied by a brief explanation of where the overpayment occurred in order for the Department to verify the overpayment. If filing electronically, please complete the credit claimed information before submitting your return. If a refund is preferred, Form IT:RE-2WH Application for Refund of Income Tax Withholding can be obtained by submitting a written request to the Department. The written request may be sent in MAT under “I Want To” then “Ask A Question”. Original IT:RE-2WH forms are required and photocopies will not be accepted. Refunds generally take anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks.
No, however, those electing to voluntarily withhold tax must register for a withholding tax account number with the Department and remit the tax withheld. Forms 1099 reflecting Alabama income tax withheld along with Forms W2 must be submitted with the Form A3 Annual Reconciliation on or before January 31 of the following year.
The 1099-NEC forms cannot be transmitted via the Combined Federal/State program for the 2020 filing year. However, for the 2021 filing year and forward, the 1099-NEC can be transmitted via the Combined Federal/State program.
For those 1099-NECs with Alabama tax withheld, submit with your A3 Annual Reconciliation. Income would go in the “Other Income” column, not AL wages.
For those without Alabama tax withheld, please submit via paper by March 15 to:
Alabama Department of Revenue
P.O. Box 327489
Montgomery, AL 36132-7489
Yes, the chief classes of exempt employment are domestic services in private homes, merchant seamen, duly ordained ministers performing duties of their ministry, and agricultural employees. Although these wages are exempt from withholding tax requirements, the wages do represent taxable income and should be reported by the employee on their individual income tax return. Employers should provide both the employee and the Department with a copy of Form W2 reflecting the wages earned by the employee for that year. For more information on these classes of exemption, please see page 2 of the Withholding Tax Tables and Instructions for Employers.
If you are an employer with employees working in the state of Alabama, you will need to register with the Department of Revenue for a withholding tax account number. If you are an Alabama employer with Alabama residents working outside the state of Alabama, you will need to withhold Alabama income tax on those residents unless you are withholding tax for the state in which the employee is working in. To obtain a withholding tax account number, employers must complete the Application available online at MyAlabamaTaxes.alabama.gov. (MAT) Please go to “I Want To” then “Obtain a new Tax Account”. NOTE: New account numbers assigned will consist of 10 alphanumeric characters beginning with an “R.” Please make sure that the payroll software provider or program that you will be using is aware of the correct account number.
Truck drivers that operate in two or more states will fall under the jurisdiction of the Amtrak Reauthorization Act (Public Law 101-322) and will be taxed on their state of residency.
You can fill out this short form to check the status of your individual income tax refund.
You may be able to see more detailed information by logging into your My Alabama Taxes account.
To amend Form W-2, you must obtain Form W-2C from Internal Revenue Service and submit a copy to the Alabama Department of Revenue. For Alabama withholding tax changes, the W-2C should be submitted with a corrected Form A-3 marked “Amended.” Corrections to items other than Alabama income tax (i.e. wages, social security number, FICA taxes, name corrections, etc.) do not require an amended Form A-3.
Banking information can be managed through the “My Profile” link in My Alabama Taxes (MAT).
As a sole proprietor you do not need to apply for another withholding tax number for opening another business unless that business is operating under a different federal identification number than the sole proprietor. A sole proprietor will file all his business withholding under one state number.
You will need to file a zero quarterly return in order to avoid receiving a delinquent notice for failure to file. You will not need to file a zero monthly report. If you do not plan on hiring any employees in the near future, you may file Form A-1 and mark the return as Final on line 1 to place your account on inactive status. This will eliminate the need to file the zero returns. You may also inactivate or reactivate the account at a later time by calling the Withholding Tax Section at (334) 242-1300.
Domestic help in the home is exempt from the withholding tax regulations. Also exempt from withholding tax are merchant seaman, duly ordained ministers, and agricultural employees. For more information on these classes of exemption, please see page 1 of the Withholding Tax Tables and Instructions for Employers.
