StartEaseHelp / Payroll glossary
What is Form 8655?
Form 8655 is the IRS Reporting Agent Authorization. You sign it to choose StartEase as your authorized agent on Managed payroll.
What is Form 8655?
Form 8655 is the IRS Reporting Agent Authorization. You sign it if you are on Managed payroll and choose StartEase as your authorized agent for federal deposits, and you do not sign it for StartEase if you deposit from your own EFTPS account.
Why does it matter?
Federal deposits can be made by the company itself or by an agent the company authorizes. Form 8655 is the IRS form for that authorization.
It matters because it decides who makes your federal deposits, and so who has to watch the due dates.
The key facts
| Fact | What it means |
|---|---|
| What it is | The IRS Reporting Agent Authorization. |
| Choice 1 | StartEase as your authorized agent. This is part of Managed payroll only. StartEase deposits for the Managed payroll companies that signed Form 8655 and chose this. |
| Choice 2 | You. You pay from your own EFTPS account and record each deposit. |
| Your EFTPS PIN | StartEase never asks for it either way. |
| What stays with you | You pay your employees and contractors from your own bank, and you approve each payroll. |
How does it work in StartEase Payroll?
- Open Company details and the Federal tax setup card.
- Choose StartEase, as your authorized agent or You.
- If you chose StartEase, you sign IRS Form 8655.
- Check the deposits in Reports & forms.
Common mistakes
- Assuming StartEase deposits for you without signing Form 8655.
- Treating Form 8655 as a way to hand over your EFTPS PIN. StartEase never asks for it.
- Choosing before asking your adviser who bears a penalty if an agent's deposit is late. That is a legal question the guides do not answer.
Related guides
Form 8655: letting StartEase deposit and file as your authorized agent and What is EFTPS?
Sources (government sites)
Next: What is EFTPS?