Arkansas Form AR941A in QuickBooks: What Annual Filers Need to Know
QuickBooks prefills Arkansas Form AR941A for annual income tax withholding filers, but certain fields and filing rules require manual review before submission.
QuickBooks Desktop handles the heavy lifting for Arkansas employers who file their state income tax withholding reports annually, but users still need to understand what the software fills in automatically — and what it does not.
Who Should Use Form AR941A
Form AR941A, the Employer’s Annual Report for Income Tax Withheld, is designed specifically for annual filers reporting income tax withheld to the state of Arkansas. QuickBooks generates this form based on the payroll data already entered throughout the year, prefilling key fields so that most employers will not need to manually enter additional information — provided company, payroll, and employee records are complete and up to date.
Monthly filers should not use this form. Those employers file Form AR3MAR instead, and QuickBooks routes them accordingly based on their filing frequency setup.
Key Filing Deadlines
The AR941A must be completed and filed by January 31 of the year following the tax year being reported. The same deadline applies to the ARW-3 transmittal form, which must accompany copies of all W-2 and 1099 statements. Employers who submit the AR941A, ARW-3 transmittal, and wage statements together must ensure the package is postmarked by that January 31 cutoff.
When the due date lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the filing deadline shifts to the next banking day.
Electronic Filing Threshold
Arkansas requires employers to electronically file their W-2s and 1099s if they are reporting 250 or more employees and payees. Below that threshold, paper filing remains an option. Employers should confirm their filing method ahead of the deadline to avoid last-minute complications.
What QuickBooks Prefills
The software pulls directly from existing company and payroll data to populate several sections of the form:
Company Name, Address, and Account ID — QuickBooks enters the employer’s name, address, and account number as recorded in the company file. The Arkansas withholding account number follows a specific format: 12 characters total, with the first eight being numbers, followed by a hyphen, and ending with the letters “WHW.” Employers who need to update their address for withholding purposes must submit the appropriate forms through the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration rather than simply changing the address in QuickBooks.
Arkansas Tax Withheld from Wages — The program automatically enters the total tax withheld for the entire year.
Arkansas Tax Paid — The program enters the total tax paid for the full year.
Total Arkansas Wages Reported — QuickBooks populates this field with the total Arkansas wages reported on W-2s and 1099s.
Number of Employees — The software tracks the count of employees who had tax withheld during the year. This figure may be modifiable if corrections are needed.
Fields to Review Before Filing
While QuickBooks prefilling covers most of the form, users should carefully review any fields the software did not automatically complete. Incomplete company setup, missing employee records, or payroll data entry gaps can result in blank or inaccurate fields. A thorough review before submission is the best safeguard against filing errors.
Payment and Mailing Instructions
Employers submitting payment with their annual report should make checks or money orders payable to the Department of Finance and Administration. The account ID must be written on the check. Payments should be mailed to:
Department of Finance & Administration P.O. Box 8055 Little Rock, AR 72203-8055
A Note on Data Accuracy
The reliability of QuickBooks-generated tax forms depends entirely on the accuracy of the underlying payroll data. Employers who discover discrepancies between withheld amounts, paid amounts, or wage totals should reconcile their payroll records before filing. For broader help resolving payroll reporting issues in QuickBooks, reviewing the full payroll setup and prior-period adjustments may be necessary to ensure the AR941A reflects correct figures.