QuickBooks and South Carolina Form WH-1612: What Users Need to Know

QuickBooks users preparing South Carolina’s annual W-2 and 1099 transmittal form, WH-1612, are running into a familiar year-end gap: the software handles W-2 data automatically but leaves 1099 amounts for the user to enter manually. The issue surfaces most often when employers file by paper and need to reconcile state withholding totals across both form types.

What WH-1612 Covers

Form WH-1612 is the transmittal document that accompanies paper-filed W-2s, W-2cs, W-2Gs, and 1099s submitted to the South Carolina Department of Revenue. It is due on or before January 31st following the tax year, with the standard weekend-and-holiday rollover applying to the deadline.

The form should not be filed if the employer submitted W-2s electronically through the state’s W-2 Portal on MyDORWay, or if no W-2s, W-2cs, W-2Gs, or 1099s were issued for the year. Employers who issue ten or more W-2s to South Carolina employees in a calendar year must file electronically rather than on paper. Those with fewer than ten W-2s may choose either method.

A separate filing detail that catches users off guard: WH-1612 and its attached forms must be mailed separately from form WH-1606, the state’s monthly or quarterly withholding return. The transmittal should not be filed until the underlying W-2s and 1099s have already been issued.

Where QuickBooks Fills In — and Where It Stops

QuickBooks prefills most fields on the WH-1612 automatically, drawing on company, payroll, and employee data already entered in the file. In most cases where records are complete and up to date, no additional manual entry is needed for the W-2 portion of the form.

The gap appears with 1099 reporting. QuickBooks tracks and calculates W-2 data only. State tax withheld on 1099s is not pulled into the form automatically. The same limitation applies to compensation reported on 1099s and to the count of W-2cs and W-2Gs issued.

Manual Entries on the Smart Worksheet

The accepted solution identifies three specific areas where users must enter data by hand on the smart worksheet above Section A:

• Line A — South Carolina income tax withheld: Any state tax withheld on 1099s must be entered manually. The amount is then added to the W-2 withholding total already calculated in Section A.
• Line B — Wages, tips, and other compensation: Compensation reported on 1099s must be entered manually. That figure is added to the W-2 compensation total in Section A.
• Number of W-2cs and W-2Gs: QuickBooks counts W-2s automatically but does not track corrections (W-2cs) or gambling winnings statements (W-2Gs). Users enter those counts on the designated lines, and the numbers are added to the W-2 count.

Withholding Number and Contact Details

The South Carolina Withholding Number is a nine-digit identifier. If the number appearing on the form is incorrect or missing, users should correct it in QuickBooks Payroll Setup or the Payroll Item List setup rather than typing it directly on the form. This ensures the number carries forward consistently across all state payroll forms.

Contact information fields on the form should be reviewed for accuracy before filing, since the state uses these details to reach the responsible party with questions about the transmittal.

Verifying the Numbers

For users who want to confirm that the figures on WH-1612 match their QuickBooks payroll data, the form window includes hyperlinks that explain how each withholding amount was calculated. The built-in Help button on the form window provides general guidance on navigating the form and troubleshooting specific issues.

Users who need to summarize their payroll data in a spreadsheet for cross-checking can use QuickBooks’ payroll summary reports and export them to Excel. Saving a copy of the completed form as a PDF before filing is also supported through the form window, providing a record of what was submitted.

Electronic Filing Reminder

One point worth reiterating: if federal filing rules require electronic submission of W-2s or 1099s to the IRS or Social Security Administration, South Carolina requires the same forms to be filed electronically as well. Paper filing with WH-1612 is available only to employers below the ten-W-2 threshold who choose not to use the state’s electronic portal.

For employers who file by paper, the key takeaway is straightforward: QuickBooks gets the W-2 data onto the form, but 1099 withholding, 1099 compensation, and the counts of corrected or specialty forms are the user’s responsibility to add through the smart worksheet before mailing.