QuickBooks South Carolina WH-1612 Transmittal Form: What Filers Need to Know
QuickBooks prefills most of the SC WH-1612 transmittal form, but 1099 withholding data must be entered manually before submission.
QuickBooks users preparing year-end filings in South Carolina have raised questions about Form WH-1612, the transmittal form used when submitting W-2s and 1099s by CD-ROM or paper. The form is required by the South Carolina Department of Revenue, and QuickBooks handles much of the data entry — but not all of it.
What the WH-1612 Covers
The WH-1612 serves as a cover sheet for employers submitting W-2 and 1099 forms to South Carolina. It must accompany all W-2s sent to the state, and it must accompany any 1099s that include South Carolina tax withholding. The filing deadline falls on or before the last day of February.
Employers issuing 250 or more W-2s or 1099s must file electronically or by CD-ROM. Those below that threshold may choose electronic filing, CD-ROM, or traditional paper submission. If federal rules require electronic filing with the IRS or Social Security Administration, South Carolina requires the same.
Separate CD-ROMs and separate WH-1612 forms are required for each form type — W-2 filings and 1099 filings cannot be combined on a single transmittal.
What QuickBooks Fills In Automatically
QuickBooks prefills most fields on the WH-1612 using existing company, payroll, and employee data. In a well-maintained file, users typically do not need to enter additional information beyond what the software has already calculated. All filers must complete Sections A and C of the form, and those submitting by CD-ROM must also complete Section B.
The built-in Help button on the form window provides guidance on navigating the form and troubleshooting specific issues.
The 1099 Gap Users Should Watch For
The most important limitation: QuickBooks only tracks and calculates W-2 data for the WH-1612. Withholding amounts and compensation reported on 1099s are not pulled in automatically.
Users filing 1099s with South Carolina tax withheld must manually enter the state tax withheld from those 1099s on the designated line in the smart worksheet above Section A. That amount is then added to the W-2 withholding total reported in Section A. The same applies to 1099 compensation — it must be entered manually on the corresponding worksheet line so it combines with the W-2 wage figure.
Filing and Mailing Paper W-2s
Employers who have already filed their WH-1606 (the South Carolina withholding return) through eWithholding or TeleFile still need to send their paper W-2s or 1099s showing SC tax withheld, accompanied by the WH-1612. Paper filings go to the SC Department of Revenue, Withholding, in Columbia.
CD-ROM Submissions
Section B applies only to CD-ROM filers. Users must indicate the number of discs being submitted and specify whether the file contains original W-2 data, 1099 data with South Carolina withholding, or corrected information.
Exporting and Reviewing Data
For users who want to verify the numbers before filing, QuickBooks offers options to review withholding calculations and summarize payroll data externally. The software supports exporting payroll summaries to Microsoft Excel, and completed forms can be saved as PDF copies for recordkeeping.
Users who maintain complete and accurate payroll records throughout the year should find that QuickBooks covers the bulk of the WH-1612 automatically. The critical step is remembering that any 1099 withholding — which QuickBooks does not track for this form — must be added by hand before the transmittal is finalized and submitted.