How to get a copy of previously submitted Form 941s after switching payroll providers?

You have a few options to get those Form 941s without dealing with Paycor's roadblocks: First, try contacting the IRS directly to request transcript copies of your filed Form 941s. You can call the IRS Business Tax Line at 800-829-4933, but be prepared for potentially long wait times. You can also request them online by setting up an account on the IRS website and using the "Get Transcript" feature. Another approach is to submit Form 4506-T to the IRS, specifically marking box 8 for "Form W-2, Form 1099 series, Form 1098 series, or Form 5498 series transcript." This form allows you to request wage and income transcripts, which would include your 941 information. If you have any relationship with your CPA or accounting firm, they might have kept copies as part of their service to you. It's worth checking with them before going through the IRS process.

I went through a similar nightmare when we left ADP last year. After going back and forth with customer service for weeks, I finally discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was a complete game-changer. They specialize in helping businesses retrieve tax documents when you're locked out or missing critical forms. I uploaded what information I did have, and they were able to help me secure copies of all our previous 941s through their document retrieval service. Their system is specifically designed to handle situations like yours where payroll providers make it difficult to access your own historical documents. Saved me tons of headaches dealing with both the former payroll company and the IRS directly.

Just wanted to update about my experience with taxr.ai after I was initially skeptical. I gave them a shot with retrieving some old 941s and state unemployment forms we needed from 2023, and I was genuinely impressed. They delivered exactly what they promised - got all our forms within 3 days when I'd been struggling for weeks on my own. The process was simple - I provided basic business info and authorization, and they handled everything else. Their retrieval specialists knew exactly who to contact at our old payroll provider and exactly what to say to get past the usual "sorry we can't help you" response. The dashboard they provide also makes it easy to keep track of all your retrieved documents in one place. Definitely saving this service for future reference!

I had an almost identical situation last year and spent HOURS trying to get through to anyone at the IRS who could help. After being on hold for literally 3+ hours multiple times with no luck, someone recommended Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and shared this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c It's a service that gets you to a real IRS agent without the insane wait times. I was super skeptical at first, but it actually worked! I got through to someone at the IRS in about 15 minutes who helped me request copies of our 941s. They have connections that basically hold your place in line. I know how frustrating it is trying to handle business compliance issues when you can't get basic documents you need. This saved me from missing some crucial deadlines.

I need to eat some crow here. After being skeptical about Claimyr in my earlier comment, I decided to try it yesterday out of desperation when I needed to talk to the IRS about a completely unrelated tax notice. I'm honestly shocked. It actually worked exactly as described. Their system called the IRS, waited on hold (about 45 minutes according to their tracker), and then called my phone when they had an agent on the line. I spoke with a really helpful IRS representative who pulled up my 941 transcripts while I was on the call. For anyone dealing with the Paycor situation - once you get through to the IRS, request "Account Transcripts" for the specific quarters you need. These will show all the 941 information that was processed. The agent can either mail them to your address of record or fax them right away if you have access to a fax.

Another option worth trying - contact your state's Department of Revenue or Employment Security. I had a similar situation with a different payroll provider, and our state unemployment office actually had copies of some quarterly reports that contained similar information to what was on our 941s. It didn't have everything, but it gave us enough information to recreate what we needed. Some states share data directly with the IRS, so they might have records that could help.

Something else to consider - if you have any previous quarterly financial reports from your accounting system, you might be able to recreate the 941 information yourself. The basic components of Form 941 are: - Total wages paid - Federal income tax withheld - Social Security and Medicare taxes - Any adjustments or credits If you have payroll summaries or general ledger reports that show these amounts by quarter, you could fill out new 941 forms with this data. While they wouldn't be official copies of what was filed, they would contain the same information for your records.

I completely understand your frustration with Paycor - this is unfortunately a common issue when switching payroll providers. Here are a few additional strategies that might help: First, check if you have any email confirmations or receipts from when the 941s were originally filed. Even if you can't access the full forms, these emails often contain filing confirmation numbers that can help the IRS locate your submissions more quickly. Second, if you worked with a CPA or tax professional, they're required to maintain copies of tax documents for a certain period. Even if they didn't directly file the 941s, they might have copies in their files from year-end work or other services. Third, consider reaching out to Paycor via LinkedIn or social media. Sometimes companies are more responsive on public platforms when regular customer service channels fail. You could also try reaching their executive customer service or escalation department. Finally, document everything - keep records of all your attempts to contact Paycor, including dates, times, and representative names. If this causes any compliance issues down the road, having a paper trail showing you made good faith efforts to retrieve the documents could be helpful. The IRS transcript route mentioned by others is definitely your most reliable backup plan. Good luck getting this resolved!

I work in corporate tax compliance and have dealt with this exact scenario multiple times. Here's a systematic approach that usually works: **Immediate Steps:** 1. File Form 4506-T with the IRS for tax return transcripts - this will get you the core 941 data within 10-15 business days 2. Contact your bank to get copies of any ACH withdrawals or tax payments made to the IRS during those quarters - this can help verify amounts 3. Check your corporate email for any automated filing confirmations from Paycor that might contain EIN, filing dates, or confirmation numbers **Paycor Escalation Path:** - Try calling their main corporate number and ask to speak with "Data Recovery" or "Former Client Services" - many payroll companies have specialized departments for this - Reference SSAE 18/SOC 2 compliance requirements - as a payroll processor, they should have data retention policies that require maintaining client tax records for several years - If you have your old Paycor invoices, those often contain account numbers that can help their support team locate your data **Documentation for Audits:** The IRS transcripts will be legally sufficient for most purposes. I've never seen an auditor reject official IRS transcripts in favor of payroll provider copies - they actually prefer the IRS versions since they show what was actually processed. **Pro Tip:** If you need this resolved quickly, consider having your CPA make the IRS transcript request on your behalf. They often have established relationships and can sometimes expedite the process. This situation is more common than you think, and it's completely resolvable. The key is having multiple approaches running in parallel rather than waiting for each one to fail before trying the next.

I've been following this thread as someone who went through a similar nightmare with QuickBooks Payroll last year. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is checking if your company's liability insurance or business services policy includes document retrieval assistance. My business insurance actually had a "Business Interruption Support" rider that covered professional services for situations exactly like this. They connected me with a specialist who had direct contacts at various payroll companies and was able to retrieve our historical tax documents within 48 hours. It's worth calling your business insurance agent to see if you have any coverage for this type of situation. Even if it's not explicitly covered, some insurers will provide these services as a customer retention benefit. The specialist they connected me with mentioned that payroll companies are much more responsive when contacted by insurance company representatives than individual business owners. Also, if you're a member of any business organizations (Chamber of Commerce, industry associations, etc.), they sometimes have ombudsman services or can provide contacts who specialize in resolving disputes with service providers. Just wanted to throw out these additional options since dealing with the bureaucracy can be so exhausting. Sometimes having an advocate make the calls on your behalf is the key to getting past those "we can't help you" responses.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now with our former payroll provider, so I completely feel your pain! One approach that worked for me was requesting a "final account statement" or "service termination summary" from Paycor. Even though they cut off your regular account access, many payroll companies are required to provide a final summary of services rendered when you terminate the relationship. This summary often includes references to tax filings they completed on your behalf, including Form 941 filing dates and confirmation numbers. When you call Paycor, don't ask for "access to your old account" - instead specifically request their "client offboarding department" and ask for a "final service summary for tax compliance purposes." Use language like "final account reconciliation" and mention that you need it for "regulatory compliance documentation." I found that framing it as a regulatory requirement rather than a favor request got me transferred to someone who actually had authority to help. The person I spoke with was able to provide a summary that included all our quarterly filing information, which I then used to request the specific transcripts from the IRS. This approach might get you the filing confirmation numbers and dates you need to make the IRS transcript request process much smoother and faster.