Final answer:
The payroll tax expense for Trolley Company can be calculated by accounting for the F.I.C.A. tax on wages up to $118,500 and in excess of that amount, as well as state and federal unemployment taxes on the first $7,000 of income. The total comes to $68,760, which is answer c.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question requires us to calculate the payroll tax expense for Trolley Company for the month of October, 2017 with a given total payroll of $960,000. Some amounts are paid above certain thresholds not subject to specific taxes. We need to compute the state and federal unemployment taxes and the F.I.C.A. tax for the amounts within the relevant thresholds.
- The total F.I.C.A. tax for wages up to $118,500 is 7.65%.
- For wages above $118,500, the F.I.C.A. tax is 1.45%.
- The federal unemployment tax rate (FUTA) is 0.8% on the first $7,000 of income.
- The state unemployment tax rate (SUTA) is 1% on the first $7,000 of income.
The payroll that is above the F.I.C.A. tax limit of $118,500 is $180,000, and the remainder subject to the 7.65% F.I.C.A. tax is $780,000 ($960,000 total payroll - $180,000 above the limit). The payroll above the unemployment tax limit of $7,000 is $600,000, leaving $360,000 subject to the unemployment taxes ($960,000 total payroll - $600,000 above the limit).
Here is the breakdown of the taxes calculated:
- F.I.C.A. tax up to $118,500 (7.65% of $780,000): $59,670
- F.I.C.A. tax over $118,500 (1.45% of $180,000): $2,610
- FUTA (0.8% of $360,000): $2,880
- SUTA (1% of $360,000): $3,600
Adding these together, the total payroll tax expense is $68,760.00, which corresponds to option c. Thus, the amount Trolley should record as payroll tax expense is $68,760.