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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>62082</law_id><section_number>58.1-475</section_number><catch_line>Penalty for failure to withhold</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="58.1">Taxation</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="I">Taxes Administered by the Department of Taxation</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="3">Income Tax</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="16">Income Tax Withholding</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Any <span class="dictionary">employer</span> required under the provisions of this article to deduct and withhold from <span class="dictionary">wages</span> and make returns and payments of amounts withheld to the <span class="dictionary">Tax Commissioner</span>, who fails to withhold such amounts or to make such returns, or who fails to remit amounts collected to the <span class="dictionary">Tax Commissioner</span>, or otherwise fails to remit to the <span class="dictionary">Tax Commissioner</span> as required by this article, shall be subject to a <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> equal to six percent of the amount that should have been properly withheld and paid over to the <span class="dictionary">Tax Commissioner</span> if the failure is for not more than one month, with an additional six percent for each additional month or fraction thereof during which such failure continues, not exceeding thirty percent in the aggregate. In no case however, shall the <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> be less than ten dollars and such minimum <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> shall apply whether or not any tax is due for the period for which the filing of such return was required.
			Interest at a rate determined in accordance with &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Rate of interest" href="/58.1-15/">58.1-15</a>, shall accrue on the tax until paid, or until an assessment is made, after which interest shall accrue as provided in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Rate of interest" href="/58.1-15/">58.1-15</a>. Such <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> and interest shall be assessed by the <span class="dictionary">Tax Commissioner</span> and shall be collected by him in the same manner as the collection of taxes may be enforced under this title. <a id="paragraph-226552" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/58.1-475/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Upon failure of any <span class="dictionary">employer</span> to pay over any amounts withheld or required to be withheld by the <span class="dictionary">employer</span> under this article, the <span class="dictionary">Tax Commissioner</span> may make assessments and enforce the collection of such amounts, including penalties, by any legal process provided for the enforcement of the collection of taxes under this title. <a id="paragraph-226553" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/58.1-475/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 58-151.13; 1962, c. 612; 1968, c. 12; 1970, c. 540; 1972, c. 827; 1973, c. 279; 1974, c. 636; 1975, c. 49; 1977, cc. 396, 663; 1981, c. 283; 1984, c. 675; 1991, cc. 316, 331.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
