So after that stressful rite of passage known as a job search, a company finally gave you an offer. Congratulations! Or maybe you were recently married, had a baby, or went through any number of life changes that would impact your finances. These are all cases in which you may find yourself filling out a W-4 form. If you’re new to these, you may be wondering how to fill out a W-4 — what the “right” numbers to put on each line are, and what effect they have. In that case, we wrote this blog post just for you, to help guide you so that you can be confident when entering those amounts. We have to caution you that we are not providing you with any tax advice, and that you should consult a tax professional if you have any questions about the W-4 or concerns that you are not filling it in correctly.
What is a W-4?
Essentially, a W-4 is how you let your employer know the amount that should be taken out of your paycheck for taxes. When you start a new job, you’re required to fill one out — but, you can also update them at any point. If your financial situation changes, such as with a marriage, divorce, birth of a child, move to a new home, etc., you may want to fill out a new form to be sure you have the money you need to cover daily expenses.
How to fill out a W-4
- In Line A, you enter 1 if no one claims you as a dependent.
- If you’re single or married and only have one job between you and your spouse, you’d enter 1 for Line B. You also enter 1 if you’re single or married with a second job with a wage of $1,500 or less.
- Enter 1 in Line C if you have a spouse; however, you may enter 0 here if your spouse works or if you have two jobs.
- If you claim any dependents, enter the number of dependents in Line D.
- If you file as Head of Household, enter 1 in Line E. (Unsure if you should file as Head of Household on your taxes? Efile’s got a Head of Household Calculator for you!)
- If you plan to claim a tax credit for $2,000 in expenses for child or dependent care, enter 1 for Line F.
- Line G is also for people who claim child tax credits. If you make less than $70,000/year ($100,000/year if married), you would first add 2 for each dependent; then, subtract 1 if you have two–four eligible children or 2 if you have five or more eligible children. If you make $70,000–$84,000/year ($100,000–$119,000/year if married), you will simply enter 1 for each eligible child.
- In Line H, add up all the numbers for Lines A-G. This is your number for allowances!
For a more accurate calculation of your allowances, you may also complete the two worksheets on the second page of the W-4. If you plan to itemize deductions or claim certain credits or adjustments to income on your taxes, you can fill out the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet. If you’re single and have more than one job, or if you’re married and you and your spouse both work with combined earnings of over $50,000 ($20,000 if married), you can fill out the Two-Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet.
After the Personal Allowances Worksheet is the section you’ll give to your employer. Lines 1-4 include your personal information. Lines 5–7 include:
- The total amount calculated in Line H, or from the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet if you used that
- The total amount calculated in the Two-Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet, if you used that
- Whether you’re exempt from taxes
What’s the point?
The amounts you fill out on your W-4 will impact how much of your paycheck is withheld in taxes. Again, the higher the number, the less is taken out of your paycheck for taxes. So it’s good to be as accurate as possible. If your total is smaller than what you actually need, you may have a larger refund come tax season, but you might find yourself unable to afford day-to-day costs. If your total is more than what you actually need, you’ll be taking home a larger monthly paycheck, but you might find that you owe the IRS more money during tax season.
4 thoughts on “How to Fill out a W-4”
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