W-4 calculator tax withholding

Federal Form W-4 Assistant

Find your state’s W4 forms

The Form W4 Withholding interactive form helper takes you through each step of completing the Form W4. The Form W4 provides your employer with the details on how much federal, and in some cases, state, and local tax should be withheld from your paycheck. After completing the form, you can download and print it. To learn more about the Form W4, read the Frequently Asked Questions.

Do independent contractors file a W-4?

No. Independent contractors, freelancers, and consultants submit a Form W-9 to a hiring business.

What’s the difference between Forms W-4 and W-2?

Employees submit a W4 to their employer to define how they want their Federal Income Tax (FIT) withheld. An employee fills this out upon hiring and then anytime they want to make changes.

Employers submit a W2 each year (due Jan 31) for each employee to document how much they were paid and how much Federal Income Tax was withheld the previous year. W2’s are sent to the IRS, as well as distributed to each employee which they use to file taxes. To save time filling out your W2s, try out PaycheckCity Payroll for an inexpensive self-service payroll solution.

What are state withholding forms?

State withholding forms are tax documents completed by employees to have their employer withhold specific amounts on paychecks for their state taxes. It is similar to the federal Form W-4 that tells the employer about the employee’s withholding needs for federal taxes. Typically the states without income tax don’t have their own state W-4 since they don’t collect income tax. Otherwise most states have their own state W-4 form and update them annually.

Download the latest version of your state’s withholding forms by selecting your state below.

In 2020, what was changed in the Federal W-4?

The IRS redesigned the Federal W-4 form in 2020 that eliminated withholding allowances and made it easier for employee withholding to match your tax liabi

Think that hefty tax refund you got last year was a big ol' bonus? Think again.

If you got a big, fat refund check, that just means you’ve been loaning the government too much of your hard-earned cash with each paycheck. Uncle Sam is simply returning money that was yours to begin with—that’s why it’s called a refund! It’s not a gift, and it’s definitely not free money.

Here at Ramsey, we want to make taxes easier to understand. So, whether you’re thinking, Oh my gosh, how much should I withhold for taxes this year? or you want to know how to calculate tax withholding in the first place, this is the article you’ve been searching for.

And answering these questions is easier than you think. It all starts with taking a closer look at your tax withholding.

What Is Tax Withholding?

Okay, first things first: Your tax withholding is the amount of money held back from each paycheck to help pay your income taxes throughout the year. Your employer then takes that money and sends it to the IRS. That’s right—you’ve been paying your income taxes all year long thanks to tax withholding.

Just think of your withholding on each paycheck like an estimate. You’re trying to send roughly what you think you’ll owe in taxes to the IRS based on your income and other factors (like tax deductions and tax credits).

When you file your annual tax return during tax season, the IRS will let you know how you did. If you withheld too much, you’ll get that money back as a tax refund. But if you didn’t withhold enough, you’ll get a tax bill for whatever you still owe Uncle Sam.

That’s why it’s important to get your withholding dialed in. You want to get your tax return as close to $0 as possible so you don’t get a big tax bill or a tax refund.

When Do You Need to Adjust Your Tax Withholding?

Good question! Here are

W4 calculator

Tax Withholding Estimator

Use this tool to estimate the federal income tax you want your employer to withhold from your paycheck. This is tax withholding.

See how your withholding affects your refund, take-home pay or tax due.

How it works

Use this tool to:

Estimate your federal income tax withholding
See how your refund, take-home pay or tax due are affected by withholding amount
Choose an estimated withholding amount that works for you

Results are as accurate as the information you enter.

What you need

Have this ready:

Paystubs for all jobs (spouse too)
Other income info (side jobs, self-employment, investments, etc.)
Most recent tax return

Your information isn't saved. Learn more about Security.

Forms W-4

After you use the estimator

Use your estimate to change your tax withholding amount on Form W-4. Or keep the same amount.

To change your tax withholding amount:

To keep your same tax withholding amount:

You don't need to do anything at this time.
Check your withholding again when needed and each year with the Estimator. This helps you make sure the amount withheld works for your circumstance.

When to check your withholding

Check your tax withholding every year, especially:

When you have a major life change

New job or other paid work
Major income change
Marriage
Child birth or adoption
Home purchase

If you changed your tax withholding mid-year

Check your tax withholding at year-end, and adjust as needed with a new W-4

If you have more questions about your withholding, ask your employer or tax advisor.

Why check your withholding

There are several reasons to check your withholding:

It can protect against having too little tax withheld and facing an unexpected tax bill or penalty at tax time next year.
It can let you adjust your tax withheld up front, so you receive a bigger paycheck and smaller refund at tax time.

Security

The Ta

Federal withholding tax table

W-4 Calculator 2024

One of the biggest changes on the redesigned W-4 form is the elimination of personal withholding allowances. Instead, the form uses a 5-step process and new Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods to determine actual withholdings. In the past, the value of withholding allowances was also tied to personal and dependent exemptions, but those exemptions were eliminated under The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed in 2017.

IRS Form W-4 is completed and submitted to your employer, so they know how much tax to withhold from your pay. Your W-4 can either increase or decrease your take home pay. If you want a bigger refund or smaller balance due at tax time, you’ll have more money withheld and see less take home pay in your paycheck. If you want a bigger paycheck, you’ll have less withheld and have a smaller refund or larger balance due at tax time.

Use the W-4 calculator to adjust your withholdings and determine how to fill out your W-4.
Once you’re ready to update your W-4, reach out to your employer or download and print a blank W-4 form.
Submit it to your employer as soon as possible. It could take up to a few weeks for adjustments to be reflected on your paycheck.

When you use the redesigned Form W-4, your withholding is based on your expected filing status and standard deduction for the year. The new redesigned Form W-4 makes it easier for you to figure out your withholding, especially if you have income from multiple jobs, itemized deductions, the child tax credit, and other tax benefits.

The W-4 calculator can help you adjust your withholdings to determine if you’ll get a refund or a balance due come tax time. Once you’re happy with your projected outcome, the W-4 calculator will show how to fill out your W-4. Depending on your employer, updates to your W-4 could take a few weeks to be reflected on your paycheck.

It’s important to remember that getting a tax refund means you paid too much federal income to the IRS

Federal tax withholding calculator