W4 Tutorial (Withholdings) & Calculator

 W4 Tutorial

The W4 is the form you fill out for your employer to ensure you have adequate withholdings throughout the year, based upon your unique tax situation. You will receive a refund of any excess withholdings that you have when you file at tax time. If you have multiple jobs or your spouse is also employed, you need to account for that other income or it will not figure your withholdings accurately. Your HR department may have W4 assisted forms / calculators within your payroll login area to assist you with filling this form out.

2018 tax legislation created a lot of changes, which eliminated exemptions & changed how the W4 is calculated. Watch the following video which explains how to fill out the W4 for the most current tax year (2023). Here is a link for the IRS W4 calculator tool that will generate a pdf of the most accurate W4 for you based upon the information that you enter. This will also be explained within the video. You will need your most current paycheck stub & other information that will be explained on that page link. Once you've gathered the information you need to use the IRS calculator, just input the info & generate a pdf of the W4 that you can take to your payroll department.

If you have other taxable income that does not have withholdings (i.e. self employment income or 1099-NEC income) you can also enter this information in the appropriate section of the W4, which will reduce your W2 take home pay, but will also ensure you are having adequate withholdings.