How to Fill Out Your W-4

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The information in this article is up to date for tax year 2024 (returns filed in 2025).

The W-4 form is one of those things you probably don’t think about much—until it’s time to fill it out. It helps your employer figure out how much federal income tax to withhold from your paycheck, so you’re not caught off guard when tax season rolls around. Whether you’re starting a new job, getting married, or just want to make sure you’re withholding the right amount, knowing how to fill out the W-4 correctly is important.  In this guide, we’ll explain what the W-4 form is, step-by-step instructions on how to complete it, and tips for adjusting your withholding to fit your financial situation.

What is a W-4?

A W-4, also known as the Employee’s Withholding Certificate, is a tax form employees complete and give to their employer.  It helps determine how much federal income tax to withhold from your paycheck.  The form lets you adjust your withholding based on your filing status, number of dependents, and other factors like additional income or deductions. Getting your W-4 right means you can avoid surprises come tax season, whether that’s a large refund or an unexpected tax bill.

Where to get a W-4

If you’re starting a new job, your employer will usually provide a W-4 form as part of the onboarding process.  You can also download the W-4 form directly from the IRS website.  Once you’ve downloaded and completed your W-4, you can submit it to your employer.

How to fill out a W-4

Step 1: Enter your personal information

Start by entering your personal information such as your name, address, social security number and tax filing status.  You can file as single, married filing separately, married filing jointly, qualifying surviving spouse, or head of household.  Only choose head of household if you are unmarried and pay more than half the cost of running a household for you and a dependent.  Your filing status is important because it determines which tax credits you qualify for, your standard deduction amount, your filing requirement, and how much taxes you’ll pay.

Step 2: Account for multiple jobs or a working spouse

This section is for people who work more than one job, or file a joint tax return with their spouse who also works.  If there are only two jobs total and they pay around the same amount, you can just check box in option (c).  However, you will need to do this on the other W-4 as well.

Step 3: Claim your children and other dependents

This step estimates the amount of your Child Tax Credit and the Credit for Other Dependents for your future tax return.  You may qualify if your income is $200,000 or less ($400,000 or less if married filing jointly).  The Child Tax Credit is worth up to $2,000 for each qualifying child aged 16 or younger.  The Credit for Other Dependents is worth $500 per qualifying dependent.  Generally, if you work multiple jobs, you only want to complete step 3 on the Form W-4 for the highest paying job. 

Step 4:  Other adjustments

If you expect to receive other income, claim deductions outside of the standard deduction or want extra taxes withheld from your pay, enter it here.

Step 5:  Sign and date your W-4

Congrats!  You’ve made it to the finish line.  All that’s left is to sign and date your W-4, then hand it over to your employer’s human resources department.

How to check your tax withholding

An easy way to ensure you pay the right amount of taxes is to use a tax withholding calculator. Once you have your results, you can fill out a new W-4 and submit it to your employer. After that, your employer will send the withheld taxes to the IRS on your behalf. By January 31st, you’ll get a W-2 form from your employer showing how much you earned and how much tax was paid. You can then use that information to file your tax return – either on your own or with tax preparation software like ezTaxReturn.com.

The articles and content published on this blog are provided for informational purposes only. The information presented is not intended to be, and should not be taken as, legal, financial, or professional advice. Readers are advised to seek appropriate professional guidance and conduct their own due diligence before making any decisions based on the information provided.