IRS Withholding Calculator |
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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, introduced several changes that affect this Withholding Calculator:
(1) The new Making Work Pay Credit: The new withholding tables that employers should have implemented by April 1 have been incorporated into the calculator.
You should use this calculator to ensure that the reduced withholding will not result in having too little income tax withheld (possibly causing you to owe taxes next year) if:
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You are an employee with two concurrent jobs,
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You and your spouse both work, or
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You can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return (since you are not eligible for this credit).
(2) Pension income: Non-government pension income is not eligible for the Making Work Pay Credit, so we are in the process of updating the calculator to account for this. The update should be operational by late May. If you expect to receive a significant amount of pension income in 2009, you should use this calculator by early June so that you can adjust your withholding appropriately for the second half of the year.
(3) Unemployment Compensation: The first $2,400 of unemployment compensation an individual receives in 2009 is now tax free. We are also updating the Withholding Calculator (by late May) to account for this. In the meantime:
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If you expect to receive $2,400 or less of unemployment compensation, simply do not enter that income into the calculator.
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If you expect to receive more than $2,400, you will need to subtract $2,400 from your total unemployment compensation and enter that difference on the "other non-wage income" line.
Purpose of This Computer Program The purpose of this application is to help employees to ensure that they do not have too much or too little income tax withheld from their pay. It is not a replacement for Form W-4, but most people will find it more accurate and easier to use than the worksheets that accompany Form W-4. You may use the results of this program to help you complete a new Form W-4, which you will submit to your employer.
Tips For Using This Program
- Have your most recent pay stubs handy.
- Have your most recent income tax return handy.
- Fill in all information that applies to your situation.
- Estimate values if necessary, remembering that the results can only be as accurate as the input you provide.
- Consult the information links embedded in the program whenever you have a question.
- Print out the final screen that summarizes your input and the results, then use it to complete a new Form W-4 (if necessary), and keep it for your records.
Who Can Benefit From This Application?
- Employees who would like to change their withholding to reduce their tax refund or their balance due;
- Employees whose situations are only approximated by the worksheets on the paper W-4 (e.g., anyone with concurrent jobs, or couples in which both are employed; those entitled to file as Head of Household; and those with several children eligible for the Child Tax Credit);
- Employees with non-wage income in excess of their adjustments and deductions, who would prefer to have tax on that income withheld from their paychecks rather than make periodic separate payments through the estimated tax procedures.
For Special Situations If your situation is among those listed below, you will probably achieve more accurate withholding by following the instructions in Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding?
- If you will be subject to alternative minimum tax, self-employment tax, or other taxes; or
- If any of your current jobs will end before the end of the year.
NOTE: The information you provide is anonymous and will be used only for purposes of this calculation. It will not be shared, stored or used in any other way, nor can it be used to identify the individual who enters it. It will be discarded when you exit this program.
Continue to the Withholding Calculator
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Page Last Reviewed or Updated: May 08, 2009