claiming 1 on W2

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I have a question about claiming 1 on this portion of my W2

Before making any entries, see Note, and if applicable, complete the worksheet in the instructions. 1 Total number of allowances you are claiming for New York State and Yonkers, if applicable (from line 19, if using worksheet)

I did not realize I had 1 listed. I just changed my W2 to 0 on this question. I started my job back in Febuary 2026, and am currently still working there now being November. Will I owe taxes back? I did research that said the IRS no longer goes by how many you claim, and takes other things into consideration. A little about me. I claim head of household and I do claim my daughter as well on my taxes.

M-MTax

Level 15

The State vs. Federal Difference: Your federal taxes (IRS) are calculated using the modern, allowance-free W-4. However, New York State still relies on the older system where you manually enter a number of allowances.

What "1" Meant: Claiming 1 allowance told New York State to give you a small, standard tax break on each paycheck.

The Worksheet Impact: If you complete the official worksheet in the 2026 Form IT-2104 Instructions, you will see that as a Head of Household with a dependent daughter, you actually qualify to claim significantly more than 1 allowance (often 2 to 4+ allowances depending on your exact income).

M-MTax

Level 15

Because you are legally entitled to claim more allowances than just 1, your payroll has actually been under-claiming your tax breaks since February.

Overwithholding: By claiming only 1 allowance (and now 0), your employer has been withholding more New York State tax from your paychecks than you actually owe for the year.
The Outcome: Instead of owing money when you file your 2026 taxes, you will likely get this overpaid money back in the form of a state tax refund.