How Should My Spouse Update Her W-4?

[estebangarza]

My spouse has very little federal income tax withheld from her paychecks, and as a result we usually owe money during tax season. How should she update her W-4 so that more federal taxes are withheld throughout the year and we avoid owing as much at filing time?

[AmitaR]

Let's start with how your spouse has her Form W-4 filled out currently? 

1.  Did she check Married filing joint in Step 1c and checked the box in Step 2c for multiple jobs?

2. Did she make sure that both of you are not claiming the same dependent in Step 3?

3. Is there additional income (without the withholdings) that she needs to enter in Step 4a?

4. Could she be entering too many deductions in Step 4b?

5.  If all above is done correctly, then use the "Extra withholding" in Step 4c as a catch-all to avoid owing as much at filing time.

Thank you for joining this event today @estebangarza