All Posts

For your Federal return, the IRS provides a Tax Withholding Estimator. This link provides interview questions based upon your actual numbers to most closely estimate your current situation: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator    You will need your latest pay stubs for both jobs and documents required to estimate pension payments. On the second page, be sure to enter that you have three income sources to account for both jobs and the pension in the calculation.      The IRS tool should provide an estimate based upon your current situation. It also allows changes in withholding to achieve a more desired result. Remember, the estimator is only as accurate as the information inputted.   TurboTax also has a calculator to assist in your estimates: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/calculators/w4/ 

If you're paid by commission, how you report that income on your tax return using TurboTax depends on whether you're an employee or an independent contractor. If you are an employee it will be reported on a W2 and tax will be withheld. If you are an independent contractor, you will report it as self employment and pay estimated taxes.   You should pay at least 90% of the tax for the current year, or 100% of the tax shown on your return for the prior year (110% if your adjusted gross income is over $150,000), whichever is less in tax withheld or estimated payments.   TurboTax has a W4 withholding calculator which will estimate how much you should have withheld from your jobs to ensure you meet the above requirements and not have a balance due :W-4 Calculator   You can have extra withheld on the W4  to cover the tax you would owe on the commissions if you do not make estimated tax payments.   Mary, Tax expert

@osbuntax611  I am not very conversant with pensions/IRAs etc.  My colleague @dmertz  is generally best suited for such topics. You can also see this from the IRS -- Hardships, early withdrawals and loans | Internal Revenue Service. Generally, payments from public funds ( such as SSA ) are  taxable only by the payor country.  There is a tax treaty between US and Philippines in effect -- see article 19 & 20 of the treaty  here -- PHILIPPINESWEB.PDF   Is there more I can do for you ?

Thank you, this is helpful. We used the IRS multiple jobs worksheet and table and found that the amount at the intersection of both jobs is 6270. We did the calculations on the worksheet and ended up with $242 on line 4. We are just confused if this is tax that is in addition to what is already being withheld on the higher income or if we subtract what is currently being withheld and put that as the additional to be withheld (on line 4c of the W-4). To put it another way: is that $6270 the tax on all $133K of income or is it the tax on just the $23K?   Part 2 of our question: will this additional withholding take care of self-employment tax or should we be arranging for paying quarterly taxes for that income, as well?   Part 3 (it's ok if you don't know this answer, as this forum is about W-4): what do we do about state taxes?? We are in Oklahoma. Is there a way to do the same type of calculation for state taxes?

  1. As long as your dependent son is under 24 years old and a full-time student, you may claim him as dependent and file Head of Household.   2. Yes, he needs to file separately, but make sure when he is filing, he needs to specify that someone is claiming him as a dependent. 3. Even though you claim him as dependent, he will still get a standard deduction.  A dependent's standard deduction is limited.  For 2024, the standard deduction for a dependent was the greater of $1,300 or their earned income plus $450, not to exceed the regular standard deduction amount for their filing status.  So if he will be making about $12K in 2025 and he is not doing any withholding for federal taxes he may be ok for federal but depending on which state you live in, he may need to have withholdings for state taxes.  But as he starts to make more money, let's say for 2026, then he may need some federal tax withholding as well. 4. In order for you to claim him as dependent, he needs to be Full-Time student for atleast five months during the year. Hope this helps. AmitaR

TurboTax has an amazing TaxCaster that will generate a new W-4 when you simply enter the numbers and answer questions:  TurboTax W-4 calculator  Keep in mind that although it says 2024 it does get updated. Here is a link to help with California withholdings:  California earnings withholding calculator  I would love to know if the TaxCaster works out for you.

Just one thing more. Make sure to copy and save the .Tax File with the .PDF files in the same place (USB, External drive etc). The .Tax is saved in the TT#(year) folder on your comp Probably in the Program Files (x86) on the C drive unless you save them somewhere else. The .Tax is the one that TT needs to open or get the previous years info from so keep a copy of it with the .PDF files in a safe place. I suggest encrypting them.   Good luck

A Form W-4 can be updated at any time.  When there is a financial change in the household, you should consider if the W-4 should be updated.   The Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Certificate was redesigned in 2020 as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017.  The new form considers all sources of income, including multiple jobs or a spouse's income to determine the correct withholding.    When updating your wife's, you will want to take into consideration the changes in your household income.   The IRS has a Tax Withholding Estimator to help employees accurately calculate their withholding.  IRS Withholding Estimator 

I am assuming that you are a US Citizen/Green Card Holder. You can file married filing jointly, but then you would declare your income as well as his income. In order to file jointly, he will need to get an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). You would file a Form W7 and its supporting documents to get him this number. This return will be paper filed the year you apply for his ITIN. You maybe able to apply for this through the local US Embassy. The application goes with the tax return. Here are the Instructions for Form W7. 

I always use turbotax for taxes, and child support always takes their cut. But I've never had turbotax charge me leaving my bank account negative because of it. I just had brain surgery and cannot work so my account is in the negative. I have reached out to turbotax to no avail. I understand the irs and child support have to offset payments but why didn't this happen before? How can I remedy this situation when no one is helping me resolve it?

No, you would not file a DE W-4 with PA.  You will get credit on your DE return for taxes paid on the same income in PA, but it's often not a dollar for dollar credit.    Essentially, PA has a convenience of the employer rule.  If a nonresident earns income from PA sources and the income is earned for the convenience of the employer, then the PA income would only be taxed in Delaware.  But if the wages from PA sources is for the convenience of the employee, then the employee needs to file a nonresident PA tax return for those wages and claim a credit on the DE return for those taxes paid in PA on their resident DE return.  Here is an FAQ link on filing a nonresident return for an out-of-state employer.    Since you don't want to have DE tax withheld from your wife's paycheck, the simplest option is to make DE estimated tax payments instead.  You would put the dates and amounts of payments on your DE return and any excess would be refunded.

@Arneoker , my answers in Italics: 1, I suppose I need to obtain the statement showing the payment of this bonus and then file an estimated tax payment. How would that work specifically, especially as this wouldn't be reporting more or less regular income but a one-off bonus? Because this is "pension", you report it as if a 1099-R was received -- use  code 7 for normal distribution, -see instructions for 1099-R here  -- 2025 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498.   2. Since of course the exchange rate varies all the time which one would I use? Would it be the exchange rate in effect on the date of the payment? Ideally you should use the exchange rate in effect at the time of  each transaction.  However, an annual average published by US treasury or any other published source can also suffice.  But be consistent  i.e. use the same source for all the transaction(s)   3. From my research I thought that I would be able to get some sort of break on the taxes paid in Colombia on this bonus. Would I at least get a deduction if not a credit?  Please see IRC section 901, 904 for whom and what type of foreign taxes are eligible for  foreign tax credit.  Two items to note here ---(a)  the statute uses "citizen" through out as to whom is eligible. However, and in general US citizen for tax purposes  is undisguisable from "US person" used in other statutes  --US person  implying  US citizen, GreenCard holders and Resident for Tax Purposes.  Thus  the position  that for foreign credit to be available for taxes paid to a country, that country must provide a substantially similar tax relief to a US person if he/she were a resident of that country;  (b)  the statute does not clearly stipulate  that  there must be a  double taxation treaty in effect with the other country but the language  used  between the different sections of 901, it cannot lead to any other interpretation. Note also that there is no such limitation ( tax treaty in effect requirement ) for deduction of foreign taxes paid  as "State And Local Taxes " subject to SALT  limitation , if and only if itemized deduction is used.   Is there more I can do for you ?  

Hello Thania42!  Thank you for joining us!   If your goal is specifically to get a bigger refund at tax time, that means you want more tax withheld from your paychecks than you actually owe. This essentially gives the government an interest-free loan throughout the year, which is then returned to you as a refund.   Here's How: Increase Paycheck Withholding (Most Common): Federal (W-4): Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (IRS.gov/W4App). Enter your income, deductions, and credits, then specify a higher "desired refund" amount. The estimator will advise you on how to adjust Step 4(c) (Extra Withholding) on your Form W-4 and your spouse's W-4 (if applicable). Submit new W-4s to your employer(s). State (State W-4): Locate your state's withholding form on its Department of Revenue website. On this form, either reduce the number of allowances/exemptions claimed or, more precisely, enter an "additional amount to be withheld" per pay period. Submit the updated form to your employer. Overpay Estimated Taxes (For Non-Wage Income): If you have income not subject to withholding (e.g., self-employment from your LLC, investments), intentionally pay more than your calculated quarterly estimated taxes to both the IRS and your state. IRS Estimated Taxes: IRS.gov/estimatedtaxes State Estimated Taxes: Search "[Your State] estimated tax payments" on your state's tax website. Maximize Deductions & Credits: Reduce your overall tax liability by maximizing eligible deductions (e.g., pre-tax contributions to 401(k), HSA, IRA) and tax credits (e.g., Child Tax Credit, education credits). The less you actually owe, the more of your over-withheld money will come back as a refund. IRS Publications: Refer to IRS.gov for detailed publications on specific deductions (e.g., Pub 525 for retirement plans, Pub 969 for HSAs) and credits (e.g., Child Tax Credit, Education Credits). Helpful Links:   IRS Tax Withholding Estimator   TurboTax Refund and Return Estimator  Please feel free to reach backout with any additional questions or concerns you might have!   Thank you for joining us today and have an amazing rest  of your day!   **Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer.”      

All other things equal (consistent income, deductions, etc), you can change your withholding but adjusting the form W-4 from your employer.  This means that your paycheck will be lower with the additional withholding so you will not have access to it during the year, but the additional withholding will give you a larger refund.  Ultimately, it's just a trade-off in when you receive the funds.   The W-4 may be adjusted a few different ways, but the best option for you will be adding a specific amount of additional withholding.  For example, if you are paid twice a month, adding $50 per pay period for the full year will increase your refund by $1,200 ($50 x twice per month x 12 months).

We cannot do calculations based upon your specific situation, but I can give you some information that should help. You mentioned that you would like to know about social security with a married filing separately filing status.  Married couples get taxed on 50% of their social security when their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds $32K and that portion goes to 85% when the MAGI is more than $44K.  The MAGI considers non-taxable interest and 50% of your social security. This article explains in more detail.  With a hypothetical $6K of income a month, the MAGI would be above $44K, so 85% of the social security income will be taxable, as you assumed. You can have social security withhold income taxes on your behalf. Here is the information on that.  Filling out that form will require you to choose a tax withholding rate.  This table will show you your marginal tax rates on your taxable income in 2025.  Remember that your taxable income is reduced by your itemized or standard deduction amount (typically whichever is greater). The standard deduction for a married couple is $33200 ($30K + $1600 + $1600 for each person over 65--higher if blind).  This tax bracket calculator for 2024 will also get you reasonably close. If your situation is similar to last year, you can also check your TurboTax file to find your marginal rate on your last return (for estimation purposes--if the situation is similar). You can use this calculator to guide you on the employment component of your income. Keep in mind you are making this change mid-year. If you are significantly under-withheld so far,  you may consider making an estimated payment to lower your underpayment penalties (which are calculated based upon time).  This page from the IRS explains more and how to make the payment. Hope this helps. **Please cheer or say thanks by clicking the thumb icon in a post **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer" Regards, Karen TurboTax Expert  

Yes the new W4 is confusing but the good news is there is a section which pertains to your actual situation, 2 persons and 2 jobs. 2025 Form W-4   Pay attention to step 2, where you have choices as to which will give you the most accurate withholding and choose the one that fits your situation. Also in step 4 , you can choose to have extra withholding if you want more to be withheld as a method of forced savings to get a refund.   Turbotax has a calculator which can help you estimate your withholding so that you do not have an amount due at the end of the year. W-4 Calculator   Hope this help clarify the new W4 for you!   Mar, Tax expert