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Based upon the fact pattern of the question, you have filed Married Filing Jointly ("MFJ"), but potentially are moving in 2025 to Married Filing Separately ("MFS") , and none of the three W-4s (two for you and one for your husband) have ever been updated.   For visibility this is the W-4    Whether you choose to continue filing as MFJ or move to MFS you want to fill out Multiple Jobs Worksheet.  You can also use this calculator: W-4 Calculator    Keep in mind that in Step 3 of the Multiple Jobs Worksheet you need to adjust the pay periods in Step 3 by the remaining pay periods for 2025, since we are five months into the year.     All the best,   Marc T. TurboTax Live Tax Expert 28 Years of Experience Helping Clients

Congrats on the upcoming new addition to your family !! How exciting!! My suggestion would be first to maybe do a tax estimator.  Here are two sites where you can do that:   IRS Tax estimator This is a tax estimator that will time out so enter and print findings all at one sitting. Tax caster  This is another tax estimator that will time out so enter and print findings all at one sitting.   This will give you an idea of what to expect when you do your taxes for 2025.   Then, if you need to change your W4s, you can use these links: How to fill out a W4  Instructions on how to fill out a W4 W4 calculator  Use to help fill out a W4 Form W4  Actual W4.  Line 4c is where you would add extra withholdings from each check. If you make changes to your W4s, you can do as many tax estimators as you like after you have made the changes to see how those withholding changes are making the amount owed or refunded go up or down.   For the state, it is hard to find an estimator but you could figure the tax rate for the state and do the estimate yourself.  You could also call your state and ask them how they would suggest you figure out an estimate.   I hope you have found this information helpful. Katie S  

First off Congratulations on your new home and baby! How exciting and how smart to think ahead. As far as itemizing, If you are Married filing jointly your deductions have to exceed your Standard Deduction. For 2025 that is $30,000. httStandard Deduction vs Itemized  You will receive a child tax credit that will come right off of the tax owed.  Without knowing your taxable income it is hard to suggest how you should file your W4's  W4 calculator  PFL is taxed differently than other paid time off like sick pay or paid medical leave. It's also different from Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) time off, which is unpaid and has no effect on your taxes. For PFL it is usually reported on a 1099-G. When benifits are provided through your state they are usually taxable to Federal and State taxes. The calculator provided should give you a good idea how to file. Remember Married filing jointly will take less tax per paycheck than married filing separate. Also remember there are Income limitations to the child tax credit.  Married couples filing jointly must have an adjusted gross income (AGI) under $400,000. IRS Child tax credit  Again Congratulations!

Here are some steps to help you adjust your W-4 forms to avoid owing taxes:   Update Your Filing Status: Married Filing Jointly: If you plan to file jointly, make sure to select "Married filing jointly" on your W-4 forms    Account for Multiple Jobs: Multiple Jobs or Spouse Works:  This helps ensure more accurate withholding by accounting for combined income. When you combine your incomes on a joint tax return, the total can place you in a much higher tax bracket than either of your individual incomes would suggest, leading to a surprise tax bill. Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator: This tool helps you determine the correct amount of tax to withhold based on your combined income, filing status, and other factors. It’s especially useful for newlyweds. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator  Additional Withholding: If you owed taxes last year, consider specifying an additional amount to be withheld on line 4(c) of the W-4 form. Please see, https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/irs-tax-forms/what-is-a-w-4-form/L2NapDzX2 for more info about W4.   @PussyWagon92 Thanks for the question!!    

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