topic in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

w-4 Head of Household

AS6851 — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:24:28 GMT

I am recently divorced and will be filing head of household, as I have an 18 year old who still is my dependent. At first on my w-4 I selected the $500 exemption, but noticed there were paychecks that werent having any FIT withheld, so I removed it. I ahve a little more FIT being withheld, but I do not feel it is enough and do not want to have a large payment due next time I file. How can I make sure that enough FIT is coming out of my paychecks each month?

Re: w-4 Head of Household

Critter-3 — Wed, 24 May 2023 21:55:05 GMT

You can either choose the SINGLE status and/or choose an amount on line 4C to have withheld ON TOP OF what is already being withheld.

Re: w-4 Head of Household

conniem123 — Wed, 24 May 2023 21:55:46 GMT

Hi AS6851,

Great idea to review your Form W-4 and withholdings now. You will want to revisit the eligibility rules for filing Head of Household, https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/family/guide-to-filing-taxes-as-head-of-household/L4Nx6DYu9

You can use this tool to help you complete your Form W-4,

TurboTax's W-4 Calculator

Once you complete the form, give it to your employer. Then, keep a close eye on your next few paychecks to see how the changes impacted your federal income tax withholding.

I hope this is helpful!

AS6851 — Wed, 24 May 2023 22:10:36 GMT

Re: w-4 Head of Household

conniem123 — Wed, 24 May 2023 22:09:00 GMT

By selecting the $500 on the Form W-4 step 3 that is calculating a $500 Other Dependent Credit from estimated tax liability for 2023. If you want more federal tax withheld from your paycheck, then do not include that on your Form W-4.

It's your tax return that you file that will be accurate on reporting dependents.

I hope this helps!

Re: w-4 Head of Household

AS6851 — Wed, 24 May 2023 22:09:30 GMT

@conniem123 When I am filling out my w-4, should I select the Dependent option which adds $500 total dependent amount on my paystubs? When I do that, it seems like not enough FIT is being withheld.