W4

[Angmurray3]

Hi there,

I recently went in and adjusted my W4 to try to have a little more federal tax withheld however, when I received my bi-weekly paycheck I found that no federal tax was withheld, please help!

Previously my W4 was listed as Marital Status Single with 5 allowances 

The new updated W4 form is a bit different this time, it only asked me to enter my marital status and number of qualifying dependents. I am Head of Household and I have three children under the age of 17 therefore, I put 3.

Any advice on how to fix this? 

[Vanessa A]

Head of Household has a higher standard deduction than Married filing Single.  Also, the tax brackets increased for 2022.  The two things combined would increase the income you would need to earn to have taxes withheld, then you entered your filing status and dependents.  

If you want to have taxes withheld, then you would need to go back to your employer and change it back to single or remove the dependents.  The W4 is a worksheet to tell employers how much to withhold it does not lock you into a filing status as it is not given to the IRS.  Even though you will file as Head of Household, you do not need to claim it on the W4.  

[Angmurray3]

Thank you for the information, to be sure I understand correctly...I need to change my status to single and remove my dependents? 

Where do I find the income bracket for 2022? I just do not want to have too much taken out of my checks...

[Vanessa A]

Yes, but you would only change it if you want to have more taxes withheld than you need to have withheld. Click here for the 2022 Tax Withholdings.

It comes down to do you want more money on your regular paycheck or do you want the bigger refund at the end of the year.