AskShould I claim 1 or 0 allowances on my w4? Should I check Married or Married, but withhold at higer rate?

[shereene-devine]

Do I have to claim myself as an allowance ( entering 1 on line 5) on my W4? I'm worried about owing money at the end of the year. My husband works and makes much more money than I do, as I have a part time job at 10.25 an hour.  He however makes less than 65,000 a year.

Also should I check married or married, but with hold at higher single rate? What is the difference?

I am not claiming anything else just myself as an allowance if that is the logical thing to do.

[SweetieJean]

Please keep your related questions in one thread.

[Critter]

I highly recommend    married, but with hold at higher single rate  and ZERO allowances on line 5 since you are the lower wage earner and you don't want to owe.    If your spouse uses married and 2 allowances then he may need to reduce that to zero as well if you find you still don't have enough withheld. 

[shereene-devine]

My husband has 1 allowance and Married and we have always received a return prior to me working.

[Critter]

That should be fine if you use my suggestion above.

[Critter]

If you find the refund is too large then later you can add some allowances to your W-4 ... but always use the Single option.

[shereene-devine]

what is the difference between the two options of married or married but withhold .....?

[Critter]

Easiest way to answer that question is for you to look at the IRS Pub 15 .... charts start on page 43 ... find your pay period & the single or married charts then look accross the allowance columns ...
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15.pdf">https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15.pdf</a>