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Pkdude
New Member

I have 3 kids 13,13, and 11 my spouse and I work earn less than 100k. Line G says add "2" for each child less 1 if you have 2 to 4 kids = 5 allowance. Is that right?

Based on my allowances and line G that would equal 10 allowances which seems to high.   I have 1 allowance for head household 3 for my kids and 1 for myself.

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I have 3 kids 13,13, and 11 my spouse and I work earn less than 100k. Line G says add "2" for each child less 1 if you have 2 to 4 kids = 5 allowance. Is that right?

First of all, you can't be a head of household if you are married, unless you have been living separately the entire second half of the tax year.  (Usually due to marital separation but can also be due to incarceration, military service, etc.)  You either need to file married filing jointly or married filing separately.

I count a total of 11 allowances using the base formula, assuming you are married and your spouse does not work.  The effect of that calculation is to say that about $44000 of your income is going to be non-taxable due to your personal exemptions and the $1000 per child tax credit.  That is approximately correct on a first glance.

However, if you and your spouse both work, the calculation can be off, due to the effect of the assumptions built into the withholding model.  The withholding table assumes that each job is the only job your family has, so if you and your spouse each earn $50K for example, you will have less withheld than if one spouse earns $100K and the other spouse earns nothing, and could end up being under-withheld.

You should use the two-earner worksheet on the back page of the W-4 to see if that line H number needs to be modified to account for the second job.  That gives you a total number of allowances that you and your spouse can divide between you.  For instance, if the final number is 7, then you and your spouse can claim "7" and "0", or "2" and "5" but not "7" and "7".

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