I mistakenly put myself as head of household on my paychecks all year yet I will file as single. What impact does this have on my taxes and will I be penalized for that?

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

The amount withheld would have been different for you.  But the W-4 only goes to the employer to tell them how much tax to withhold from your paychecks.  A W-4 does not go to the IRS and does not dictate what you have to enter on your tax return for a filing status.  If you are single with no dependents, then your tax return will be filed as Single.   When you enter all of your information from the W-2 you get from the employer, the software will reconcile the amount of tax withheld against your tax liability.   The only possible "penalty" will be if you did not have enough tax withheld and get only a small refund---- or owe tax to the IRS.

[turbotony92]

I was hoping that it may mean I get a better refund, but thanks for the explanation, it helped.