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Level 1
posted May 29, 2024 9:09:44 AM

Married filing separately W4

We are filing separately again, I didn’t adjust my w4 at all and only owed about $400. I really want to break even but I don’t understand this W4 form. We have no kids, no house and I only make about 48K a year. Any guidance would be appreciated! 

0 4 4382
4 Replies
Employee Tax Expert
May 29, 2024 9:17:01 AM

You should both adjust your w-4's to have taxes withheld at the  single/ married filing separate rete. On the w-4 that is Step 1 box c

Level 1
May 29, 2024 9:20:38 AM

Yes we did that

Employee Tax Expert
May 29, 2024 10:40:20 AM

I would use the TurboTax W4 Calculator:  Only takes a few minutes:  https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/calculators/w4/

Employee Tax Expert
May 29, 2024 11:05:59 AM

Single/Married Filing Separately on your W-4, already?   You know approximately how much you will owe ($400 based on your last year's taxes), so you can simply have the employer withhold an extra dollar amount each pay period.  To break even - assuming that your income, deductions, etc. stay the same - you would divide last year's balance due, $400, by the number of paychecks remaining at the time you inform the employer.  Most larger employers will want a new W-4.  Here's how to fill it out:  Keep everything else the same on your new W-4 and add the dollar amount to be withheld each pay period on Line 4(c) in Step 4.