w-4 Head of Household

[AS6851]

I am recently divorced and will be filing head of household, as I have an 18 year old who still is my dependent.  At first on my w-4 I selected the $500 exemption, but noticed there were paychecks that werent having any FIT withheld, so I removed it.  I ahve a little more FIT being withheld, but I do not feel it is enough and do not want to have a large payment due next time I file.  How can I make sure that enough FIT is coming out of my paychecks each month?

[Critter-3]

You can either choose the SINGLE status  and/or  choose an amount on line 4C to have withheld ON TOP OF what is already being withheld.  

[conniem123]

Hi AS6851,

Great idea to review your Form W-4 and withholdings now.  You will want to revisit the eligibility rules for filing Head of Household, https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/family/guide-to-filing-taxes-as-head-of-household/L4Nx6DYu9

You can use this tool to help you complete your Form W-4,

TurboTax's W-4 Calculator

Once you complete the form, give it to your employer. Then, keep a close eye on your next few paychecks to see how the changes impacted your federal income tax withholding.

I hope this is helpful!

[conniem123]

By selecting the $500 on the Form W-4 step 3 that is calculating a $500 Other Dependent Credit from estimated tax liability for 2023.  If you want more federal tax withheld from your paycheck, then do not include that on your Form W-4.  

It's your tax return that you file that will be accurate on reporting dependents.

I hope this helps!

[AS6851]

@conniem123 When I am filling out my w-4, should I select the Dependent option which adds $500 total dependent amount on my paystubs? When I do that, it seems like not enough FIT is being withheld.