W4 Form, Allowances and Witholdings

[Lando]

Hey, everyone! I was looking for some help figuring out how I should report my allowances on the W-4 form. I am a new hire (2 weeks) working as a sales associate. My estimated annual salary is 21K. I am single and am not reported as anyone's dependent.  I receive my first paycheck on Friday but I just want to make sure i am on top of this, this year.

I have used some withholding calculators online and reporting two allowances does not sound like too bad of an idea, but i do not know if i'm filling them out correctly so i don't want to jump the gun. I understand that reporting two allowances may result in me not receiving much of a refund or even owing some money but i desperately need the money throughout my paychecks to pay for my transportation (I Uber and ride the bus to work everyday) 

To Recap:

Single, No Dependents, Not Reported as Dependent

21K Salary (10.50/HR, paid Bi-Weekly)

Georgia (Smyrna)

No Deductions

I spend $65 a week on transportation

20 years old

Would claiming two allowances be a horrible idea?

I will be checking in to update my situation after I get my first paycheck (claimed 0 allowances accidentally) Thank you for all your help!

-Lando

[xmasbaby0]

Try the IRS withholding estimator:

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator

[SteamTrain]

I ran a test file with the 2018 desktop software.  So far, that indicates right at $900 of federal tax for the year.  If that agrees with your Online tax estimator within ~$100 or $200, then that's about right.  (2018 and 2019 are close..unless Congress changes something by the end of the year).  Standard Deduction of 12,000.  (your commuting costs cannot be used in any way).  So check your withholding relative to the remaining paychecks to see if you will have enough withheld to get close to zero owed when you file.

But we can't know your healthcare insurance situation for the year and what effect that might have if you don't have any and might be penalized.   or whether you might be covered by Medicaid.