turbotax icon
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
turbotax icon
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Announcements
Attend our Ask the Experts event about Deciphering Your Tax Forms on Feb 19! >> RSVP NOW!
Close icon
Do you have a TurboTax Online account?

We'll help you get started or pick up where you left off.

What should I do if my federal box on my w-2 is blank? I noticed on my paystubs as well that there is no federal tax being withheld. I am not exempt on my w4.

I've went over my w4 several times and I made sure the exempt box was not checked. My employer referred me to a tax specialist.
x
Do you have an Intuit account?

Do you have an Intuit account?

You'll need to sign in or create an account to connect with an expert.

3 Replies

What should I do if my federal box on my w-2 is blank? I noticed on my paystubs as well that there is no federal tax being withheld. I am not exempt on my w4.

You enter the W-2 as it appears.    The software will calculate whether you owe or whether you have a refund.   If you entered information on a W-4 for your employer that indicated to the employer that you would be getting certain refundable credits, etc. the employer may not have withheld federal tax.   If it turns out that you owe a significant amount when you enter it all and see the results then it will be time to have a discussion with your employer about withholding more federal tax.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

What should I do if my federal box on my w-2 is blank? I noticed on my paystubs as well that there is no federal tax being withheld. I am not exempt on my w4.

If the w-2 matches your pay stubs (no tax was withheld) then just enter it as-is and proceed.  You may not owe tax if your income was too low.

 

Or, if you owe a tax bill, it may be that your W-4 was filled out incorrectly by you, or was processed incorrectly by your employer.  Use the IRS web site to help submit a new W-4.

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

 

You can get into problems if you have more than one job; you might not have tax taken out of the lower paying job even though your combined income is enough to owe tax.  When you have more than one job, you need to make adjustments on the W-4, the IRS web calculator should help. 

DavidD66
Employee Tax Expert

What should I do if my federal box on my w-2 is blank? I noticed on my paystubs as well that there is no federal tax being withheld. I am not exempt on my w4.

I assume you mean that Box 2 - Federal Income Tax Withheld is blank, and not Box 1 - Wages Tips, and Other Compensation.  You have to enter the information on your W-2 exactly as it appears on the Form.  Your employer may have failed to withhold federal income tax by mistake.  It is also possible that your employer was correct not to withhold any federal tax based on how you filled out your W-4.  See xmasbaby0's comment above about tax credits.  You should work with your employer to determine what happened and why prior to filing your tax returns.  

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"
message box icon

Get more help

Ask questions and learn more about your taxes and finances.

Post your Question