Time for a Paycheck Checkup

The IRS encourages everyone to use the Withholding Calculator to perform a quick “paycheck checkup.” This is even more important because of recent changes to the federal tax law made by the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

The Calculator helps you identify your tax withholding to make sure you have the right amount of tax withheld from your paycheck at work.  There are several reasons to check your withholding:

• Checking your withholding can help protect against having too little tax withheld and facing an unexpected tax bill or penalty at tax time next year.
• At the same time, with the average refund topping $2,800, you may prefer to have less tax withheld up front and receive more in your paychecks.

If you are an employee, the Withholding Calculator helps you determine whether you need to give your employer a new Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate.  You can use your results from the Calculator to help fill out the form and adjust your income tax withholding.

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Plan Ahead: Tips For Using This Program

The Calculator will ask you to estimate values of your income and other items that will affect your taxes. This process will take a few minutes.

• Gather your most recent pay stubs.
• Have your most recent income tax return handy; a copy of your completed Form 1040 will help you estimate your income and other characteristics and speed the process.
• Keep in mind that the Calculator’s results will only be as accurate as the information you provide. If your circumstances change during the year, come back to this Calculator to make sure that your withholding is still correct.
• The Withholding Calculator does not ask you to provide sensitive personally-identifiable information like your name, Social Security number, address or bank account numbers. The IRS does not save or record the information you enter on the Calculator.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: This Withholding Calculator works for most taxpayers. People with more complex tax situations should use the instructions in Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax. This includes taxpayers who owe self-employment tax, alternative minimum tax, the tax on unearned income of dependents or certain other taxes, people with long-term capital gains or qualified dividends, and taxpayers who have taxable social security benefits.

The calculator won’t determine the taxable portion of your social security benefits, but if you estimate the taxable amount (e.g., using the worksheet in the Form 1040 instructions), you can enter that into the calculator as other nonwage income so that the calculator can take it into account.

Ready to start? Make sure Javascript is enabled. https://apps.irs.gov/app/withholdingcalculator/

If you have additional questions about your withholding, consult your tax advisor.