W-4 Form Guide 2026

What is Form W-4?

Form W-4 (Employee's Withholding Certificate) tells your employer how much federal income tax to withhold from your paycheck. Filling it out correctly prevents you from owing taxes or receiving a surprise refund at filing time.

The form was redesigned in 2020 to replace "allowances" with a simpler approach based on income, deductions, and dependents.

W-4 Part 1: Personal Information

Line 1a: Your name, address, and SSN

Line 1b: Your Social Security Number

Line 1c: Address (if different from job site)

Line 1d: City, state, and ZIP code

W-4 Part 2: Filing Status

Select your filing status from:

Single or Divorced
Married Filing Jointly
Married Filing Separately
Head of Household

Note: Your W-4 filing status doesn't have to match your actual tax return status, but it should be similar to ensure accurate withholding.

W-4 Part 3: Dependent and Other Credits

Enter the number of dependents to account for the child tax credit ($2,000 per child under 17).

Example: If you have 2 dependent children, enter "2" to reduce your withholding and increase your paycheck.

You can also claim other credits like education credits if eligible.

W-4 Part 4: Other Income

If you have multiple jobs, income from a spouse, or other income sources, disclose them here to ensure correct withholding.

Multiple Jobs Worksheet: If you have more than one job, use this worksheet to calculate proper withholding across all jobs.

W-4 Part 5: Deductions

If your deductions are significantly different from the standard deduction, enter the difference here:

Example: If you'll itemize deductions of $35,000 vs. the standard deduction of $14,600 (both single), your extra deductions = $20,400.

This reduces your withholding and increases your paycheck.

W-4 Part 6: Extra Withholding

If you want extra tax withheld from each paycheck (to avoid owing at tax time), enter the amount per pay period here.

Common scenarios for extra withholding:

Multiple jobs with significant income
Spouse has separate income
Expecting to owe taxes
Prefer larger refund

When To Update Your W-4

📍 Marriage or Divorce: Your filing status changes
👶 Birth or Adoption: New dependent means new child tax credit
💼 New Job: Multiple jobs affect withholding
💰 Major Raise: Income increase may push you to higher bracket
🏠 Large Refund/Owing: Last year's surprise means adjust this year

Get Your Withholding Right

Use our free withholding calculator to estimate your correct withholding before filling out your W-4.

Calculate Withholding