Table of Contents
This chapter discusses income tax withholding on:
Salaries and wages,
Tips,
Taxable fringe benefits,
Sick pay,
Pensions and annuities,
Gambling winnings,
Unemployment compensation, and
Certain federal payments.
This chapter explains in detail the rules for withholding tax from each of these types of income. The discussion of salaries and wages includes an explanation of how to complete Form W-4.
This chapter also covers backup withholding on interest, dividends, and other payments.
Form (and Instructions)
W-4 Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate
W-4P Withholding Certificate for Pension or Annuity Payments
W-4S Request for Federal Income Tax Withholding From Sick Pay
W-4V Voluntary Withholding Request
See chapter 5 of this publication for information about getting these publications and forms.
Income tax is withheld from the pay of most employees. Your pay includes your regular pay, bonuses, commissions, and vacation allowances. It also includes reimbursements and other expense allowances paid under a nonaccountable plan. See Supplemental Wages , later, for definitions of accountable and nonaccountable plans.
If your income is low enough that you will not have to pay income tax for the year, you may be exempt from withholding. This is explained under Exemption From Withholding , later.
You can ask your employer to withhold income tax from noncash wages and other wages not subject to withholding. If your employer does not agree to withhold tax, or if not enough is withheld, you may have to pay estimated tax, as discussed in chapter 2.
Tax is withheld only if you want it withheld and your employer agrees to withhold it. If you do not have enough income tax withheld, you may have to pay estimated tax, as discussed in chapter 2.
Pays you cash wages of less than $150 during the year, and
Has expenditures for agricultural labor totaling less than $2,500 during the year.
The amount of income tax your employer withholds from your regular pay depends on two things.
The amount you earn in each payroll period.
The information you give your employer on Form W-4.
Form W-4 includes four types of information that your employer will use to figure your withholding.
Whether to withhold at the single rate or at the lower married rate.
How many withholding allowances you claim (each allowance reduces the amount withheld).
Whether you want an additional amount withheld.
Whether you are claiming an exemption from withholding in 2014. See Exemption From Withholding , later.
You must specify a filing status and a number of withholding allowances on Form W-4. You cannot specify only a dollar amount of withholding.
When you start a new job, you must fill out a Form W-4 and give it to your employer. Your employer should have copies of the form. If you need to change the information later, you must fill out a new form.
If you work only part of the year (for example, you start working after the beginning of the year), too much tax may be withheld. You may be able to avoid overwithholding if your employer agrees to use the part-year method. See Part-Year Method , later, for more information.
During the year changes may occur to your marital status, exemptions, adjustments, deductions, or credits you expect to claim on your tax return. When this happens, you may need to give your employer a new Form W-4 to change your withholding status or number of allowances.
If the changes reduce the number of allowances you are allowed to claim or changes your marital status from married to single, you must give your employer a new Form W-4 within 10 days. See Marital Status (Line 3 of Form W-4) and Withholding Allowances (Line 5 of Form W-4) , later.
Generally, you can submit a new Form W-4 whenever you wish to change your withholding allowances for any other reason. See Table 1-1 for examples of personal and financial changes you should consider.
Table 1-1.Personal and Financial Changes
Factor | Examples |
---|---|
Lifestyle change | Marriage Divorce Birth or adoption of child Loss of an exemption Purchase of a new home Retirement Filing chapter 11 bankruptcy |
Wage income | You or your spouse start or stop working, or start or stop a second job |
Change in the amount of taxable income not subject to withholding | Interest income Dividends Capital gains Self-employment income IRA (including certain Roth IRA) distributions |
Change in the amount of adjustments to income | IRA deduction Student loan interest deduction Alimony expense |
Change in the amount of itemized deductions or tax credits | Medical expenses Taxes Interest expense Gifts to charity Job expenses Dependent care expenses Education credit Child tax credit Earned income credit |
If you change the number of your withholding allowances, you can request that your employer withhold using the Cumulative Wage Method , explained later.
After you have given your employer a Form W-4, you can check to see whether the amount of tax withheld from your pay is too much or too little. If too much or too little tax is being withheld, you should give your employer a new Form W-4 to change your withholding. You can get a blank Form W-4 from your employer or print the form from IRS.gov.
You should try to have your withholding match your actual tax liability. If not enough tax is withheld, you will owe tax at the end of the year and may have to pay interest and a penalty. If too much tax is withheld, you will lose the use of that money until you get your refund. Always check your withholding if there are personal or financial changes in your life or changes in the law that might change your tax liability. See Table 1-1 for examples.
The earlier in the year you check your withholding, the easier it is to get the right amount of tax withheld.
You should check your withholding when any of the following situations occur.
You receive a paycheck stub (statement) covering a full pay period in 2014, showing tax withheld based on 2014 tax rates.
You prepare your 2013 tax return and get a:
Big refund, or
Balance due that is:
More than you can comfortably pay, or
Subject to a penalty.
There are changes in your life or financial situation that affect your tax liability. See Table 1-1.
There are changes in the tax law that affect your tax liability.
You can use the worksheets and tables in this publication to see if you are having the right amount of tax withheld. You can also use the IRS Withholding calculator at www.irs.gov/individuals. If you use the worksheets and tables in this publication, follow these steps.
Fill out Worksheet 1-5 to project your total federal income tax liability for 2014.
Fill out Worksheet 1-7 to project your total federal withholding for 2014 and compare that with your projected tax liability from Worksheet 1-5.
If you are not having enough tax withheld, line 6 of Worksheet 1-7 will show you how much more to have withheld each payday. For ways to increase the amount of tax withheld, see How Do You Increase Your Withholding?
If line 5 of Worksheet 1-7 shows that you are having more tax withheld than necessary, see How Do You Decrease Your Withholding, for ways to decrease the amount of tax you have withheld each payday.
There are two ways to increase your withholding. You can:
Decrease the number of allowances you claim on Form W-4, or
Enter an additional amount that you want withheld from each paycheck on Form W-4.
Complete Worksheets 1-5 and 1-7.
Complete a new Form W-4 if the amount on Worksheet 1-7, line 5:
Is more than you want to pay with your tax return or in estimated tax payments throughout the year, or
Would cause you to pay a penalty when you file your tax return for 2014.
Enter on your new Form W-4, the same number of withholding allowances your employer now uses for your withholding. This is the number of allowances you entered on the last Form W-4 you gave your employer.
Enter on your new Form W-4, the amount from Worksheet 1-7, line 6.
Give your newly completed Form W-4 to your employer.
If you have this additional amount withheld from your pay each payday, you should avoid owing a large amount at the end of the year.
Example.
Early in 2014, Steve Miller used Worksheets 1-5, 1-6, and 1-7 to project his 2014 tax liability ($4,316) and his withholding for the year ($3,516). Steve's tax will be underwithheld by $800 ($4,316 − $3,516). His choices are to pay this amount when he files his 2014 tax return, make estimated tax payments, or increase his withholding now. Steve gets a new Form W-4 from his employer, who tells him that there are 50 paydays remaining in 2014. Steve completes the new Form W-4 as before, entering the same number of withholding allowances as before, but, in addition, entering $16 ($800 ÷ 50) on the form as the additional amount to be withheld from his pay each payday. He gives the completed form to his employer.
You can apply the amount on Worksheet 1-7, line 5, to only one job or divide it between the jobs any way you wish. For each job, determine the extra amount that you want to apply to that job and divide that amount by the number of paydays remaining in 2014 for that job. This will give you the additional amount to enter on the Form W-4 you will file for that job. You need to give your employer a new Form W-4 for each job for which you are changing your withholding.
Example.
Meg Green works in a store and earns $46,000 a year. Her husband, John, works full-time in manufacturing and earns $68,000 a year. In 2014, they will also have $184 in taxable interest and $1,000 of other taxable income. They expect to file a joint income tax return. Meg and John complete Worksheets 1-5, 1-6, and 1-7. Line 5 of Worksheet 1-7 shows that they will owe an additional $4,459 after subtracting their withholding for the year. They can divide the $4,459 any way they want. They can enter an additional amount on either of their Forms W-4, or divide it between them. They decide to have the additional amount withheld from John's wages, so they enter $91 ($4,459 ÷ 49 remaining paydays) on his Form W-4. Both claim the same number of allowances as before.
If your completed Worksheets 1-5 and 1-7 show that you may have more tax withheld than your projected tax liability for 2014, you may be able to decrease your withholding. There are two ways to do this. You can:
Decrease any additional amount you are having withheld, or
Increase the number of allowances you claim on Form W-4.
On a new Form W-4, complete the Personal Allowances Worksheet.
If you plan to itemize deductions, claim adjustments to income, or claim tax credits, complete a new Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet. If you plan to claim tax credits, see Converting Credits to Withholding Allowances, later.
If you meet the criteria on line H of the Form W-4 Personal Allowances Worksheet, complete a new Two-Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet.
If the number of allowances you can claim on Form W-4, is different from the number you already are claiming, give the newly completed Form W-4 to your employer.
Table 1-2 , later, shows many of the tax credits you may be able to use to decrease your withholding.
The Form W-4 Personal Allowances Worksheet provides only rough adjustments for the child and dependent care credit and the child tax credit. Complete Worksheet 1-8 to figure these credits more accurately and also take other credits into account.
Include the amount from line 12 of Worksheet 1-8 in the total on line 5 of the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet. Then complete the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet and the rest of Form W-4.
Example.
Brett and Alyssa Davis are married and expect to file a joint return for 2014. Their expected taxable income from all sources is $68,000. They expect to have $15,900 of itemized deductions. Their projected tax credits include a child and dependent care credit of $960 and an adoption credit of $1,500.
The Davis' complete Worksheet 1-8, as follows, to see whether they can convert their tax credits into additional withholding allowances.
Line 1, expected child and dependent care credit—$960.
Line 9, expected adoption credit—$1,500.
Line 10, total estimated tax credits—$2,460.
Line 11. Their combined total income from all sources, $68,000, falls between $42,001 and $98,000 on the table for married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er). The number to the right of this range is 6.7.
Line 12, multiply line 10 by line 11—$16,482.
Then the Davis' complete the Form W-4 worksheets.
Because they choose to account for their child and dependent care credit on the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet, they enter -0- on line F of the Personal Allowances Worksheet and figure a new total for line H.
They take the result on line 12 of Worksheet 1-8, add it to their other adjustments on line 5 of the Form W-4 Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet, and complete the Form W-4 worksheets.
If the change is for the current year, your employer must put your new Form W-4 into effect no later than the start of the first payroll period ending on or after the 30th day after the day on which you give your employer your revised Form W-4.
If the change is for next year, your new Form W-4 will not take effect until next year.
When you first began receiving your pension, you told the payer how much tax to withhold, if any, by completing Form W-4P, Withholding Certificate for Pension or Annuity Payments (or similar form). However, if your retirement pay is from the military or certain deferred compensation plans, you completed Form W-4 instead of Form W-4P. You completed either form based on your projected income at that time. Now that you are returning to the workforce, your new Form W-4 (given to your employer) and your Form W-4 or W-4P (on file with your pension plan) must work together to determine the correct amount of withholding for your new amount of income.
The worksheets that come with Forms W-4 and W-4P are basically the same, so you can use either set of worksheets to figure out how many withholding allowances you are entitled to claim. Start off with the Personal Allowances Worksheet. Then, if you will be itemizing your deductions, claiming adjustments to income, or claiming tax credits when you file your tax return, complete the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet.
The third worksheet is the most important for this situation. Form W-4 calls it the Two-Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet, Form W-4P calls it the Multiple Pensions/More-Than-One-Income Worksheet—both are the same. If you have more than one source of income, in order to have enough withholding to cover the tax on your higher income, you may need to claim fewer withholding allowances or request your employer to withhold an additional amount from each paycheck.
Once you have figured out how many allowances you are entitled to claim, look at the income from both your pension and your new job, and how often you receive payments. It is your decision how to divide up your withholding allowances between these sources of income. For example, you may want to “take home” most of your weekly paycheck to use as spending money and use your monthly pension to “pay the bills.” In that case, change your Form W-4P to zero allowances and claim all that you are entitled to on your Form W-4.
There are a couple of ways you can get a better idea of how much tax will be withheld when claiming a certain number of allowances.
Use the withholding tables in Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide.
Contact your pension provider and your employer's payroll department.
And remember, this is not a final decision. If you do not get the correct amount of withholding with the first Forms W-4 and W-4P you submit, you should refigure your allowances (or divide them differently) using the information and worksheets in this publication, or the resources mentioned above.
You should go through this same process each time your life situation changes, whether it be for personal or financial reasons. You may need more tax withheld, or you may need less.
Table 1-2. Tax Credits for 2014
For more information about the ... | See ... |
Adoption credit | Form 8839 instructions |
Child and dependent care expenses, credit for | Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses |
Child tax credit (including the additional child tax credit) | Instructions for Form 1040 or Form 1040A |
Earned income credit | Publication 596, Earned Income Credit |
Education credits | Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education |
Elderly or the disabled, credit for the | Publication 524, Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled |
Foreign tax credit (except any credit that applies to wages not subject to U.S. income tax withholding because they are subject to income tax withholding by a foreign country) | Publication 514, Foreign Tax Credit for Individuals |
General business credit | Form 3800, General Business Credit |
Mortgage interest credit | Publication 530, Tax Information for First-Time Homeowners |
Qualified electric vehicle passive activity credit | Form 8834 |
Prior year minimum tax, credit for (if you paid alternative minimum tax in an earlier year) | Form 8801 instructions |
Retirement savings contributions credit (saver's credit) | Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) |
Tax credit bonds, credit to holders of | Form 8912 instructions |
When reading the following discussion, you may find it helpful to refer to Form W-4.
There is a lower withholding rate for people who qualify to check the “Married” box on line 3 of Form W-4. Everyone else must have tax withheld at the higher single rate.
You are single. If you are divorced, or separated from your spouse under a court decree of separate maintenance, you are considered single.
You are married, but neither you nor your spouse is a citizen or resident of the United States.
You are married, either you or your spouse is a nonresident alien, and you have not chosen to have that person treated as a resident alien for tax purposes. For more information, see Nonresident Spouse Treated as a Resident in chapter 1 of Publication 519.
You are married and neither you nor your spouse is a nonresident alien. You are considered married for the whole year even if your spouse died during the year.
You are married and either you or your spouse is a nonresident alien who has chosen to be treated as a resident alien for tax purposes. For more information, see Nonresident Spouse Treated as a Resident in chapter 1 of Publication 519.
You expect to be able to file your return as a qualifying widow or widower. You usually can use this filing status if your spouse died within the previous 2 years and you provide more than half the cost of keeping up a home for the entire year that was the main home for you and your child whom you can claim as a dependent. However, you must file a new Form W-4 showing your filing status as single by December 1 of the last year you are eligible to file as a qualifying widow or widower. For more information on this filing status, see Qualifying Widow(er) With Dependent Child under Filing Status in Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information.
The more allowances you claim on Form W-4, the less income tax your employer will withhold. You will have the most tax withheld if you claim “0” allowances. The number of allowances you can claim depends on the following factors.
How many exemptions you can take on your tax return.
Whether you have income from more than one job.
What deductions, adjustments to income, and credits you expect to have for the year.
Whether you will file as head of household.
If you are married (filing jointly), it also depends on whether your spouse also works and claims any allowances on his or her own Form W-4. Or, if married filing separately, whether or not your spouse also works.
Complete only one set of Form W-4 worksheets, no matter how many jobs you have. If you are married and will file a joint return, complete only one set of worksheets for you and your spouse, even if you both earn wages and each must give Form W-4 to your employers. Complete separate sets of worksheets only if you and your spouse will file separate returns.
If you are not exempt from withholding (see Exemption From Withholding , later), complete the Personal Allowances Worksheet on page 1 of the form. Also, use the worksheets on page 2 of the form to adjust the number of your withholding allowances for itemized deductions and adjustments to income, and for two-earner or multiple-job situations. If you want to adjust the number of your withholding allowances for certain tax credits, use the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet on page 2 of Form W-4, even if you do not have any deductions or adjustments.
Complete all worksheets that apply to your situation. The worksheets will help you figure the maximum number of withholding allowances you are entitled to claim so that the amount of income tax withheld from your wages will match, as closely as possible, the amount of income tax you will owe at the end of the year.
If you and your spouse expect to file separate returns, figure your allowances using separate worksheets based on your own individual income, adjustments, deductions, exemptions, and credits.
The method you use must be based on withholding schedules, the tax rate schedules, and the 2014 Estimated Tax Worksheet in chapter 2. It must take into account only the items of income, adjustments to income, deductions, and tax credits that are taken into account on Form W-4.
You can use the number of withholding allowances determined under an alternative method rather than the number determined using the Form W-4 worksheets. You still must give your employer a Form W-4 claiming your withholding allowances.
Use the Personal Allowances Worksheet on page 1 of Form W-4 to figure your withholding allowances based on all of the following that apply.
Exemptions.
Only one job.
Head of household filing status.
Child and dependent care credit.
Child tax credit.
You are single and you have only one job at a time.
You are married, you have only one job at a time, and your spouse does not work.
Your wages from a second job or your spouse's wages (or the total of both) are $1,500 or less.
Was the main home for all of 2014 of your parent whom you can claim as a dependent, or
You lived in for more than half the year with your qualifying child or any other person you can claim as a dependent.
If you expect to file as head of household on your 2014 tax return, enter “1” on line E of the worksheet.
Personal Allowance Phaseout Threshold
Single | $254,200 |
Married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er) | $305,050 |
Married filing separately | $152,525 |
Head of household | $279,650 |
If you expect your AGI to be more than the amount listed, use Worksheet 1-1 to figure your reduced number of personal allowances on lines A, C, and D of the Personal Allowances Worksheet.
1. | Enter the total amount of allowances on lines A, C, and D of the Personal Allowance Worksheet without regard to the phaseout rule | 1. | ||||
2. | Enter your expected AGI | 2. | ||||
3. | Enter $254,200 if single $305,050 if married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er) $152,525 if married filing separately $279,650 if head of household |
3. | ||||
4. | Subtract line 3 from line 2 | 4. | ||||
5. | Divide line 4 by $125,000 ($62,500 if married filing separately). Enter the result as a decimal | 5. | ||||
6. | Multiply line 1 by line 5. If the result is not a whole number, increase it to the next higher whole number | 6. | ||||
7. | Subtract line 6 from line 1. The total of the numbers you enter on A, C, and D of the Personal Allowances Worksheet can not be more than this amount | 7. | ||||
Instead of using line F, you can choose to take the credit into account on line 5 of the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet, as explained under Tax credits , later.
If your total income will be between $65,000 and $84,000 ($95,000 and $119,000 if married), enter “1” on line G for each eligible child.
An eligible child is any child:
Who is your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, half sister, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild, niece, or nephew),
Who will be under age 17 at the end of 2014,
Who is younger than you (or your spouse if filing jointly) or permanently and totally disabled,
Who will not provide over half of his or her own support for 2014,
Who will not file a joint return, unless the return is filed only as a claim for refund,
Who will live with you for more than half of 2014,
Who is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. resident alien, and
Who will be claimed as a dependent on your return.
Also, if any other person can claim the child as an eligible child, see Qualifying child of more than one person in the 2013 instructions for Form 1040 or 1040A, line 6c.
For more information about the child tax credit, see the instructions for Form 1040 or Form 1040A.
Instead of using line G, you can choose to take the credit into account on line 5 of the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet, as explained under Tax credits , later.
Use the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet on page 2 of Form W-4 if you plan to itemize your deductions, claim certain credits, or claim adjustments to the income on your 2014 tax return and you want to reduce your withholding. Also, complete this worksheet when you have changes to those items to see if you need to change your withholding.
Use the amount of each item you reasonably can expect to show on your return. However, do not use more than:
The amount shown for that item on your 2013 return (or your 2012 return if you have not yet filed your 2013 return), plus
Any additional amount related to a transaction or occurrence (such as payments already made, the signing of an agreement, or the sale of property) that you can prove has happened or will happen during 2013 or 2014.
Do not include any amount shown on your last tax return that has been disallowed by the IRS.
Example.
On June 30, 2013, you bought your first home. On your 2013 tax return, you claimed itemized deductions of $6,600, the total mortgage interest and real estate tax you paid during the 6 months you owned your home. Based on your mortgage payment schedule and your real estate tax assessment, you reasonably can expect to claim deductions of $13,200 for those items on your 2014 return. You can use $13,200 to figure the number of your withholding allowances for itemized deductions.
Listed below are some of the deductions you can take into account when figuring additional withholding allowances for 2014. You normally claim these deductions on Schedule A of Form 1040.
Medical and dental expenses that are more than 10% (7.5% if either you or your spouse was born before January 2, 1950) of your 2014 AGI (defined under AGI , later).
State and local income or property taxes.
Deductible home mortgage interest.
Investment interest up to net investment income.
Charitable contributions.
Casualty and theft losses that are more than $100 and 10% of your AGI.
Fully deductible miscellaneous itemized deductions, including:
Impairment-related work expenses of persons with disabilities,
Federal estate tax on income in respect of a decedent,
Repayment of more than $3,000 of income held under a claim of right that you included in income in an earlier year because at the time you thought you had an unrestricted right to it,
Unrecovered investments in an annuity contract under which payments have ceased because of the annuitant's death,
Gambling losses up to the amount of gambling winnings reported on your return, and
Casualty and theft losses from
income-producing property.
Other miscellaneous itemized deductions that are more than 2% of your AGI, including:
Unreimbursed employee business expenses, such as education expenses, work clothes and uniforms, union dues and fees, and the cost of work-related small tools and supplies,
Safe deposit box rental,
Tax counsel and assistance, and
Certain fees paid to an IRA trustee or custodian.
Itemized Deduction Phaseout Threshold
Single | $254,200 |
Married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er) | $305,050 |
Married filing separately | $152,525 |
Head of household | $279,650 |
If you expect your AGI to be more than the amount listed, use Worksheet 1–2 to figure your reduction in itemized deductions.
1. | Enter the estimated total of your itemized deductions | 1. | ||||
2. | Enter the amount included in line 1 for medical and dental expenses, investment interest, casualty or theft losses, and gambling losses | 2. | ||||
3. | Is the amount on line 2 less than the amount on line 1? ❑ No. Stop here. Your deduction is not limited. Enter the amount from line 1 above on line 1 of the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet. ❑ Yes. Subtract line 2 from line 1. |
3. | ||||
4. | Multiply line 3 by 80% (.80) | 4. | ||||
5. | Enter your expected AGI | 5. | ||||
6. | Enter $305,050 If married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er), $279,650 if head of household, $254,200 if single, or $152,525 if married filing separately | 6. | ||||
7. | Is the amount on line 6 less than the amount on line 5? ❑ No. Stop here. Your deduction is not limited. Enter the amount from line 1 above on line 1 of the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet. ❑ Yes. Subtract line 6 from line 5. |
7. | ||||
8. | Multiply line 7 by 3% (.03) | 8. | ||||
9. | Enter the smaller of line 4 or line 8 | 9. | ||||
10. | Subtract line 9 from line 1. Enter the result here and on line 1 of the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet | 10. | ||||
You can take the following adjustments to income into account when figuring additional withholding allowances for 2014. These adjustments appear on page 1 of your Form 1040 or 1040A.
Net losses from Schedules C, D, E, and F of Form 1040 and from Part II of Form 4797, line 18b.
Net operating loss carryovers.
Certain business expenses of reservists, performing artists, and fee-based government officials.
Health savings account or medical savings account deduction.
Certain moving expenses.
Deduction for self-employment tax.
Deduction for contributions to self-employed SEP, and qualified SIMPLE plans.
Self-employed health insurance deduction.
Penalty on early withdrawal of savings.
Alimony paid.
IRA deduction.
Student loan interest deduction.
Jury duty pay given to your employer.
Reforestation amortization and expenses.
Deductible expenses related to income reported on line 21 from the rental of personal property engaged in for profit.
Repayment of certain supplemental unemployment benefits.
Contributions to IRC 501(c)(18)(D) pension plans.
Contributions by certain chaplains to IRC 403(b) plans.
Attorney fees and court costs for certain unlawful discrimination claims.
Attorney fees and court costs for certain whistleblower awards.
Estimated amount of decrease in tax attributable to income averaging using Schedule J (Form 1040).
If you take the child and dependent care credit into account on line 5, do not use line F. If you take the child tax credit into account on line 5, do not use line G.
In addition to the child and dependent care credit and the child tax credit, you can generally take into account the following credits. See the individual tax form instructions for more details.
Foreign tax credit, except any credit that applies to wages not subject to U.S. income tax withholding because they are subject to income tax withholding by a foreign country. See Publication 514, Foreign Tax Credit for Individuals.
Credit for the elderly or the disabled. See Publication 524, Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled.
Education credits. See Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education.
Retirement savings contributions credit (saver's credit). See Publication 590.
Mortgage interest credit. See Publication 530, Tax Information for Homeowners.
Adoption credit. See the Instructions for Form 8839.
Credit for nonrefundable portion of prior year minimum tax if you paid alternative minimum tax in an earlier year. See the Instructions for Form 8801.
General business credit. See the Instructions for Form 3800.
Earned income credit. See Publication 596.
In Table 1-3, the number corresponding to your combined estimated wages ($42,001 – $98,000) is 6.7. Multiply your total estimated tax credits of $2,660 by 6.7. Add the result, $17,822, to the amount you otherwise would show on line 5 of the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet and enter the total on line 5. Because you choose to account for your child and dependent care credit this way, do not make an entry on line F of the Personal Allowances Worksheet.
If line 6 is more than line 5, you may not have enough income tax withheld from your wages. See Getting the Right Amount of Tax Withheld , later.
Complete the Two-Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet on page 2 of Form W-4 if you have more than one job or are married and you and your spouse both work and the combined earnings from all jobs are more than $50,000 ($20,000 if married).
Table 1-3.Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet (Form W-4)—Line 5
a. Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er) | |||||
If combined income from all sources is: | Multiply credits by: | ||||
$0 – 42,000 | 10.0 | ||||
$42,001 – 98,000 | 6.7 | ||||
$98,001 – 180,000 | 4.0 | ||||
$180,001 – 270,000 | 3.6 | ||||
$270,001 – 440,000 | 3.0 | ||||
$440,001 – 490,000. . . . | 2.9 | ||||
$490,001 and over | 2.5 | ||||
b. Single | |||||
If combined income from all sources is: | Multiply credits by: | ||||
$0 – 19,000 | 10.0 | ||||
$19,001 – 47,000 | 6.7 | ||||
$47,001 – 104,000 | 4.0 | ||||
$104,001 – 205,000 | 3.6 | ||||
$205,001 – 430,000 | 3.0 | ||||
$430,001 and over | 2.5 | ||||
c. Head of Household | |||||
If combined income from all sources is: | Multiply credits by: | ||||
$0 – 30,000 | 10.0 | ||||
$30,001 – 66,000 | 6.7 | ||||
$66,001 – 150,000 | 4.0 | ||||
$150,001 – 235,000 | 3.6 | ||||
$235,001 – 430,000 | 3.0 | ||||
$430,001 – 460,000 | 2.9 | ||||
$460,001 and over | 2.5 | ||||
d. Married Filing Separately | |||||
If combined income from all sources is: | Multiply credits by: | ||||
$0 – 21,000 | 10.0 | ||||
$21,001 – 49,000 | 6.7 | ||||
$49,001 – 90,000 | 4.0 | ||||
$90,001 – 135,000 | 3.6 | ||||
$135,001 – 220,000 | 3.0 | ||||
$220,001 – 245,000 | 2.9 | ||||
$245,001 and over | 2.5 |
Subtract line 2 from line 1 and enter the result (but not less than zero) on line 3 and on Form W-4, line 5. If line 1 is more than or equal to line 2, do not use the rest of the worksheet.
If line 1 is less than line 2, enter “0” on Form W-4, line 5. Then complete lines 4 through 9 of the worksheet to figure the additional withholding needed to avoid underwithholding.
In most situations, the tax withheld from your pay will be close to the tax you figure on your return if you follow these two rules.
You accurately complete all the Form W-4 worksheets that apply to you.
You give your employer a new Form W-4 when changes occur.
But because the worksheets and withholding methods do not account for all possible situations, you may not be getting the right amount withheld. This is most likely to happen in the following situations.
You are married and both you and your spouse work.
You have more than one job at a time.
You have nonwage income, such as interest, dividends, alimony, unemployment compensation, or self-employment income.
You will owe additional amounts with your return, such as self-employment tax.
Your withholding is based on obsolete Form W-4 information for a substantial part of the year.
Your earnings are more than $130,000 if you are single or $180,000 if you are married.
You work only part of the year.
You change the number of your withholding allowances during the year.
You are subject to Additional Medicare Tax or Net Investment Income Tax. If you anticipate liability for Additional Medicare Tax or Net Investment Income Tax, you may request that your employer withhold an additional amount of income tax withholding on Form W-4.
If you work only part of the year and your employer agrees to use the part-year withholding method, less tax will be withheld from each wage payment than would be withheld if you worked all year. To be eligible for the part-year method, you must meet both of the following requirements.
You must use the calendar year (the 12 months from January 1 through December 31) as your tax year. You cannot use a fiscal year.
You must not expect to be employed for more than 245 days during the year. To figure this limit, count all calendar days that you are employed (including weekends, vacations, and sick days) beginning with the first day you are on the job for pay and ending with your last day of work. If you are temporarily laid off for 30 days or less, count those days too. If you are laid off for more than 30 days, do not count those days. You will not meet this requirement if you begin working before May 1 and expect to work for the rest of the year.
The date of your last day of work for any prior employer during the current calendar year.
That you do not expect to be employed more than 245 days during the current calendar year.
That you use the calendar year as your tax year.
If you change the number of your withholding allowances during the year, too much or too little tax may have been withheld for the period before you made the change. You may be able to compensate for this if your employer agrees to use the cumulative wage withholding method for the rest of the year. You must ask your employer in writing to use this method.
To be eligible, you must have been paid for the same kind of payroll period (weekly, biweekly, etc.) since the beginning of the year.
It may be helpful for you to know some of the withholding rules your employer must follow. These rules can affect how to fill out your Form W-4 and how to handle problems that may arise.
If you later fill out a new Form W-4, your employer can put it into effect as soon as possible. The deadline for putting it into effect is the start of the first payroll period ending 30 or more days after you turn it in.
However, if your employer has withheld more than the correct amount of tax for the Form W-4 you have in effect, you do not have to fill out a new Form W-4 to have your withholding lowered to the correct amount. Your employer can repay the amount that was withheld incorrectly. If you are not repaid, your Form W-2 will reflect the full amount actually withheld, which you would claim when you file your tax return.
If the IRS determines that you cannot claim more than a specified number of withholding allowances or claim a complete exemption from withholding, the IRS will issue a notice of the maximum number of withholding allowances permitted (commonly referred to as a “lock-in letter”) to both you and your employer.
The IRS will provide a period of time during which you can dispute the determination before your employer adjusts your withholding. If you believe that you are entitled to claim complete exemption from withholding or claim more withholding allowances than the maximum number specified by the IRS in the lock-in letter, you must submit a new Form W-4 and a written statement to support your claims to the IRS. Contact information (a toll-free number and an IRS office address) will be provided in the lock-in letter. At the end of this period, if you have not responded or if your response is not adequate, your employer will be required to withhold based on the original lock-in letter.
After the lock-in letter takes effect, your employer must withhold tax on the basis of the withholding rate (marital status) and maximum number of withholding allowances specified in that letter.
If you later believe that you are entitled to claim exemption from withholding or more allowances than the IRS determined, you can complete a new Form W-4 and a written statement to support the claims made on the Form W-4 and send them directly to the IRS address shown on the lock-in letter. Your employer must continue to figure your withholding on the basis of the number of allowances previously determined by the IRS until the IRS advises your employer otherwise.
At any time, either before or after the lock-in letter becomes effective, you may give your employer a new Form W-4 that does not claim complete exemption from withholding and results in more income tax withheld than specified in the lock-in letter. Your employer must then withhold tax based on this new Form W-4.
Additional information is available at IRS.gov. Enter “withholding compliance questions” in the search box.
If you claim exemption from withholding, your employer will not withhold federal income tax from your wages. The exemption applies only to income tax, not to social security or Medicare tax.
You can claim exemption from withholding for 2014 only if both of the following situations apply.
For 2013 you had a right to a refund of all federal income tax withheld because you had no tax liability.
For 2014 you expect a refund of all federal income tax withheld because you expect to have no tax liability.
Use Figure 1-A to help you decide whether you can claim exemption from withholding. Do not use Figure 1-A if you:
Are 65 or older,
Are blind,
Will itemize deductions on your 2014 return,
Will claim an exemption for a dependent on your 2014 return, or
Will claim any tax credits on your 2014 return.
These situations are discussed later.
Example 1.
You are a high school student and expect to earn $2,500 from a summer job. You do not expect to have any other income during the year, and your parents will be able to claim an exemption for you on their tax return. You worked last summer and had $375 federal income tax withheld from your pay. The entire $375 was refunded when you filed your 2013 return. Using Figure 1-A, you find that you can claim exemption from withholding.
Figure 1-A: Exemption From Withholding on Form W-4
Example 2.
The facts are the same as in Example 1, except that you also have a savings account and expect to have $400 interest income during the year. Using Figure 1-A, you find that you cannot claim exemption from withholding because your unearned income will be more than $350 and your total income will be more than $1,000.
Itemize deductions,
Claim an exemption for a dependent, or
Claim a tax credit,
If you claim exemption, but later your situation changes so that you will have to pay income tax after all, you must file a new Form W-4 within 10 days after the change. If you claim exemption in 2014 but you expect to owe income tax for 2015, you must file a new Form W-4 by December 1, 2014.
Your claim of exempt status may be reviewed by the IRS. See IRS review of your withholding , earlier.
Supplemental wages include bonuses, commissions, overtime pay, vacation allowances, certain sick pay, and expense allowances under certain plans. The payer can figure withholding on supplemental wages using the same method used for your regular wages. However, if these payments are identified separately from regular wages, your employer or other payer of supplemental wages can withhold income tax from these wages at a flat rate.
Reimbursements or other expense allowances paid under an accountable plan that are more than your proven expenses are treated as paid under a nonaccountable plan if you do not return the excess payments within a reasonable period of time.
Your expenses must have a business connection. That is, you must have paid or incurred deductible expenses while performing services as an employee of your employer.
You must adequately account to your employer for these expenses within a reasonable period of time.
You must return any excess reimbursement or allowance within a reasonable period of time.
An excess reimbursement or allowance is any amount you are paid that is more than the business-related expenses that you adequately accounted for to your employer.
The definition of reasonable period of time depends on the facts and circumstances of your situation. However, regardless of those facts and circumstances, actions that take place within the times specified in the following list will be treated as taking place within a reasonable period of time.
You receive an advance within 30 days of the time you have an expense.
You adequately account for your expenses within 60 days after they were paid or incurred.
You return any excess reimbursement within 120 days after the expense was paid or incurred.
You are given a periodic statement (at least quarterly) that asks you to either return or adequately account for outstanding advances and you comply within 120 days of the statement.
For more information about accountable and nonaccountable plans, see chapter 6 of Publication 463, Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses.
You may have to pay a penalty of $500 if both of the following apply.
You make statements or claim withholding allowances on your Form W-4 that reduce the amount of tax withheld.
You have no reasonable basis for those statements or allowances at the time you prepare your Form W-4.
There is also a criminal penalty for willfully supplying false or fraudulent information on your Form W-4 or for willfully failing to supply information that would increase the amount withheld. The penalty upon conviction can be either a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to 1 year, or both.
These penalties will apply if you deliberately and knowingly falsify your Form W-4 in an attempt to reduce or eliminate the proper withholding of taxes. A simple error or an honest mistake will not result in one of these penalties. For example, a person who has tried to figure the number of withholding allowances correctly, but claims seven when the proper number is six, will not be charged a Form W-4 penalty. However, see chapter 4 for information on the penalty for underpaying your tax.
The tips you receive while working on your job are considered part of your pay. You must include your tips on your tax return on the same line as your regular pay. However, tax is not withheld directly from tip income, as it is from your regular pay. Nevertheless, your employer will take into account the tips you report when figuring how much to withhold from your regular pay.
If you have more than one job, make a separate report to each employer. Report only the tips you received while working for that employer, and only if they total $20 or more for the month.
By withholding at the regular rate on the sum of your pay plus your reported tips.
By withholding at the regular rate on your pay plus a percentage of your reported tips.
If you do not give your employer money to cover the shortage, your employer first withholds as much Medicare tax and social security or railroad retirement tax as possible, up to the proper amount, and then withholds income tax up to the full amount of your pay. If not enough tax is withheld, you may have to pay estimated tax. When you file your return, you also may have to pay any Medicare and social security tax or railroad retirement tax your employer could not withhold.
Your employer should not withhold income tax, Medicare tax, and social security or railroad retirement tax on the allocated amount. Withholding is based only on your pay plus your reported tips. Your employer should refund to you any incorrectly withheld tax.
The value of certain noncash fringe benefits you receive from your employer is considered part of your pay. Your employer generally must withhold income tax on these benefits from your regular pay.
Although the value of your personal use of an employer-provided car, truck, or other highway motor vehicle is taxable, your employer can choose not to withhold income tax on that amount. Your employer must notify you if this choice is made.
Example.
Your employer considers the value of benefits paid from November 1, 2012, through October 31, 2013, as paid to you in 2013. To determine the total value of benefits paid to you in 2014, your employer will add the value of any benefits paid in November and December of 2013 to the value of any benefits paid in January through October of 2014.
If the benefit's actual value cannot be determined when it is paid or treated as paid, your employer can use a reasonable estimate. Your employer must determine the actual value of the benefit by January 31 of the next year. If the actual value is more than the estimate, your employer must pay the IRS any additional withholding tax required. Your employer has until April 1 of that next year to recover from you the additional income tax paid to the IRS for you.
Sick pay is a payment to you to replace your regular wages while you are temporarily absent from work due to sickness or personal injury. To qualify as sick pay, it must be paid under a plan to which your employer is a party.
If you receive sick pay from your employer or an agent of your employer, income tax must be withheld. An agent who does not pay regular wages to you may choose to withhold income tax at a flat rate.
However, if you receive sick pay from a third party who is not acting as an agent of your employer, income tax will be withheld only if you choose to have it withheld. See Form W-4S , later.
If you receive payments under a plan in which your employer does not participate (such as an accident or health plan where you paid all the premiums), the payments are not sick pay and usually are not taxable.
Give the completed form to the payer of your sick pay. The payer must withhold according to your directions on the form.
Form W-4S remains in effect until you change or cancel it, or stop receiving payments. You can change your withholding by giving a new Form W-4S or a written notice to the payer of your sick pay.
Income tax usually will be withheld from your pension or annuity distributions unless you choose not to have it withheld. This rule applies to distributions from:
A traditional individual retirement arrangement (IRA);
A life insurance company under an endowment, annuity, or life insurance contract;
A pension, annuity, or profit-sharing plan;
A stock bonus plan; and
Any other plan that defers the time you receive compensation.
The amount withheld depends on whether you receive payments spread out over more than 1 year (periodic payments), within 1 year (nonperiodic payments), or as an eligible rollover distribution (ERD). Income tax withholding from an ERD is mandatory. ERDs are discussed later under Eligible Rollover Distributions .
For information about figuring the part of your pension or annuity that is not taxable, see Publication 575, Pension and Annuity Income.
Withholding from periodic payments of a pension or annuity is figured in the same way as withholding from salaries and wages. To tell the payer of your pension or annuity how much you want withheld, fill out Form W-4P or a similar form provided by the payer. Follow the rules discussed under Salaries and Wages, earlier, to fill out your Form W-4P.
Use Form W-4, not Form W-4P, if you receive any of the following.
Military retirement pay.
Payments from certain nonqualified deferred compensation plans. These are employer plans that pay part of your compensation at a later time, but are not tax-qualified deferred compensation plans. See Nonqualified Deferred Compensation and Section 457 Plans in Publication 957, Reporting Back Pay and Special Wage Payments to the Social Security Administration.
Payments from a state or local deferred compensation plan (section 457 plan).
If you do not fill out a withholding certificate, tax will be withheld as if you were married and claiming three withholding allowances.
You can choose not to have tax withheld, regardless of how much tax you owed last year or expect to owe this year. You do not have to qualify for exemption. See Choosing Not To Have Income Tax Withheld , later.
If you do not give the payer your social security number in the required manner or the IRS notifies the payer before any payment or distribution is made that you gave an incorrect social security number, tax will be withheld as if you were single and were claiming no withholding allowances.
If you give the payer your certificate after your payments start, it will be put into effect with the first payment which is at least 30 days after you submit it. However, the payer can elect to put it into effect earlier.
Tax will be withheld at a flat 10% rate on any nonperiodic payments you receive, unless you tell the payer not to withhold.
Use Form W-4P, line 3, to specify that an additional dollar amount be withheld. You also can use Form W-4P, line 1, to choose not to have tax withheld. If you want to revoke a choice not to have tax withheld, see Choosing Not To Have Income Tax Withheld , later.
A distribution you receive that is eligible to be rolled over tax free into a qualified retirement or annuity plan is called an eligible rollover distribution (ERD). This is the taxable part of any distribution from a qualified pension plan or tax-sheltered annuity that is not any of the following.
A required minimum distribution.
One of a series of substantially equal periodic pension or annuity payments made over:
Your life (or your life expectancy) or the joint lives of you and your beneficiary (or your life expectancies), or
A specified period of 10 or more years.
A hardship distribution.
The payer of a distribution must withhold at a flat 20% rate on any part of an ERD that is distributed rather than rolled over directly to another qualified plan. Withholding on these distributions is mandatory. However, no withholding is required on any part rolled over directly to another plan.
For payments other than ERDs, you can choose not to have income tax withheld. The payer will tell you how to make this choice. If you use Form W-4P, check the box on line 1 to choose not to have withholding. This choice will remain in effect until you decide you want withholding and inform the payer. See Revoking a choice not to have tax withheld .
The payer must withhold if either of the following applies:
You do not give the payer your social security number in the required manner, or
The IRS notifies the payer, before any payment or distribution is made, that you gave it an incorrect social security number.
If you do not have any income tax withheld from your pension or annuity, or if you do not have enough withheld, you may have to pay estimated tax. See chapter 2.
If you do not pay enough tax, either through estimated tax or withholding, or a combination of both, you may have to pay a penalty. See chapter 4.
Generally, the payer will not send a notice to you if it is reasonable to believe that the entire amount you will be paid is not taxable.
Income tax is withheld at a flat 25% rate from certain kinds of gambling winnings.
Gambling winnings of more than $5,000 from the following sources are subject to income tax withholding.
Any sweepstakes; wagering pool, including payments made to winners of poker tournaments; or lottery.
Any other wager if the proceeds are at least 300 times the amount of the bet.
It does not matter whether your winnings are paid in cash, in property, or as an annuity. Winnings not paid in cash are taken into account at their fair market value.
If you do not pay enough tax, either through withholding or estimated tax, or a combination of both, you may have to pay a penalty. See chapter 4.
Report the tax withheld on your 2014 Form 1040, along with all other federal income tax withheld, as shown on Forms W-2 and 1099.
Your name, address, and social security number.
Whether you made identical wagers (explained below).
Whether someone else is entitled to any part of the winnings subject to withholding. If so, you must complete Form 5754, Statement by Person(s) Receiving Gambling Winnings, and return it to the payer. The payer will use it to prepare a Form W-2G for each of the winners.
Identical wagers include two bets placed in a pari-mutuel pool on one horse to win a particular race. However, the bets are not identical if one bet is “to win” and one bet is “to place.” In addition, they are not identical if the bets were placed in different pari-mutuel pools. For example, a bet in a pool conducted by the racetrack and a bet in a separate pool conducted by an offtrack betting establishment in which the bets are not pooled with those placed at the track are not identical wagers.
You can choose to have income tax withheld from unemployment compensation. To make this choice, fill out Form W-4V (or a similar form provided by the payer) and give it to the payer.
All unemployment compensation is taxable. So, if you do not have income tax withheld, you may have to pay estimated tax. See chapter 2.
If you do not pay enough tax, either through withholding or estimated tax, or a combination of both, you may have to pay a penalty. See chapter 4.
You can choose to have income tax withheld from certain federal payments you receive. These payments are:
Social security benefits,
Tier 1 railroad retirement benefits,
Commodity credit corporation loans you choose to include in your gross income, and
Payments under the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.), as amended, or title II of the Disaster Assistance Act of 1988 that are treated as insurance proceeds and that you received because:
Your crops were destroyed or damaged by drought, flood, or any other natural disaster, or
You were unable to plant crops because of a natural disaster described
in (a).
Any other payment under federal law as determined by the Secretary.
To make this choice, fill out Form W-4V (or a similar form provided by the payer) and give it to the payer.
If you do not choose to have income tax withheld, you may have to pay estimated tax. See chapter 2.
If you do not pay enough tax, either through withholding or estimated tax, or a combination of both, you may have to pay a penalty. See chapter 4.
Banks or other businesses that pay you certain kinds of income must file an information return (Form 1099) with the IRS. The information return shows how much you were paid during the year. It also includes your name and taxpayer identification number (TIN). TINs are explained later in this discussion.
These payments generally are not subject to withholding. However, “backup” withholding is required in certain situations.
Interest payments (Form 1099-INT),
Dividends (Form 1099-DIV),
Patronage dividends, but only if at least half the payment is in money (Form 1099-PATR),
Rents, profits, or other gains (Form 1099-MISC),
Commissions, fees, or other payments for work you do as an independent contractor (Form 1099-MISC),
Payments by brokers (Form 1099-B),
Payments by fishing boat operators, but only the part that is in money and that represents a share of the proceeds of the catch (Form 1099-MISC), and
Royalty payments (Form 1099-MISC).
The amount you receive from any one payer is $600 or more.
The payer had to give you a Form 1099 last year.
The payer made payments to you last year that were subject to backup withholding.
Form 1099 and backup withholding are generally not required for a payment of less than $10.
The payer must withhold at a flat 28% rate in the following situations.
You do not give the payer your TIN in the required manner.
The IRS notifies the payer that the TIN you gave is incorrect.
You are required, but fail, to certify that you are not subject to backup withholding.
The IRS notifies the payer to start withholding on interest or dividends because you have underreported interest or dividends on your income tax return. The IRS will do this only after it has mailed you four notices over at least a 210-day period.
A social security number (SSN).
An employer identification number (EIN).
An IRS individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). Aliens who do not have an SSN and are not eligible to get one should get an ITIN. Use Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, to apply for an ITIN.
An ITIN is for tax use only. It does not entitle you to social security benefits or change your employment or immigration status under U.S. law. For more information on ITINs, get Publication 1915, Understanding Your IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
However, the payer will provide additional instructions if the TIN you gave needs to be validated by the Social Security Administration or by the IRS. This may happen if both the following conditions exist.
The IRS notifies the payer twice within 3 calendar years that a TIN you gave for the same account is incorrect.
The incorrect TIN is still being used on the account when the payer receives the second notice.
No underreporting occurred.
You have a bona fide dispute with the IRS about whether an underreporting occurred.
Backup withholding will cause or is causing an undue hardship and it is unlikely that you will underreport interest and dividends in the future.
You have corrected the underreporting by filing an original return if you did not previously file one, or by filing an amended return, and by paying all taxes, penalties, and interest due for any underreported interest or dividend payments.
If the IRS determines that backup withholding should stop, it will provide you with certification and will notify the payers who were sent notices earlier.
Worksheets for Chapter 1
Use the following worksheets to figure your correct withholding and adjustments.
|
Use ... | To ... |
Worksheet 1-1 Personal Allowances Worksheet (Form W-4) Reduction of Personal Allowances if AGI is above Phaseout Threshold |
Figure your personal allowances if your adjusted gross income is over the stated threshold. |
Worksheet 1-2 Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet (Forms W-4) —Line 1 Phaseout of Itemized Deductions |
Figure your itemized deductions if your adjusted gross income is over the stated threshold. |
Worksheet 1-3 and Worksheet 1-4 Exemption From Withholding for Persons/Dependents Age 65 or Older or Blind |
Figure your total expected income for 2014 to determine if you are exempt from withholding. Use Worksheet 1-3, if in 2013, you had a right to a refund of all federal income tax withheld because of no tax liability. Use Worksheet 1-4, if you are a dependent for 2014, and for 2013, you had a refund of all federal income tax withheld because of no tax liability. |
Worksheet 1-5 Projected Tax for 2014 |
Project the taxable income you will have for 2014 and figure the amount of tax you will have to pay on that income. |
Worksheet 1-6 Tax Computation Worksheets for 2014 |
Figure the amount of tax on your projected taxable income. |
Worksheet 1-7 Projected Withholding for 2014 |
Project the amount of federal income tax that you will have withheld in 2014, compare your projected withholding with your projected tax, and determine whether the amount withheld each payday should be adjusted. |
Worksheet 1-8 Converting Credits to Withholding Allowances for 2014 Form W-4 |
Figure the adjustment to make to line 5 of the Form W-4 Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet to account for your projected tax credits that are not otherwise taken into consideration. |
Use this worksheet only if, for 2013 you had a right to a refund of all federal income tax withheld because you had no tax liability.
|
1. | Check the boxes below that apply to you. | ||||
65 or older □ | Blind □ | ||||
2. | Check the boxes below that apply to your spouse if you will claim your spouse's exemption on your 2014 return. | ||||
65 or older □ | Blind □ | ||||
3. | Add the number of boxes you checked in 1 and 2 above. Enter the result |
||||
You can claim exemption from withholding if: | |||||
Your filing status is: | and the number on line 3 above is: | and your 2014 total income will be no more than: | |||
Single | 1 | $11,700 | |||
2 | 13,250 | ||||
Head of | 1 | $14,600 | |||
household | 2 | 16,150 | |||
Married filing | 1 | $11,350 | |||
separately for | 2 | 12,550 | |||
both 2013 and | 3 | 13,750 | |||
2014 | 4 | 14,950 | |||
Other married | 1 | $21,500* | |||
status | 2 | 22,700* | |||
3 | 23,900* | ||||
4 | 25,100* | ||||
* Include both spouses' income whether you will file separately or jointly. | |||||
Qualifying | 1 | $17,550 | |||
widow(er) | 2 | 18,750 | |||
You cannot claim exemption from withholding if your total income will be more than the amount shown for your filing status. |
Use this worksheet only if, for 2014, you are a dependent and if, for 2013, you had a right to a refund of all federal income tax withheld because you had no tax liability.
|
1. | Enter your expected earned income plus $350 | 1. | |||
2. | Minimum amount | 2. | $1,000 | ||
3. | Compare lines 1 and 2. Enter the larger amount | 3. | |||
4. | Limit | 4. | 6,200 | ||
5. | Compare lines 3 and 4. Enter the smaller amount | 5. | |||
6. | Enter the appropriate amount from the following table | 6. | |||
Single | |||||
Either 65 or older or blind | $1,550 | ||||
Both 65 or older and blind | 3,100 | ||||
Married filing separately | |||||
Either 65 or older or blind | 1,200 | ||||
Both 65 or older and blind | 2,400 | ||||
7. | Add lines 5 and 6. Enter the result | 7. | |||
8. | Enter your total expected income | 8. | |||
You can claim exemption from withholding if line 7 is equal to or more than line 8. You cannot claim exemption from withholding if line 8 is more than line 7. |
Use this worksheet to figure your projected tax for 2014. Note. Enter combined amounts if married filing jointly. | ||||||
1. | Enter amount of adjusted gross income (AGI) you expect in 2014. (To determine this, you may want to start with the AGI on your last year's return, and add or subtract your expected changes. Also take into account items listed under What's New, earlier.) | |||||
Note. If self-employed, first complete Worksheet 2-3 to figure your expected deduction for self-employment tax. Subtract the amount from Worksheet 2-3, line 11, to figure the line 1 entry | 1 | |||||
2. | If you: | |||||
• | Do not plan to itemize deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040), use Worksheet 2-4 to figure your expected standard deduction and enter that amount here. | |||||
• | Plan to itemize deductions, and the amount on line 1 is:
|
2 | ||||
3. | Subtract line 2 from line 1 (if zero or less, enter -0- and go to line 6) | 3 | ||||
4. | If the amount on line 1 is: | |||||
• | Not more than the amount shown below for your 2014 filing status, multiply the number of exemptions you plan to claim on your 2014 tax return by $3,950 and enter the result here. | |||||
• | More than the amount shown below for your 2014 filing status, use Worksheet 2-6 to figure the amount to enter here.
|
4 | ||||
5. | Expected taxable income. Subtract line 4 from line 3 (if zero or less, enter -0- here and on line 6, then go to line 7) |
5 | ||||
6. | If the amount on line 1: | |||||
• | Does not include a net capital gain or qualified dividends and you did not exclude foreign earned income or exclude or deduct foreign housing in arriving at the amount on line 1, use the appropriate section of Worksheet 1-6 to figure the tax to enter here. | |||||
• | Includes a net capital gain or qualified dividends, use Worksheet 2-7 to figure the tax to enter here. | |||||
• | Was figured by excluding foreign earned income or excluding or deducting foreign housing, use Worksheet 2-8 to figure the tax to enter here |
6 | ||||
7. | Enter any expected additional taxes from an election to report your child's interest and dividends (Form 8814), lump-sum distributions (Form 4972), recapture of education credits, and alternative minimum tax (Form 6251 or the Alternative Minimum Tax Worksheet in the Form 1040A instructions) | 7 | ||||
8. | Add lines 6 and 7 | 8 | ||||
9. | Enter the amount of any expected tax credits. See Table 1-2. | 9 | ||||
10. | Subtract line 9 from line 8 (if zero or less, enter -0-) | 10 | ||||
11. | Self-employment tax. Enter the amount from Worksheet 2-3, line 10. (If you expect to file jointly and both of you are self-employed, figure the self-employment tax for each of you separately and enter the total on line 11.) | 11 | ||||
12. | Enter the total of any other expected taxes* | 12 | ||||
13. | Projected tax for 2014. Add lines 10 through 12. Enter the total here and on Worksheet 1-7, line 1 | 13 |
*Use the instructions for the 2013 Form 1040 to determine if you expect to owe, for 2014, any of the taxes that would have been entered on your 2013 Form 1040, lines 58 and 59 (boxes a or b), and any write-in amounts on line 60. |
Note. If you are figuring the tax on an amount from Worksheet 2-7 (line 1 or 14), or Worksheet 2-8 (line 2 or 3), enter the amount from that worksheet in column (a) of the row that applies to that amount of income. Enter the result on the appropriate line of the worksheet you are completing.
|
a. Single. Use this worksheet to figure the amount to enter on Worksheet 1-5, line 6, if you expect your filing status for 2014 to be Single. | ||||||
Expected Taxable Income | (a) Enter amount from Worksheet 1-5, line 5* |
(b) Multiplication amount |
(c) Multiply (a) by (b) |
(d) Subtraction amount |
(e) Subtract (d) from (c). Enter the result here and on Worksheet 1-5, line 6* |
|
If Worksheet 1-5, line 5* is — |
||||||
Over | But not over |
|||||
$0 | $9,075 | × 10% (.10) | $0 | |||
9,075 | 36,900 | × 15% (.15) | 453.75 | |||
36,900 | 89,350 | × 25% (.25) | 4,143.75 | |||
89,350 | 186,350 | × 28% (.28) | 6,824.25 | |||
186,350 | 405,100 | × 33% (.33) | 16,141.75 | |||
405,100 | 406,750 | × 35% (.35) | 24,243.75 | |||
406,750 | - - - - - | × 39.6% (.396) | 42,954.25 | |||
* If you are using Worksheet 2-7, for column (a) above use the amount from line 1 or line 14 and enter the result (from column
(e)) on line 37 or line 39, as appropriate. If you are using Worksheet 2-8, for column (a) above use the amount from line 2 or line 3 and enter the result (from column (e)) on line 4 or line 5, as appropriate. |
b. Head of Household. Use this worksheet to figure the amount to enter on Worksheet 1-5, line 6, if you expect your filing status for 2014 to be Head of Household. | ||||||
Expected Taxable Income | (a) Enter amount from Worksheet 1-5, line 5* |
(b) Multiplication amount |
(c) Multiply (a) by (b) |
(d) Subtraction amount |
(e) Subtract (d) from (c). Enter the result here and on Worksheet 1-5, line 6* |
|
If Worksheet 1-5, line 5* is — |
||||||
Over | But not over |
|||||
$0 | $12,950 | × 10% (.10) | $0 | |||
12,950 | 49,400 | × 15% (.15) | 647.50 | |||
49,400 | 127,550 | × 25% (.25) | 5,587.50 | |||
127,550 | 206,600 | × 28% (.28) | 9,414.00 | |||
206,600 | 405,100 | × 33% (.33) | 19,744.00 | |||
405,100 | 432,200 | × 35% (.35) | 27,846.00 | |||
432,200 | - - - - - | × 39.6% (.396) | 47,727.20 | |||
* If you are using Worksheet 2-7, for column (a) above use the amount from line 1 or line 14 and enter the result (from column
(e)) on line 37 or line 39, as appropriate. If you are using Worksheet 2-8, for column (a) above use the amount from line 2 or line 3 and enter the result (from column (e)) on line 4 or line 5, as appropriate. |
c. Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er). Use this worksheet to figure the amount to enter on Worksheet 1-5, line 6, if you expect your filing status for 2014 to be Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er). | ||||||
Expected Taxable Income | (a) Enter amount from Worksheet 1-5, line 5* |
(b) Multiplication amount |
(c) Multiply (a) by (b) |
(d) Subtraction amount |
(e) Subtract (d) from (c). Enter the result here and on Worksheet 1-5, line 6* |
|
If Worksheet 1-5, line 5* is — |
||||||
Over | But not over |
|||||
$0 | $18,150 | × 10% (.10) | $0 | |||
18,150 | 73,800 | × 15% (.15) | 907.50 | |||
73,800 | 148,850 | × 25% (.25) | 8,287.50 | |||
148,850 | 226,850 | × 28% (.28) | 12,753.00 | |||
226,850 | 405,100 | × 33% (.33) | 24,095.50 | |||
405,100 | 457,600 | × 35% (.35) | 32,197.50 | |||
457,600 | - - - - - | × 39.6% (.396) | 53,247.10 | |||
* If you are using Worksheet 2-7, for column (a) above use the amount from line 1 or line 14 and enter the result (from column
(e)) on line 37 or line 39, as appropriate. If you are using Worksheet 2-8, for column (a) above use the amount from line 2 or line 3 and enter the result (from column (e)) on line 4 or line 5, as appropriate. |
d. Married Filing Separately. Use this worksheet to figure the amount to enter on Worksheet 1-5, line 6, if you expect your filing status for 2014 to be Married Filing Separately. | ||||||
Expected Taxable Income | (a) Enter amount from Worksheet 1-5, line 5* |
(b) Multiplication amount |
(c) Multiply (a) by (b) |
(d) Subtraction amount |
(e) Subtract (d) from (c). Enter the result here and on Worksheet 1-5, line 6* |
|
If Worksheet 1-5, line 5* is — |
||||||
Over | But not over |
|||||
$0 | $9,075 | × 10% (.10) | $0 | |||
9,075 | 36,900 | × 15% (.15) | 453.75 | |||
36,900 | 74,425 | × 25% (.25) | 4,143.75 | |||
74,425 | 113,425 | × 28% (.28) | 6,376.50 | |||
113,425 | 202,550 | × 33% (.33) | 12,047.75 | |||
202,550 | 228,800 | × 35% (.35) | 16,098.75 | |||
228,800 | - - - - - | × 39.6% (.396) | 26,623.55 | |||
* If you are using Worksheet 2-7, for column (a) above use the amount from line 1 or line 14 and enter the result (from column
(e)) on line 37 or line 39, as appropriate. If you are using Worksheet 2-8, for column (a) above use the amount from line 2 or line 3 and enter the result (from column (e)) on line 4 or line 5, as appropriate |
Use this worksheet to figure the amount of your projected withholding for 2014, compare it to your projected tax for 2014,
and, if necessary, figure an additional amount to have withheld each payday. Note. If married filing jointly, enter combined amounts. |
||||
1. | Enter your projected tax for 2014 from Worksheet 1-5, line 13 | 1 | ||
2. | Enter your total federal income tax withheld to date in 2014 from all sources of income. (For wages, you should be able to find the withholding-to-date on your last pay slip or statement.) | 2 | ||
3. | Enter the federal tax withholding you expect for the rest of 2014: | |||
a. | For each source of wages, multiply the amount of federal income tax now being withheld each payday by the number of paydays remaining in the year and enter the combined amount for all jobs | 3a | ||
b. | For all other sources of recurring taxable income, multiply the withholding amount by the remaining number of times the income is expected. For example, if you have federal income tax withheld from your monthly pension and you will receive nine more payments this year, multiply your monthly withholding amount by 9 | 3b | ||
4. | Add lines 2, 3a, and 3b. This is your projected withholding for 2014 | 4 | ||
5. | Compare the amounts on lines 1 and 4. | |||
• If line 1 is more than line 4, subtract line 4 from line 1. Enter the result here and go to line 6. | 5 | |||
• If line 4 is more than line 1, stop here and see How Do You Decrease Your Withholding? | ||||
6. | Divide line 5 by the number of paydays (or other withholding events) remaining in 2014 and enter the result. This is the additional amount you should have withheld from each remaining payment. Enter this amount on Form W-4, line 6 | 6 |
Use this worksheet to figure an additional amount to enter on the Form W-4 Deductions and Allowances Worksheet, line 5. For more information on these credits, see Converting Credits to Withholding Allowances, earlier. | ||||||||||||
Caution. If you enter an amount on line 1 below, enter -0- on line F of the Form W-4 Personal Allowances Worksheet. If you enter an amount on line 3 below, enter -0- on line G of the Form W-4 Personal Allowances Worksheet. | ||||||||||||
For lines 1 through 9, enter the projected amount for each credit you expect to take. | ||||||||||||
1. | Credit for child and dependent care expenses (see Caution above) | 1 | ||||||||||
2. | Credit for the elderly or the disabled | 2 | ||||||||||
3. | Child tax credit (including additional child tax credit) (see Caution above) | 3 | ||||||||||
4. | Education credits | 4 | ||||||||||
5. | Adoption credit | 5 | ||||||||||
6. | Foreign tax credit | 6 | ||||||||||
7. | Retirement savings contributions credit | 7 | ||||||||||
8. | Earned income credit | 8 | ||||||||||
9. | Other credits (see Table 1-2. ) | 9 | ||||||||||
10. | Add lines 1 through 9. This is your total estimated tax credits | 10 | ||||||||||
11. | Using the table below that matches your filing status, find the line in the table that matches your combined income from all sources. Then, enter on line 11 the multiplication factor shown next to your income. | |||||||||||
Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er) |
Head of Household | |||||||||||
If your combined income from all sources is: | Multiply credits by: | If your combined income from all sources is: | Multiply credits by: | |||||||||
$0 | - | $42,000 | 10.0 | $0 | - | $30,000 | 10.0 | |||||
42,001 | - | 98,000 | 6.7 | 30,001 | - | 66,000 | 6.7 | |||||
98,001 | - | 180,000 | 4.0 | 66,001 | - | 150,000 | 4.0 | |||||
180,001 | - | 270,000 | 3.6 | 150,001 | - | 235,000 | 3.6 | |||||
270,001 | - | 440,000 | 3.0 | 235,001 | - | 430,000 | 3.0 | |||||
440,001 | - | 490,000 | 2.9 | 430,001 | - | 460,000 | 2.9 | |||||
490,001 | and over | 2.5 | 460,001 | and over | 2.5 | |||||||
Single | Married Filing Separately | |||||||||||
If your combined income from all sources is: | Multiply credits by: | If your combined income from all sources is: | Multiply credits by: | |||||||||
$0 | - | $19,000 | 10.0 | $0 | - | $21,000 | 10.0 | |||||
19,001 | - | 47,000 | 6.7 | 21,001 | - | 49,000 | 6.7 | |||||
47,001 | - | 104,000 | 4.0 | 49,001 | - | 90,000 | 4.0 | |||||
104,001 | - | 205,000 | 3.6 | 90,001 | - | 135,000 | 3.6 | |||||
205,001 | - | 430,000 | 3.0 | 135,001 | - | 220,000 | 3.0 | |||||
430,001 | and over | 2.5 | 220,001 | - | 245,000 | 2.9 | ||||||
245,001 | and over | 2.5 | 11 | |||||||||
12. | Multiply line 10 by line 11. Enter the result here and include it in the total on line 5 of the Form W-4 Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet | 12 |
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