How to Fill Out a W-4 Form When I Have Multiple Jobs
One of the first tasks as a new employee is to fill out a federal W-4 form. This short form sets your income tax withholding allowances to ensure that your employer withholds the correct amount of taxes from your wages. The federal government recommends that employees update their W-4 information every year or when financial circumstances change. If you have more than one job, fill out W-4 forms for your multiple jobs.
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Instructions
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1
Enter a “1” on line “A” of the “Personal Allowances Worksheet.” Enter a “1” on line “B” if your wages from your second job will total less than $1,500. Additionally, if your spouse earns wages, these wages combined with your second job income must equal $1,500 or less to place a “1” on line “B.”
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2
Enter a “1” on line “C” to represent your spouse if you wish to reduce the amount of taxes withheld from your paychecks. You can also enter a “0” on line “C” if you wish to have more taxes withheld from your paychecks. Because you work more than one job, you may wish to enter “0” to avoid having to pay additional taxes at the end of the year.
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3
Place the number of dependents you will claim on line “D” of the worksheet. Place a number “1” on line “E” if you claim “head of household” status. Enter a “1” on line “F” for childcare expenses, if applicable. Enter a “1” on line “G” to take a “child tax credit,” if applicable.
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4
Add the numbers on lines “A” through “G” and place the total on line “H.” Transfer the total from line “H” to line “1” of the “Multiple Jobs Worksheet.”
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5
Determine the annual wages from your lowest-paying job. Check "Table 1" to find this range and then look to the right to find the correct number. Write this number on line “2.” For “married filing jointly” earners or earners with wages from the highest-paying position less than $65,000, do not enter a number higher than “3.”
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6
Subtract line “2” from line “1” if possible and write the answer on line “3.” Transfer this number to line “5” of the W-4 to finish. If you cannot subtract line “2” from line “1,” enter a “0” on line “5” of the W-4 and continue the multiple jobs worksheet.
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7
Enter the number you found from “Table 1” (from line “2” of the worksheet) on line “4.” Enter the number from line “1” on line “5.” Subtract the number from line “5” from line “4” and write the answer on line “6.”
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Examine “Table 2” from the worksheet to find the range that fits your wages from your highest paying job. Enter the dollar amount from the table on line “7.”
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9
Multiply the number on line “7” by the number on line “6.” Write the answer on line “8.” This figure represents additional withholding you require to avoid paying additional taxes. Divide the number on line “8” by the number of pay periods that remain during the calendar year. Enter the answer on line “9” and transfer the number to line “6” of the W-4.
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10
Sign and date the W-4.
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Tips & Warnings
The number of allowances you determine for lines “5” and “6” of the worksheet represents the total number of allowances you can claim for your combined earnings. You have the option of claiming all of your allowances for either one or the other employer or splitting them between employers. Do not claim the total number of allowances for both employers.
