Federal income tax withholding seems suspiciously low...should I be worried?

This is definitely something she should address soon! When federal income tax withholding seems unusually low, it's typically because of how the W-4 form was filled out. Since the 2020 redesign of the W-4, there's no longer a "number of allowances" box, which confuses many people. The most common reasons for low federal withholding are: 1) She might have accidentally checked the box for "multiple jobs" or "spouse works" 2) She could have entered additional deductions she's not eligible for 3) There might be a simple payroll processing error 4) She might have entered an additional withholding amount instead of total withholding amount Your sister should request a copy of her W-4 from HR to see exactly what she submitted. She can then submit a new W-4 if needed. The IRS also has a Tax Withholding Estimator tool online that can help determine the correct withholding amount based on her specific situation.

I went through something similar last year and discovered that the IRS Tax Transcript feature at https://taxr.ai was incredibly helpful in figuring out what was going on with my withholding. I was confused by all the withholding calculator results, but the service helped me understand exactly how much I should be withholding based on my actual income history and filing status. Their analysis showed that my employer had miscoded my filing status in their system, which was causing my withholding to be about 60% lower than it should have been! The breakdown they provided made it super clear what was happening, and I was able to take that information to HR to get it fixed before I ended up with a huge tax bill.

Just wanted to update after trying https://taxr.ai that profile 5 mentioned. It was actually super helpful! I uploaded my wife's last three paystubs and a copy of our last year's W-2, and it immediately identified that her employer was applying an outdated withholding table. The report showed exactly how much she was being underwithheld each pay period (about $127 per check!). We took the report to her HR department yesterday, and they've already confirmed there was an error in their payroll system affecting several employees. They're fixing it for the next paycheck AND doing a "catch-up" withholding adjustment spread across the next few pay periods to make up for the underwithholding so far this year. Crisis averted before it became a huge tax bill next April!

After dealing with major IRS issues last year due to underwithholding, I learned that getting to an actual IRS agent can help clarify these situations. I spent WEEKS trying to get through the normal IRS number with no luck. Then I found https://claimyr.com which got me through to a real agent in under 45 minutes. You can see how it works in their demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with explained that my employer was using an outdated W-4 form to calculate withholding, which caused my federal tax to be severely underwithheld. She walked me through exactly what to put on my new W-4 form based on my specific situation and income. It was so much better than trying to guess or use the online calculators that never seemed to match my actual tax situation.

Alright I have to admit I was totally wrong about Claimyr (that profile 16 mentioned). After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself because my tax withholding issue was driving me crazy. I got connected to an IRS agent in about 35 minutes when I had previously wasted HOURS trying on my own. The agent confirmed my suspicion that my employer had entered my withholding incorrectly after I submitted my W-4. They were treating me as "married filing jointly" when I'm actually "single" which was causing severe underwithholding. The agent calculated I would have owed nearly $3,800 at tax time! She gave me exact instructions on how to complete a new W-4 and what to say to my HR department. Problem solved in one phone call versus weeks of confusion.

One thing no one's mentioned - check if she's hitting the Social Security tax cap. If she's making $65k, probably not relevant, but for higher earners - once you hit around $160k (for 2025), they stop withholding Social Security (6.2%), which can make your withholding suddenly look much lower in later months of the year. This happens to me every September and always freaks me out even though I know it's coming!

Has your sister checked if she's accidentally claiming exempt status? I did this once when I was younger and didn't understand the W-4. If you write "Exempt" in the right place on the form, they don't withhold ANY federal income tax. Could explain the super low amount.

If your sister is eligible for any tax credits like education credits or the earned income credit, that could legitimately lower her withholding requirements. Did she have any education expenses last year? Sometimes the withholding tables account for expected credits.

Just wanted to chime in with another possibility - sometimes payroll systems get confused when someone starts mid-year at a new job. If your sister's HR department entered her start date incorrectly or if the system is annualizing her salary incorrectly, it might be calculating withholding as if she's only working part of the year. For example, if the system thinks she's only working 6 months instead of 12, it might be withholding based on a much lower annual income projection. This happened to a coworker of mine who started in March - payroll was calculating her withholding as if she'd only make $32k for the year instead of her actual $65k salary. She should definitely check with HR about how her salary and start date are entered in their system, especially since this is a relatively new job (3 months). A simple payroll setup error could explain the mysteriously low federal withholding.

This is a pretty common issue and you're smart to catch it early! Based on what you've described, $78 per paycheck for someone making $65k annually is definitely suspiciously low. For reference, someone in her situation should typically have around $200-250 per paycheck withheld for federal income tax. A few quick things to check first: - Make sure you're looking at the right line on her paystub (federal income tax, not FICA or state taxes) - Confirm her pay frequency (bi-weekly vs semi-monthly makes a difference in calculations) The most likely culprits are either she accidentally claimed exempt status on her W-4 (which means NO federal tax withholding), or there's an error in how HR entered her information into payroll. Given that she just started 3 months ago, payroll setup errors are pretty common. She should request a copy of her W-4 from HR immediately to see what was actually submitted. If everything looks correct on the W-4, then it's definitely a payroll processing issue that HR needs to fix. Either way, this needs to be addressed ASAP - waiting until next April could mean owing thousands in taxes plus potential penalties.

Another thing to consider - has your sister changed her direct deposit information or banking details recently? Sometimes payroll systems get confused when there are banking changes and accidentally apply withholding settings from a previous employee or default settings. Also, if she's contributing to a 401(k) or other pre-tax benefits, make sure those aren't being double-counted somewhere in the system. I've seen cases where the payroll software incorrectly calculates withholding by treating pre-tax deductions as if they reduce the tax liability instead of just the taxable income. The $78 per paycheck figure is so specific and low that it almost seems like the system is applying some kind of minimum withholding amount rather than calculating based on her actual salary and filing status. Definitely have her print out a detailed pay stub that shows all the line items - sometimes the issue becomes obvious when you can see exactly how each deduction is being calculated.

I've been following this thread and wanted to add one more potential cause that I haven't seen mentioned yet - bonus or commission withholding settings affecting regular paycheck calculations. If your sister's position involves any variable compensation (even if she hasn't received any yet), some payroll systems will apply "supplemental income" withholding rates to the base salary by mistake. The supplemental rate is typically a flat 22% for federal taxes, but if the system incorrectly applies this as a cap rather than a rate, it could result in dramatically lower withholding amounts. Also, since she's only 3 months in, I'd suggest she ask HR if there were any recent payroll system updates or migrations. Companies sometimes lose employee tax settings during system transitions, reverting everyone to default configurations that may not match their actual W-4 elections. The combination of being a new employee + potential system issues + the very specific $78 amount really suggests this is a technical error rather than a form completion problem. She should definitely escalate this to HR ASAP, and if they can't resolve it quickly, she might want to consider making estimated tax payments for Q2 to avoid underpayment penalties while they sort it out.