Filing taxes as single or married? How many dependents to claim on W-4?
Hey everyone, I'm kinda stuck on a tax issue after some big life changes. I recently immigrated to the US, got married about 2 months ago, and now have my work authorization and first job here. My confusion is about filling out the Employee Information and W4 forms. My wife is currently teaching at one school until June, then starting at a different school in August. I'm covered under her health insurance plan. We're both going to be working for new employers soon, and we're confused about whether to file jointly or separately as "single" (I've seen online comments suggesting this, though not sure how that works legally). Also confused about dependents - should I put 0 for myself and my wife put 1 since I'm on her insurance? Or is that not how it works? Any advice would be super appreciated! I want to make sure we're doing this right from the start.
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Liam Cortez
There's a bit of confusion in your question. Let me help clarify the difference between your W-4 withholding choices and your actual tax filing status. For your W-4 form (which determines how much tax is withheld from your paychecks), you should indicate your actual marital status - which is married. The W-4 isn't your tax return - it just helps your employer determine how much to withhold. If you select "married filing jointly" on your W-4, typically less tax will be withheld than if you choose "single" or "married filing separately." For dependents, being on someone's health insurance doesn't make you their dependent. You and your wife are not dependents of each other - dependents are typically qualifying children or relatives that you support financially. So unless you have children or other qualifying dependents, you'd both likely put "0" for dependents. When you actually file your taxes next year, you'll choose a filing status. For most married couples, filing jointly provides better tax benefits, but there are some situations where filing separately might be advantageous.
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Savannah Vin
•But what if we both put "married" on our W-4s? Wouldn't that cause too little tax to be withheld overall since both employers would be calculating as if that's the only income? I heard somewhere you should put "married but withhold at higher single rate" to avoid owing at tax time. Is that true? Also, does health insurance coverage play any role at all in tax calculations?
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Liam Cortez
•You've raised a good point about potential underwithholding. If both spouses work and both select "married" on their W-4s, you might have too little tax withheld. This happens because each employer calculates withholding as if that's your only job and your spouse doesn't work. The W-4 form has a section specifically for multiple jobs or working spouses - completing Step 2 of the form helps address this issue. You can check the box for "multiple jobs or spouse works" which will withhold at a higher rate. Health insurance generally doesn't affect your filing status or dependents claimed on your W-4. However, if you receive health insurance through the marketplace with premium tax credits, your filing choices can affect those credits. For employer-provided insurance, the premiums may be pre-tax, which is a benefit regardless of filing status.
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Mason Stone
After struggling with a similar situation last year (foreign spouse, new marriage, confused about W-4s), I found this amazing tool at https://taxr.ai that completely solved my confusion. You upload your documents and get personalized guidance on exactly how to fill out your W-4 forms based on your specific situation. What I loved is that it explained the difference between W-4 withholding choices vs. actual tax filing status - they're not the same thing! It also calculated the optimal withholding for our two-income household to avoid a surprise tax bill. The tool even showed me how different choices would affect our paychecks throughout the year.
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Makayla Shoemaker
•Does it actually tell you what to put for the dependent section too? My wife and I are also both working but we have a kid. Always confused about how to fill that part out correctly across both our W-4s.
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Christian Bierman
•I'm kinda skeptical about these tax tools. How does it know the right answers for your specific immigration situation? Did it help with any special considerations for newly arrived immigrants? Tax status can be complicated when you're new to the US.
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Mason Stone
•Yes, it absolutely helps with the dependents section! It guides you through claiming child tax credits correctly across both spouses' W-4 forms to avoid double-counting or missing out on withholding adjustments. It even explains how the Child Tax Credit works and helps you determine if you qualify for additional child-related credits. Regarding immigration situations, I was impressed with how it handled this. It asked specific questions about my visa type, when I arrived in the US, and my work authorization details. It then provided guidance based on my specific residency status for tax purposes and explained which tax treaties might apply based on my country of origin. It definitely understood the complexities of being new to the US tax system.
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Makayla Shoemaker
I tried that taxr.ai site that Profile 12 recommended because I was so confused about our W-4s with our new baby. Honestly wish I'd found it sooner! The site analyzed our situation and showed we were way overwithholding on my W-4 while my husband wasn't withholding enough on his. It recommended specific adjustments that balanced things out perfectly. The best part was it explained exactly how to handle the child tax credit portion so we weren't double-counting. It also gave us a preview of how different W-4 choices would affect our take-home pay throughout the year. Really helped us plan our budget better! Super thankful I gave it a try.
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Emma Olsen
If you're having trouble getting answers from the IRS about your specific situation as a new immigrant with tax questions, try https://claimyr.com - it changed everything for me. I was on hold with the IRS for HOURS trying to get clarification about my recently-immigrated spouse's tax status and W-4 filing. With Claimyr, I got through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes who answered all my specific questions about our W-4s and filing status options. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with explained exactly how to handle our two-income household on our W-4s and gave me personalized advice about our specific immigration situation that I couldn't find anywhere online.
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Lucas Lindsey
•How does this even work? I thought it was impossible to get through to the IRS. Is this just paying for someone else to wait on hold for you? What's the catch?
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Christian Bierman
•This sounds too good to be true. I've literally never gotten through to an actual person at the IRS. If this actually works, why isn't everyone using it? I'm highly doubtful this delivers what it promises.
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Emma Olsen
•It works by using technology to navigate the IRS phone system and secure your place in line. When an agent is about to pick up, you get a call connecting you directly to them. No more waiting on hold for hours! And yes, it's completely legitimate - they don't answer for you or pretend to be you. I was skeptical too! But I was desperate after spending collective hours trying to reach someone. The difference is that most people don't know this service exists, and many just give up trying to call the IRS altogether. I can only share my experience - I got through to a real IRS agent who gave me specific advice about my immigration-related tax questions that made a huge difference for our filing. No comparison to the generic advice you find online.
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Christian Bierman
OK I take back what I said. After my last attempt spending 2+ hours on hold with the IRS only to get disconnected, I tried Claimyr out of desperation. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes who actually answered my specific questions about filing status as a recently immigrated spouse. The agent explained that: 1) The W-4 is just for withholding and doesn't lock us into any filing status 2) Since we're legally married, checking "single" on a W-4 isn't accurate but checking "married filing separately" might result in better withholding for our situation 3) For the actual tax return, we should probably file jointly but should consult with a tax professional given my partial year residency Completely worth it just to get clear answers from an official source. Can't believe I wasted so many hours before this.
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Sophie Duck
Something nobody's mentioned yet - if you're a new immigrant, you need to figure out if you're a "resident alien" or "nonresident alien" for tax purposes. This affects EVERYTHING about how you file. Look up the "substantial presence test" - basically if you've been physically present in the US for enough days, you're treated as a resident for tax purposes. If you're a nonresident alien married to a US citizen/resident, you have a special election you can make to be treated as a resident so you can file jointly. This stuff gets complicated fast and the penalties for getting it wrong can be severe. Might be worth talking to a tax pro who specializes in international taxation.
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Kiara Fisherman
•Thanks for bringing this up! I'm trying to understand the substantial presence test now. If I arrived in the US in September last year and have been here continuously, would I be considered a resident for this tax year? And what's this special election you mentioned? Would it benefit us?
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Sophie Duck
•Based on arriving in September last year and staying continuously, you likely won't meet the substantial presence test for last year (which requires 183 days, calculated in a specific way). However, you would likely meet it for this current tax year if you remain in the US. For the special election, it's called the "First-Year Choice" or Section 6013(g) election. This allows you and your US spouse to treat you as a US resident for the entire tax year, even if you don't meet the substantial presence test. This lets you file jointly, which often results in lower overall taxes. The benefit is access to joint filing status, higher standard deduction, and certain tax credits not available to nonresidents. However, it also means all your worldwide income becomes subject to US taxation, not just US-source income.
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Austin Leonard
Don't overthink the W-4! It's just telling your employer how much to withhold, not how you'll actually file. My advice: if both you and your wife work, check the "Married but withhold at higher single rate" box on your W-4s. This prevents underwithholding. For actual tax filing, almost certainly file as "Married Filing Jointly" - it's usually better. For dependents: zero for both of you unless you have children or other qualifying dependents. Being on someone's health insurance doesn't make you their dependent.
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Anita George
•But on the new W-4 form there isn't a "Married but withhold at higher single rate" box anymore. They redesigned it in 2020. Now you have to check a box in Step 2 that says "Multiple Jobs or Spouse Works" instead. The form is completely different now.
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CosmicCrusader
•@Anita George is absolutely right - thanks for the correction! The W-4 was completely redesigned in 2020. There s'no longer a married "but withhold at higher single rate option." For dual-income married couples like @Kiara Fisherman and her wife, you ll want'to: 1. Select Married filing "jointly in Step" 1 2. Check the box in Step 2 for Multiple Jobs "or Spouse Works 3. You" can also use the IRS withholding calculator online or fill out the worksheet that comes with the W-4 to get more precise withholding amounts The new form is actually better at handling two-income households once you complete Step 2 properly. It just looks different from the old version!
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Yara Sayegh
As a fellow newcomer to the US tax system, I completely understand your confusion! I went through something similar when I first arrived. One thing that really helped me was understanding that the W-4 is just an estimate for withholding - you're not locked into anything. Since you're both working and newly married, I'd recommend: 1. Both select "Married filing jointly" on your W-4s 2. Make sure to check the "Multiple Jobs or Spouse Works" box in Step 2 on both forms 3. Consider using the IRS withholding calculator at irs.gov to get a more precise estimate For dependents, put 0 unless you have children or other qualifying dependents. Health insurance coverage doesn't make you dependents of each other. The good news is that when you file your actual tax return next year, you can choose the filing status that works best for you (likely married filing jointly), regardless of what you put on your W-4s. The W-4 is just to help get your withholding close to what you'll owe. Don't stress too much - you can always adjust your W-4 later if needed once you see how your first few paychecks look!
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