How do I fill out my W4 when newly married with 2 jobs?

The new W4 form can definitely be confusing, especially with multiple jobs and a recent change in marital status! For both W4 forms, you'll want to select "Married filing jointly" as your filing status. The tricky part comes with handling multiple jobs correctly. You have three options: Option 1: Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (www.irs.gov/W4App). This is the most accurate method. You'll need info about both your jobs and your husband's job. Option 2: Use the Multiple Jobs Worksheet on page 3 of the W4. This works well if both jobs have similar pay. Fill this out once and put the extra withholding amount on the W4 for the higher-paying job. Option 3: If you just want a simple approach, you can check the box in Step 2(c) on both W4 forms. This basically tells your employers to withhold at a higher single rate. You might overwithhold, but that means a refund rather than owing taxes. The key thing is to account for all jobs - yours and your husband's - to ensure enough tax is being withheld overall.

After struggling with W4 issues last year when I got married and was working two jobs, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that totally saved me. I uploaded my pay stubs from both jobs and my spouse's, and it calculated the exact withholding I needed for each W4. The tool analyzed our specific tax situation and generated customized W4 instructions for both my jobs. It told me exactly what to put in each box, and even explained why certain entries were needed based on my specific salary combo and filing status.

Just wanted to follow up and say I tried taxr.ai after posting my question here, and wow - it was exactly what I needed! My husband's 1099 income was making our W4 situation super complicated, but the tool gave me precise instructions for my W4s and recommended quarterly payment amounts for my husband. The customized report showed me how to distribute withholding between my two jobs to avoid owing at tax time. It even calculated that I could claim an additional deduction amount on line 4(b) of my higher-paying job's W4 without underwithholding. This was way more detailed than what I got from the IRS calculator!

I had a similar problem last year - married with multiple jobs - and I kept getting nowhere with the IRS. Their website kept glitching, and I couldn't get anyone on the phone for weeks! I finally found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and watched their demo (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). It got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days before. The agent walked me through exactly how to fill out my W4s for both jobs, including how to account for my spouse's income. They explained which job should have the higher withholding and how to calculate the additional amount needed on line 4(c).

I need to eat my words from my earlier comment. After trying unsuccessfully for another week to reach the IRS about my withholding questions, I broke down and tried Claimyr. I was honestly shocked when they got me through to an IRS representative in about 25 minutes. The agent was super helpful and reviewed my specific multiple job scenario with me. She walked me through each section of the W4 and explained exactly how much additional withholding I should add to line 4(c) based on our combined incomes. She also clarified that I should only fill out the multiple jobs worksheet once, not for each W4. Definitely saved me from a big tax bill next year. I've been telling everyone about this service now.

I'm a payroll specialist and see confusion about the new W4 all the time. One tip: if both of your jobs pay roughly the same amount, the easiest approach is checking the box in Step 2(c) on BOTH W4s. Despite what some are saying, this doesn't necessarily mean overwithholding if done correctly. The most common mistake I see is people completing the Multiple Jobs Worksheet but then putting the additional withholding amount on both W4s instead of just one. That definitely causes overwithholding!

Another thing to consider - if your husband also works, you need to account for his income too when figuring out your withholding. The W4 has spots for this, but most people miss it. Otherwise you'll be under withheld and owe a bunch at tax time.

Congratulations on your marriage! I went through this exact same situation a few years ago when I got married and had multiple jobs. Here's what I learned the hard way: The most important thing is to treat all your household income as one big picture. Since you have two jobs AND your husband works construction, you need to coordinate withholding across ALL THREE income sources. My recommendation: Start with the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (it's free and official). Input all three jobs - your nursing job, teaching job, and your husband's construction work. It will give you specific instructions for each W4. A few key points: - Mark "Married filing jointly" on both your W4s - Only put additional withholding amounts on ONE of your jobs (usually the higher-paying one) - Consider having extra withheld if your husband's construction work doesn't withhold enough (some contractors underwithhold) I made the mistake of not coordinating with my spouse's income the first year and ended up owing $2,100 at tax time. Don't be like me! The withholding estimator takes about 15 minutes but saves you from nasty surprises in April. Also, since you're a nurse, you might qualify for some deductions related to uniforms, continuing education, etc. Keep track of those receipts!