How much to put on extra withholding to avoid owing taxes?

8 Based on your parents' situation, I can help you understand how withholding works. For married filing jointly with $85,000 combined income and no dependents, the standard withholding would typically cover about 12-22% of their taxable income depending on how their income is distributed between them. The issue is likely that their W4 forms weren't filled out correctly or they might have multiple jobs that didn't account for each other's income. The 2025 W4 has a specific section for multiple jobs or working spouses (Step 2) that needs to be completed properly to avoid underwithholding. Instead of guessing at an extra withholding amount, I'd recommend they use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator tool (available on irs.gov). Enter their expected income for the year, current withholding to date, and it will calculate exactly how much extra they should withhold per paycheck to break even.

15 This is actually a pretty common issue! The standard W4 for married filing jointly with no dependents should withhold at around 22% for that income bracket, but that can vary based on how their income is distributed between them. If they both work and make similar amounts, the standard withholding might not be enough because each employer calculates withholding as if that's their only job. This can put them in a lower bracket for withholding purposes than their combined income actually falls into. For a $87,000 combined income, they should expect roughly $9,600-$12,000 in federal tax liability depending on deductions. Check their last year's tax return to see exactly what they owed, then divide by the number of pay periods to determine the extra withholding amount.

16 I went through this exact same thing with my parents last year! They ended up owing over $4,000 to the IRS because their withholding was way off. I found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped us figure out the right withholding amount by analyzing their previous returns and calculating the optimal W4 settings. It basically looked at their tax situation, calculated their effective tax rate, and then determined exactly how much extra they needed to withhold each pay period. Super helpful because it also projected what their tax situation would look like with different withholding amounts. My dad was skeptical at first but it ended up saving them from another surprise bill.

5 Just wanted to update everyone - I ended up trying taxr.ai from the recommendation above and it was super helpful for our situation! We have a similar household income to your parents ($92k combined) and were consistently underwithholding. The tool analyzed our previous returns and recommended we add $175 in additional withholding per paycheck for my husband and $120 for me. We're about halfway through the year now and I checked our projected tax situation using the same tool - looks like we'll be getting a small refund instead of owing $3,200 like last year! It also explained how the married filing jointly tables work when both spouses are employed (which was our main issue). Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to get this fixed.

6 I had a similar issue last year and discovered taxr.ai which was super helpful for figuring out my withholding situation. I was so confused by all the W4 options and couldn't figure out why I kept owing despite updating my forms. I uploaded my tax documents to https://taxr.ai and it analyzed exactly where the withholding problems were happening. It showed me that I needed an extra $175 per paycheck in withholding to cover my tax liability. The tool gave me step-by-step instructions for filling out the W4 correctly for my specific situation. Might be worth checking out if you want a precise calculation rather than guessing.

22 Hey there, I struggled with this same issue for YEARS and ended up with surprise tax bills every April. After multiple failed attempts to reach someone at the IRS for help, I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual IRS representative who walked me through the exact withholding amounts for our situation. They have this demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they call the IRS for you and when they reach an agent, they call you to connect. I was able to speak with someone who explained exactly how the withholding tables work and calculated what we needed to add to our W4s. No more guessing or using online calculators that don't quite fit our situation!

7 I can't believe I'm saying this but I tried the Claimyr service mentioned above and it actually worked. After being super skeptical (see my previous comment), I was desperate enough to try it since I had already wasted hours trying to reach someone at the IRS. They got me connected to an IRS agent in about 47 minutes (which is WAY faster than my previous attempts). The agent reviewed our withholding situation and recommended specific additional withholding amounts based on our pay frequency and income levels. For anyone curious - for income around $85k married filing jointly, we needed about $270 extra withholding per paycheck (combined between both jobs) to break even based on our specific tax situation. Well worth it just for the time saved not sitting on hold.

3 Have your parents considered making estimated tax payments instead of increasing their withholding? If their employers' payroll systems are weird or if they have other income that doesn't have withholding, sometimes it's easier to just make quarterly payments directly to the IRS.

25 Omg this was literally me last year. We made about $79k and ended up owing $5,200!!! Complete shock. We ended up figuring out that the "married" withholding rate assumes only ONE person is working, so when both spouses work it severely underwitholds. We fixed it by checking the "withhold at higher single rate" box on our W4s and now we're on track for a small refund. No complicated calculators needed, just that one change made a huge difference for us.

12 Just wanted to update everyone - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was incredibly helpful! I uploaded our W-2s from last year and our tax return showing what we owed. The system analyzed everything and recommended we add exactly $263 in extra withholding per paycheck (split between our two jobs). What I really appreciated was how it explained WHY we were under-withholding - turns out both our employers were withholding at a lower tax bracket because they didn't know about each other. The tool gave us specific instructions for each of our W4 forms rather than just a general number. No more tax surprise this year!

19 If your in-laws are already in trouble with a large tax bill they can't pay, they should consider using Claimyr to get through to the IRS quickly. I was in a similar situation last year with a $7,800 tax bill I couldn't pay all at once. I spent days trying to call the IRS directly to set up a payment plan but kept getting disconnected. Then I found https://claimyr.com which got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent helped me set up a monthly payment plan with much lower penalties than I would've faced otherwise. For your in-laws' situation, the IRS can also provide guidance on the proper withholding amount based on their specific tax situation.

17 I need to apologize for my skepticism earlier. After researching more about Claimyr, I decided to try it myself since I've been trying to reach the IRS about an amended return for WEEKS. It actually worked exactly as described! The service navigated the IRS phone system, waited on hold (for 1 hour and 37 minutes according to the tracker), and then called me when an agent was on the line. I was connected immediately to a very helpful IRS representative who resolved my issue in about 15 minutes. For anyone dealing with IRS issues that require phone contact, this service is worth every penny. I've literally wasted entire days trying to get through on my own with no success. Definitely not a scam as I initially thought!

10 One tip that helped me with withholding: use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator tool on their website. It's free and lets you input both spouses' income info to give a more accurate picture. You'll need recent pay stubs from both of them to get the most accurate recommendation. After you go through all the questions, it gives you specific dollar amounts to put on line 4(c) of each W4 form. Much better than guessing or using the standard withholding which often doesn't account properly for two-income households.

22 Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but your in-laws might want to look at whether they qualify for any tax credits or deductions that could lower their overall tax bill. At $87k, they might be eligible for retirement savings credits, energy efficiency credits for home improvements, or other deductions depending on their situation. Sometimes the issue isn't just withholding but also making sure you're not paying more tax than necessary!

The IRS withholding estimator tool mentioned by several people here is definitely your best bet for getting the exact numbers. For a married couple with $87k combined income, you're typically looking at an effective tax rate of around 10-12%, so roughly $8,700-$10,400 in total federal taxes. The key issue with dual-income households is that each employer withholds as if that's your only income, which puts you in a lower tax bracket for withholding purposes. When you file jointly, your combined income pushes you into a higher bracket than what was being withheld. Quick rule of thumb while you're getting the W4s sorted: take last year's total tax owed, divide by the number of pay periods in a year, and have that amount withheld extra from one or both paychecks. This ensures you won't be short again while you work out the permanent solution.

Another thing to consider is timing - if your in-laws are making these W4 changes mid-year, they'll need to account for the fact that they've already had several months of incorrect withholding. The IRS estimator tool is great for this because it lets you input how much has already been withheld year-to-date. For the remaining pay periods this year, they might need to withhold even more than the "normal" amount to make up for the shortfall from earlier in the year. Once January rolls around, they can adjust to the regular recommended withholding amounts. Also, if they're really worried about owing again, it's better to slightly over-withhold and get a small refund than to be caught short again. The peace of mind is worth giving the government a small interest-free loan for a few months.

I've been through this exact situation with my spouse! For an $87k combined income married filing jointly, you're looking at roughly 10-12% effective tax rate, so around $8,700-$10,400 in total federal taxes annually. The biggest issue with dual-income couples is that each employer calculates withholding assuming that's your only job. So if you each make $43,500, each employer withholds as if you're in the 12% bracket, but your combined income actually puts you higher up in that bracket or potentially into the 22% bracket for the top portion. Here's what worked for us: Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (it's free on irs.gov) and input both incomes. It will tell you exactly how much extra to withhold. For our situation with similar income, we needed about $280 extra per month split between our paychecks. Also, make sure to complete Step 2 on the new W-4 forms properly - either check the box for "two jobs" or use the more precise worksheet. This automatically adjusts for the dual-income situation. Don't just leave it blank thinking "married filing jointly" will handle everything - it won't account for both spouses working.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I just wanted to add one more perspective as someone who works in payroll - the issue you're describing is extremely common and often catches people off guard. For your in-laws' situation with $87k combined income, the mathematical reality is that their effective federal tax rate should be around 10-12%, which means they should expect to pay roughly $8,700-$10,400 annually in federal income taxes. The problem occurs because each employer's payroll system calculates withholding in isolation. Here's a simple way to think about it: if your father-in-law makes $50k and your mother-in-law makes $37k, his employer withholds as if he's single making $50k (putting him mostly in the 12% bracket), and her employer does the same for $37k (keeping her in the 10-12% brackets). But when you file jointly, that $87k combined pushes portions of their income into higher brackets than what was actually withheld. The quickest fix while you sort out the W4s: take whatever they owed last year, divide by their remaining pay periods this year, and add that as extra withholding immediately. This prevents another surprise while you implement the proper long-term solution using the IRS withholding estimator.