How to fill out W-4s when working two part-time jobs? Help with withholding

The new W-4 form can definitely be confusing, especially when you have multiple jobs! Here's how to handle your situation: When you have two part-time jobs, you need to make sure enough tax is withheld across both jobs to cover your total income. The IRS designed the W-4 with options for this exact scenario. Your best approach is to use the "Multiple Jobs Worksheet" (usually on page 3 of the W-4 instructions) or the Tax Withholding Estimator on the IRS website. The worksheet helps calculate the additional withholding needed when income comes from multiple sources. If both jobs have similar pay, you can simply check the box in Step 2(c) on both W-4 forms. This tells each employer to withhold at a higher single rate. If the jobs have very different pay levels, using the worksheet will give you a more accurate result. Remember that underwithholding could mean owing taxes (and possibly penalties) when you file, while overwithholding means waiting for a refund of your own money.

Just wanted to share my experience - after struggling with similar W-4 confusion last year, I found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that was super helpful. They have a feature specifically for calculating the right withholding when you have multiple jobs. I uploaded my previous W-2s and my estimated income for both jobs, and it gave me the exact numbers to put on each W-4. Saved me from the math headaches and I ended up with almost perfect withholding - no big refund or payment due when I filed. The withholding calculator tells you exactly what to put in each box on both W-4s. Way easier than trying to figure out the worksheet on my own!

Following up on my question about taxr.ai - I actually decided to try it last weekend after reading more about their security. Gotta say I'm impressed! The tool spotted that my current withholding would leave me owing about $1,800 next April based on having two part-time jobs. It recommended I add exactly $163 of additional withholding per month on just one of my W-4s (in box 4c) and leave the other one standard. Super straightforward and it explained why that amount - something about the tax brackets and how both employers assume they're my only income source. Took me less than 10 minutes to get a complete withholding plan. Definitely worth checking out if you're in a multiple job situation.

If you're having trouble getting answers directly from the IRS about W-4 questions (which I definitely did), I highly recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent HOURS on hold trying to talk to someone at the IRS about my withholding situation with multiple jobs. Couldn't get through for days. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes who walked me through exactly how to fill out both W-4s correctly. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent explained things the online calculators don't tell you, like which job should have the additional withholding if they pay different amounts, and how to adjust if one job has benefits that reduce taxable income.

Ok I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After my snarky comment I decided to try it anyway because I was getting nowhere with the IRS on my own. It actually worked exactly as advertised. Got connected to an IRS rep in about 20 minutes (was told the wait would be 3+ hours if I called directly). The agent walked me through my W-4 for multiple jobs situation and confirmed I needed to use the Multiple Jobs Worksheet rather than just checking the box. Turns out I've been doing my withholding wrong for years! No wonder I always owed money in April. The IRS person was actually really helpful once I could actually talk to someone. Saved me a ton of time and probably money too.

Here's a tip many people don't know - you can actually update your W-4 anytime during the year! So if you start with one approach and realize your withholding isn't on track, just submit a new W-4. I check my withholding mid-year by looking at my pay stubs and comparing to a tax calculator online. If I'm not on pace, I submit updated W-4s to both employers.

Another thing to consider - if your total income from both part-time jobs is significantly less than what you made at your previous full-time job, you might actually need LESS withholding overall. The W-4 multiple jobs worksheet assumes each job's income is stacked on top of each other pushing you into higher tax brackets. But if your total income is dropping, you might overpay if you just check that box.

Great thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation and wanted to add one more resource that helped me. The IRS Publication 15-T (Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods) has detailed tables that can help you calculate withholding manually if you prefer not to use online tools. What I found most helpful was keeping track of my year-to-date withholding from both jobs using my pay stubs. I created a simple spreadsheet to monitor whether I'm on track for my estimated tax liability. This way I can catch any issues early and adjust my W-4s before getting too far off course. Also, don't forget about state withholding if your state has income tax! The multiple jobs situation affects state taxes too, and some states have their own worksheets or requirements for multiple employers. For anyone still confused, I'd suggest starting with the simple approach (checking the box in Step 2c on both W-4s) and then monitoring your first few paychecks to see if the withholding feels about right compared to your previous situation.

I just went through this exact situation a few months ago! One thing that really helped me was understanding that the key is making sure your TOTAL withholding across both jobs covers your actual tax liability for your combined income. Here's what I learned: if you use the simple approach (checking Step 2c box on both W-4s), it works well when both jobs pay roughly the same amount. But if one job pays significantly more than the other, you might want to be more strategic about which job does the extra withholding. I ended up putting all my "extra" withholding on the higher-paying job's W-4 (using Step 4c) and left the lower-paying job's W-4 pretty basic. This way the job with more consistent hours and pay handles the bulk of covering my tax liability. Also, definitely run the numbers partway through the year! I checked my total withholding in July and realized I was slightly under, so I bumped up the additional withholding by $50/month on one job. Much better to catch it mid-year than get surprised at filing time. The IRS withholding estimator is clunky but it does work if you have patience with it. Just make sure you have recent pay stubs from both jobs when you use it.