How to update W4 after marriage - what changes should I make?

You should definitely update your W4! The W4 determines how much tax is withheld from each paycheck, while your filing status (single, married filing jointly, etc.) is what you use when you actually file your tax return. When both spouses work, you need to be careful about how you complete your W4s to avoid underwithholding. The current W4 form (redesigned in 2020) doesn't have the simple "married" or "single" checkbox anymore. Instead, you have options to account for multiple jobs. You can either check the box in Step 2(c) on both your W4s, use the Tax Withholding Estimator on the IRS website, or complete the Multiple Jobs Worksheet on page 3 of the W4 form. The safest approach is to use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (search for it on irs.gov) since it gives the most accurate recommendation based on both your incomes, deductions, and credits.

After my wife and I got married, I spent hours trying to figure out the right way to fill out our W4s. Then I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was super helpful. You upload your last tax return and pay stubs, and it analyzes everything to tell you exactly how to fill out your W4. It showed us that we were heading for a $3,200 underpayment because we both had our W4s set to "Married" without accounting for dual incomes. The tool generated step-by-step instructions for exactly what to put on each line of our W4s. We adjusted them in April and our withholding is now spot on according to our last paycheck. It saved us from a massive tax bill next year.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that the previous commenter recommended. I was skeptical since my situation is complicated (W2 spouse + self-employed), but it actually worked amazingly well. I uploaded our 2023 tax return and recent pay stubs, and it showed us that even with my quarterly payments, we were heading toward owing about $4,100 next April. The tool gave my husband specific instructions for his W4 that accounted for my self-employment income. It recommended he add $210 in extra withholding per paycheck (line 4c) while keeping most other settings the same. We've implemented this for the past two months and his withholding increased exactly as predicted. Really relieved to have this sorted before tax season!

If you're having trouble getting through to the IRS to ask questions about your W4, try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I wasted 3 hours on hold trying to get clarification about how to handle our W4s after marriage, then I found this service that gets you to the front of the IRS phone queue. You can see a demo of how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was connected to an IRS agent in about 12 minutes, and they walked me through exactly how to complete the W4 for our two-income household. The agent explained that the "married" filing status on W4s often causes underwithholding and showed me exactly what numbers to put where. Saved me from another afternoon wasted on hold!

I take back what I said about Claimyr sounding like BS. After the absolute nightmare I had trying to figure out our W4 situation, I tried it this morning out of desperation. I got a call back in about 15 minutes and was connected to an actual IRS person who explained everything. The agent clarified that since both my wife and I work, we should either check the box in Step 2(c) on both our W4s or complete the worksheet to figure out extra withholding. She also explained that our previous underwithholding happened because the "Married" status assumes only one working spouse. The agent walked me through exactly what to put on each line based on our specific situation. Worth every penny not to waste another afternoon on hold!

Don't overthink this. Just check the box in Step 2(c) on both your W4s that says "If there are only two jobs total, you may check this box." It's the easy solution. My husband and I did this and our withholding has been almost perfect. We got a small refund of $340 last year.

When I updated my W4 after getting married, the HR person at my company told me wrong information and we ended up owing $5k in taxes! Make sure you do your own research and don't just listen to HR folks who often don't understand tax implications.

The new W4 form (after 2020) is actually way better for married couples than the old one. Don't look for the "married" or "single" checkboxes - they're gone. Start fresh with the new form and follow the instructions. It's designed to handle two-income households much better.

This is such a common situation! I went through the exact same thing when I got married in 2020. The key thing to understand is that your filing status (married filing jointly) and your W4 withholding are two different things that need to work together. Since you've been filing jointly successfully, that part is fine. The issue is that if you're still withholding as "single" on your W4 while your husband withholds as "married," you're probably in a pretty good spot actually. The "single" rate withholds more aggressively, which can offset the underwithholding that often happens when both spouses select "married." However, the safest approach is to update both your W4s using the current form. As others mentioned, either check Step 2(c) on both forms or use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator. Don't stress too much about the years you didn't update it - if your tax returns came out fine, you were probably withholding appropriately by accident! I'd recommend running the numbers through the IRS calculator now to see where you stand for this year, and then update your W4 based on those results.

You're definitely not alone in this situation! I made the same mistake when I got married in 2019 and didn't update my W4 for almost two years. The good news is that if your joint tax returns have been coming out okay, you might have accidentally found a decent balance. Here's what I learned: when one spouse withholds as "single" (higher withholding rate) and the other as "married" (lower rate), it can sometimes work out better than both selecting "married" which often leads to underwithholding. That said, you should definitely get this sorted properly. I'd recommend using the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator tool - it's free and will give you personalized recommendations based on both your incomes. You can find it by searching "Tax Withholding Estimator" on irs.gov. The current W4 form is much better designed for dual-income households than the old version. If you both have just one job each, you can simply check the box in Step 2(c) on both your W4s. This tells the system to account for the second income and withhold appropriately. Don't stress too much about the past few years - focus on getting it right going forward so you avoid any surprises next tax season!