Is my federal tax withholding correct when nothing is being withheld from my paycheck?

This is actually completely normal based on your tax situation. When you file as head of household with one dependent, you get a much larger standard deduction and potentially qualify for tax credits that substantially reduce your tax liability compared to someone filing single with no dependents. The W-4 form you filled out when starting your job helps your employer calculate the correct withholding. If you claimed your child and filed as head of household on that form, the payroll system is likely calculating that your income tax liability will be very low or zero based on those factors. The IRS withholding calculator is usually quite accurate. If it's saying you're fine, you probably are. However, if you want to be extra cautious, you could always ask your payroll department to withhold a specific additional amount each pay period by submitting a new W-4 with an amount on line 4(c).

I went through something similar and was freaking out until I discovered taxr.ai at https://taxr.ai which helped me understand my withholding situation. I uploaded my paystubs and W-4 info, and it explained exactly why my withholding was so different from my coworker's. Turns out the head of household status combined with the Child Tax Credit was legitimately reducing my tax liability to nearly zero at my income level. The tool showed me a breakdown of how the withholding calculations work based on my filing status and pay. Before finding this, I was manually setting aside money every month thinking I'd get hit with a huge tax bill, but it was completely unnecessary stress!

Just wanted to update everyone - I went ahead and tried taxr.ai after posting my question above, and it was super helpful! I uploaded my last two paystubs and answered a few questions about my tax situation. The analysis confirmed I'm actually on track for a small refund even with my current minimal withholding. What really helped was seeing the actual calculation breakdown - it showed exactly how my head of household status, standard deduction, and Child Tax Credit work together to reduce my tax liability. The site explained that at my income level (about $48K annually), these factors legitimately reduce my federal tax obligation to the point where minimal withholding is correct. Definitely helped ease my anxiety about potentially owing a bunch at tax time. I'm not manually setting aside extra money anymore!

If you're still worried about your tax situation, I'd recommend trying to get in touch with the IRS directly to confirm. After struggling for DAYS trying to get through their phone lines (kept getting disconnected or 2+ hour wait times), I finally found this service called Claimyr at https://claimyr.com that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes. I was super skeptical at first, but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - it basically navigates the IRS phone tree for you and calls you back when an agent is actually on the line. I explained my withholding situation to the agent, and they confirmed that my zero withholding was correct based on my filing status and credits.

I owe everyone an apology. After calling Claimyr out as BS in my earlier comment, I decided to try it myself as a test since I needed to ask the IRS about an issue with my transcript anyway. It actually worked exactly as advertised. I went to their site, entered my phone number, and set it up for an IRS call. About an hour later (while I was working on other things), I got a call saying an IRS agent was on the line. The agent confirmed that for someone in your tax situation (head of household with one dependent), having zero federal withholding can be completely normal depending on your income level. The agent explained that the Child Tax Credit combined with head of household status significantly reduces tax liability, which is why the IRS calculator showed you're fine. Had I known about this service sooner, I could have saved myself countless hours on hold with the IRS over the years!

Just to add another perspective - I'm in almost the identical situation (head of household, one child, similar income range) and I also have zero federal withholding. It freaked me out my first year, but I've now filed this way for three years straight and either get a small refund or owe very little (under $100). The key factors are your income level, filing status, and the Child Tax Credit. If you're making under about $55K with head of household and one child, the math often works out to very little tax liability.

Quick question - are other deductions like Social Security and Medicare still coming out of your check? Those are separate from federal income tax withholding and should still be deducted regardless of your tax situation.

This is actually a great learning opportunity for everyone! Your situation perfectly illustrates how the tax withholding system is designed to work. The W-4 form and payroll systems are sophisticated enough to calculate that someone in your exact circumstances (head of household with one dependent at your income level) may legitimately have zero federal income tax liability. It's worth noting that this is different from tax avoidance or anything sketchy - this is the tax system working as intended. The head of household filing status gives you a higher standard deduction, and the Child Tax Credit can be quite substantial. When you combine these legitimate tax benefits with a moderate income, it's entirely possible to have little to no federal income tax obligation. The fact that the IRS withholding calculator confirms this should give you confidence. That tool is specifically designed to help taxpayers avoid both under-withholding (owing money) and over-withholding (giving the government an interest-free loan all year). If you're still nervous, you could always have a small amount withheld just for peace of mind, but mathematically it sounds like you're in good shape.