Just got married - confused about exemptions on W-4. What's the difference & how many should I claim?

Hey there! The W-4 form actually changed significantly a few years back, and they don't use the "exemptions" or "allowances" terminology anymore. The new form is designed to be more accurate by having you provide specific information about your tax situation. Since both you and your spouse work, you'll want to pay special attention to Step 2 of the W-4 form. You have three options there: (a) using the online estimator, (b) using the worksheet, or (c) checking the box if there are only two jobs total. The simplest approach would be checking the box in option (c) if you only have the two jobs between you. If you want the most accurate withholding, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator online. This will help account for both incomes and give you the most precise recommendation for your withholding.

After seeing a post similar to yours, I tried out this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was super helpful for figuring out the W-4 situation. I uploaded my last paystub and my husband's too, and it analyzed everything and gave us specific recommendations for our withholding. It explained that with the current W-4, instead of claiming exemptions, you now have to account for multiple jobs in your household differently. The tool basically looked at our combined income and calculated exactly what we needed to put on each line of the form to avoid owing or getting too big a refund next year.

Just wanted to follow up and say I tried taxr.ai and it was actually super helpful! I don't know why I was so confused before. The tool explained that what we used to call "exemptions" on the old W-4 were basically placeholders for things that would reduce your taxes (like being married or having kids). The new form is more direct - instead of converting those things into "exemptions," you just tell the IRS about your situation (married, kids, multiple jobs) and they adjust withholding accordingly. I printed out the completed W-4 it generated with all the right boxes filled in and just handed it to HR. Much easier than I thought it would be!

If you need to actually talk to someone at the IRS about this (which I did because my situation was complicated with multiple jobs and investment income), check out Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. I tried calling the IRS directly first and gave up after 45 minutes on hold. With Claimyr, they have this system where they wait on hold for you and then call you when an IRS agent is on the line. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent walked me through exactly how to fill out the new W-4 for my complicated situation and explained how withholding works for married couples with multiple income sources.

I was super skeptical about Claimyr but had to eat my words. After trying 3 times to call the IRS directly and getting disconnected each time (once after waiting 40+ minutes!), I gave it a shot. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent explained that for married couples, the new W-4 is actually designed to be more accurate than the old "exemptions" system, especially when both spouses work. She walked me through exactly what to put in each section for our situation. The funny thing is, I spent less time using their service than I did on my previous failed attempts to reach the IRS. Learned my lesson - sometimes it's worth using tools that save you time!

Just a quick tip from someone who's been married a few years and does the finances: if you both make roughly similar incomes, check the box in Step 2(c) of the W-4 for "two jobs total." If your incomes are very different (like one person makes way more than the other), use the worksheet or online calculator for more accurate withholding. The "exemptions" system on the old forms was super confusing. The new system is more straightforward, but it can still result in underwithholding if you don't account for both jobs correctly.

Don't overthink this! I've been married 10+ years and here's my simple advice: if you want a bigger refund next year, put "Married filing jointly" and don't check the box in Step 2(c). If you're okay with possibly owing a bit at tax time but having bigger paychecks throughout the year, check the box. The old exemptions/allowances system was more confusing because you had to guess how many to claim. The new form is better but still not perfect.

Hey Victoria! Congrats on getting married! I totally understand the confusion - the W-4 changes a few years back made things different from what many of us learned when we first started working. Just to clarify what others have mentioned: the current federal W-4 (2020 and later) doesn't use "exemptions" anymore. If you're seeing that terminology, you might have an old form or be looking at your Pennsylvania state form (PA does still use some of the old language). For your situation as a newly married couple with two jobs, here's the simplest approach: 1. Both of you should select "Married filing jointly" in Step 1 2. In Step 2, since you have exactly two jobs total between you, check the box in option (c) - this tells the system to account for both incomes properly 3. Skip Steps 3 and 4 unless you have dependents or want to make adjustments 4. Sign and date The key difference from the old system: instead of claiming a number of allowances/exemptions, the new form directly accounts for your actual tax situation (marriage, multiple jobs, dependents, etc.). It's designed to be more accurate for situations like yours where both spouses work. Your coworker and dad both have points, but the goal should be accurate withholding rather than maximizing refunds or minimizing them. The new system helps achieve that better than the old one did!