My paystubs show $0 federal tax withheld - will I owe taxes at filing time?

This actually might not be a problem at all! If you're making $15/hour at 30 hours per week, your annual income would be around $23,400 before any deductions. As a single parent claiming a child, you're likely filing as Head of Household, which gives you a higher standard deduction ($20,800 for 2024 tax year). The withholding system is designed to be pretty accurate. If you claimed your daughter on your W-4 form, the payroll system recognizes that you'll likely qualify for the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Credit, which significantly reduces your tax liability. With your income level and filing status, you might not owe any federal income tax at all, which would explain the $0 federal withholding. The other deductions from your paycheck are probably for Social Security, Medicare, and possibly state taxes.

I went through something similar last year and was totally freaking out about my taxes. I tried using regular tax software but kept getting confused about my withholding situation and why it showed $0 federal. I found this AI tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that really helped me understand my specific situation. You just upload your paystubs and W-2 when you get it, and it analyzes whether your withholding is correct based on your specific situation. It explained that with my income level and dependents, I was actually fine having $0 federal withholding and wouldn't owe anything. Saved me so much stress!

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. I've been worrying for MONTHS about my similar situation with minimal withholding. The tool analyzed my pay stubs and confirmed I'm actually fine! It showed me that because of my income level and having two dependents, I'll actually get a refund through the Earned Income Credit and Child Tax Credit, even with minimal withholding. Huge relief and way easier to understand than the IRS website was. Definitely recommend for peace of mind!

If you're still worried about your tax situation, you might want to actually talk to someone at the IRS to confirm. I know that sounds impossible (I spent HOURS on hold last year), but I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an IRS agent in like 15 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with explained my withholding situation completely and confirmed I was fine with my low withholding because of my income level and credits. They can check your specific situation and let you know if you need to adjust anything for this year.

Ok I need to eat my words. After my skeptical comment, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about my withholding situation, so I tried Claimyr anyway. I ACTUALLY got through to a real IRS agent in about 20 minutes! After trying for WEEKS on my own and always getting the "call back later" message. The agent confirmed exactly what others said here - with my income level and dependent situation, I don't need federal withholding and won't owe taxes. She even helped me estimate my refund based on earned income credit. Seriously saved me so much stress and probably hundreds in unnecessary withholding I was about to set up. Sometimes I hate being wrong but in this case I'm just relieved!

Just wanted to add - check if your state has income tax! I was in the same boat with $0 federal withholding (which was correct), but my state DOES have income tax and nothing was being withheld for that. Ended up owing $600 to my state at tax time which was a nasty surprise. You might want to adjust your W-4 for state withholding even if federal is correct at $0.

If you're nervous, you could always ask your employer to withhold a small amount like $10 per paycheck for federal taxes. That's what I do just for peace of mind even though I'm in a similar situation and probably don't owe anything. Better safe than sorry, and it's kinda like forced savings that comes back as a refund.