No Federal Income Tax Withholding (FITW) on paycheck after filling out new W4 form - should I be concerned?

The 2020 W4 redesign eliminated the "allowances" system, which is why you didn't see the familiar 0 or 1 option. But yes, you should definitely have federal income tax being withheld. With your income level ($22/hour × 40 hours × 52 weeks = ~$45,760 annually), even as a single person with no dependents, you should be having federal taxes withheld from each paycheck. The standard deduction for single filers in 2025 is projected to be around $14,600, but your income would still put you well into taxable territory. I'd recommend checking with your payroll department immediately. It's possible there was an error in how your W4 was processed, or perhaps your form was incomplete. The sooner you fix this, the less you'll potentially owe at tax time.

After struggling with similar W4 confusion when starting my job in July, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me from a withholding disaster. I uploaded my paycheck and W4, and it immediately identified that I had completed the form incorrectly - exactly like you did, filling out only steps 1 and 5! The tool explained that the payroll system was calculating my withholding based on partial information, which is why nothing was being taken out. It showed me exactly what to put on a revised W4 for my specific situation. Super helpful when dealing with these confusing tax form changes.

Just wanted to follow up - I checked out taxr.ai after being skeptical and wow, it actually delivered! I uploaded my recent paystub that had weird withholding issues (similar to OP's situation) and it immediately pinpointed the problem. Turns out I accidentally clicked the box for "multiple jobs" when I only have one, which was throwing off my withholding calculations. The visualization showing how much I'd owe vs have withheld by year-end was eye-opening. Just submitted a corrected W4 to HR based on their recommendations. So yeah, for anyone dealing with withholding confusion with these new W4 forms, it's actually worth checking out.

If you've been trying to contact the IRS about withholding issues like this, good luck getting through on those phone lines! After trying for WEEKS to reach someone about a similar withholding problem (nothing being taken out despite filling out my W4), I discovered this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they use technology to navigate the phone system and hold your place in line. When they reach an agent, you get a call to connect. The IRS agent I spoke with explained exactly what was wrong with my W4 and how to fix it with my employer. Saved me from what would've been a huge tax bill next year!

I need to eat my words about Claimyr from my comment above. After continuing to fail getting through to the IRS for days about my withholding issue (same problem as OP - nothing being withheld after filling out the new W4), I broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. Got connected to an IRS rep in about 12 minutes. The agent explained that the new W4 calculation works differently, and for my bi-weekly pay schedule with my specific salary, I needed to add an additional withholding amount in Step 4(c) to make up for the calculation quirk. Problem solved in one phone call after weeks of frustration. I hate admitting when I'm wrong, but this service actually delivered exactly what it promised.

Slightly different perspective - I had the same issue and just waited for my second paycheck. The first one had zero federal withholding, but the second one had the correct amount. Payroll explained that sometimes the system calculates the annualized income based only on your first partial paycheck, which can make it seem like you'll earn below the standard deduction for the year. If your second full paycheck still doesn't have any FITW, then definitely go to HR with a new W4. But it might resolve itself automatically once you have a full pay period in the system.

You might want to check if you accidentally checked the box in Step 2(c) for "multiple jobs" when you only have one job. I did this and had no FITW for 3 paychecks until I figured it out! The new W4 is seriously confusing compared to the old one.

Not directly related to your immediate question but since you're just starting a new job after a gap: remember that your 2024 withholding might seem wrong all year because the system assumes you've been making that $22/hour since January. If you've been unemployed most of the year, you might end up having too MUCH withheld relative to what you'll actually owe. Just something to keep in mind when you're looking at your paychecks after fixing the current $0 withholding issue.

This is a really common issue with the redesigned W4! The good news is that it's likely fixable. Since you only filled out steps 1 and 5, the payroll system is making assumptions about your tax situation that might not be accurate for your specific pay schedule and start date. Here's what I'd recommend: Wait for your next full two-week paycheck to see if withholding appears once the system has better data about your actual earning pattern. If there's still no FITW on that check, you'll need to submit a new W4 with an additional withholding amount in Step 4(c). A quick calculation: At $22/hour for 40 hours/week, you're looking at about $45,760 annually. Even with the standard deduction, you'd owe roughly $3,900-4,200 in federal taxes for the year. If you end up needing to add extra withholding, putting around $80-85 per paycheck in Step 4(c) should get you close to the right amount. Don't panic though - catching this early means you have plenty of time to correct it before tax season!