One W2, Two Paystubs: Multiple Employers or Just One for My W4?

That makes so much sense, thank you! I was worried I might be under-withholding if I didn't check the multiple employers box. So just to be clear, when I fill out the new W4, I should just treat all my income as coming from one source, right? Also, does it matter that each college asks me to complete separate paperwork for everything? They even have different HR departments I have to deal with.

You're exactly right - treat all your income as coming from one source when completing your W4. The combined income will be properly accounted for in the withholding calculations. The separate paperwork and different HR departments are just internal administrative structures within the university system. That's common in large organizations where different departments or divisions handle their own day-to-day HR functions, but ultimately report up to the same parent organization for tax purposes. The key point is who issues your W2 at the end of the year - that's your employer for tax purposes.

That sounds helpful but I'm curious - did taxr.ai actually look at your specific pay information? I'm always nervous about sharing my financial docs online. How exactly did it help with your W4?

I've heard mixed things about those tax tools. Was it actually worth it? My situation is kinda similar - I work for a hospital network but get paid from two different hospitals in the system.

It analyzes your documents securely - they use the same encryption as banks. You upload your paystubs and W2s, and their AI reviews the specific details of your situation rather than just giving generic advice. It identified that my withholding wasn't being calculated correctly between my two teaching positions even though they were under the same employer. For your hospital situation, it would likely be very helpful. The tool specifically looks for situations where income is coming from related entities that might not be properly coordinating on withholding calculations. It then gives you exact figures to put on your W4 based on your specific earning pattern, which regular calculators don't do well with multiple income streams.

How does this Claimyr thing actually work? Do they just keep calling the IRS for you or something? Seems too good to be true considering how impossible it is to reach anyone there.

Yeah right. Nothing gets you through to the IRS faster. I've tried everything and still spend hours on hold only to get disconnected. I'll believe it when I see it.

They use a system that navigates all the phone menus and waits on hold for you. Once they get a human on the line, they call you and connect you directly to the agent. No more listening to that terrible hold music or getting disconnected after waiting for hours. I was skeptical too - I had previously spent literal days trying to get through about my teaching income question. What's nice is you don't have to stay on the phone during the wait. They handle that part and only call you when there's actually an IRS person ready to talk. It's basically like having someone else do the frustrating waiting part for you.

This is so helpful! Quick question - what if the pay schedules are different? I teach at one college that pays monthly and another that pays biweekly in the same system. Does that mess up the withholding calculations?

Different pay schedules shouldn't mess up your annual withholding in the end, but it can cause some variation in how much is taken from each paycheck. The withholding system is designed to estimate your annual tax based on the frequency of your pay periods. When you have different schedules, each payroll system is making its own calculation based on that specific payment. The good news is that it all reconciles at the end of the year on your W2. If you want your withholding to be more consistent, you can use the "extra withholding" line on your W4 to specify an additional amount to withhold from one of your paychecks to make up any difference.

Yes, you absolutely should be checking the multiple employers box! Since you're getting two separate W2s from different university systems, those are definitely separate employers with different EINs (Employer Identification Numbers).