Should I claim myself on taxes after starting my first job? Tax implications?
Hey tax people, I just started my first official job last month and I'm totally confused about the whole "claiming myself" thing on my taxes. My paycheck has deductions and I remember checking some box about exemptions or whatever when I filled out paperwork. My girlfriend mentioned something about how claiming myself one way might make me pay way more taxes when I file next year, but she couldn't really explain it. Is that true? What's the better option here - should I claim myself on taxes or not? I'm making about $42,000 annually if that matters. Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm new to all this adulting stuff!
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Amara Torres
Congrats on the new job! What you're asking about is your "withholding allowances" on your W-4 form (the tax form you filled out when starting your job). This isn't exactly about "claiming yourself" but rather how much tax your employer withholds from each paycheck. The real question is whether you're a dependent on someone else's tax return (like your parents) or if you'll be filing independently. If nobody can claim you as a dependent, then you'll claim your standard deduction when you file. The standard deduction for 2025 for single filers is $14,600, meaning your first $14,600 of income isn't taxed. How you fill out your W-4 just affects how much is withheld each paycheck - it's basically prepaying your taxes. If too little is withheld, you'll owe more at tax time. If too much is withheld, you'll get a refund.
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Elijah O'Reilly
•Ohhh that makes more sense. My parents haven't claimed me for the last 2 years since I moved out, so I think I'm independent? So does that mean I should be claiming 1 allowance on my W-4? I'm worried about owing a ton of money when I file.
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Amara Torres
•The W-4 form was redesigned in 2020, so it doesn't use "allowances" anymore. Instead, you'll just indicate whether you're filing as single or married, and if you have multiple jobs or dependents. If you're single with one job and no dependents, the basic W-4 setup should be accurate. Your employer will withhold taxes based on tax tables designed to be fairly accurate. Since you're making $42,000, having the standard withholding is probably fine. If you want to be extra safe, you can ask for a little additional withholding per paycheck on Line 4(c) of the W-4.
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Olivia Van-Cleve
I was super confused about this last year too! I found this site called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that honestly saved me when trying to figure out all this claiming stuff. I uploaded my paystubs and W-4 form, and it explained everything in normal human language instead of IRS-speak. It showed me exactly what I needed to do for my situation and how it would affect my tax return.
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Mason Kaczka
•Does it actually work with the current W-4 form? Because the allowances thing isn't even on there anymore and I'm confused about how to fill mine out properly.
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Sophia Russo
•I'm skeptical of these tax tools... can it really tell you if you'll owe money at the end of the year? My brother got burned bad using some online calculator last year.
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Olivia Van-Cleve
•Yes, it works with the current W-4 form! The system is updated with all the latest tax forms and guidelines. What I liked is that it explains the difference between the old allowances system and the new W-4 design. It absolutely can estimate if you'll owe money at year-end. It runs calculations based on your current withholding patterns and projected annual income. It's not perfect since it can't predict bonuses or job changes, but it was pretty accurate for my situation. It's definitely more reliable than those generic online calculators because it analyzes your actual documents.
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Mason Kaczka
Coming back to say I tried taxr.ai over the weekend and it was super helpful! I uploaded my last pay stub and it showed me that I was actually having too much withheld (I'd been checking that extra withholding box). I'm going to submit a new W-4 tomorrow and should see about $95 more in each paycheck. The explanation about how the standard deduction works with my income level made so much more sense than what HR told me.
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Evelyn Xu
If you're having trouble figuring out your tax situation, you might want to call the IRS directly for guidance. I know, sounds scary, but I used this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have this demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent walked me through exactly how to fill out my W-4 for my specific situation, which was way better than guessing or relying on friends' advice.
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Dominic Green
•Wait, how does this even work? The IRS never answers their phones - I literally tried calling them 3 times last month and gave up after being on hold for over an hour each time.
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Sophia Russo
•Yeah right... a service that magically gets the IRS to pick up? Sounds like a scam to get your money. The IRS is notorious for not answering calls, especially during tax season.
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Evelyn Xu
•It uses a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When an agent picks up, you get a call connecting you to them. I was skeptical too until I tried it. No, it's definitely not a scam. The way it works is you don't actually pay unless they successfully get an IRS agent on the line for you. I didn't believe it either until my coworker recommended it. The IRS actually does answer calls, but their hold times are ridiculous - this service just handles the waiting part for you.
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Sophia Russo
Ok I feel like I need to update my comment. I was super skeptical about Claimyr but I tried it yesterday because I was desperate to figure out this claiming myself question before submitting my W-4. IT ACTUALLY WORKED. Got connected to an IRS agent named Robert who spent like 15 minutes going through all my questions. He confirmed I should file as independent since my parents haven't claimed me in 2 years, and explained exactly how to fill out the new W-4 form for my situation. Saved me so much stress and probably from messing up my taxes!
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Hannah Flores
Another thing to consider is state taxes! Everyone's talking about federal taxes here, but depending on which state you live in, the rules might be different for state income tax. Some states follow federal guidelines for dependents/exemptions, but others have their own rules.
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Elijah O'Reilly
•I'm in Illinois - do they handle this differently from federal? Now I'm worried I need to fill out separate forms.
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Hannah Flores
•Illinois generally follows the federal guidelines for withholding, so if you set up your federal W-4 correctly, your state withholding should align properly. Illinois does have a flat income tax rate (currently 4.95%), which is simpler than the federal progressive tax brackets. Your employer should automatically set up your state withholding based on your W-4 information, but it wouldn't hurt to confirm with your HR department that both your federal and state withholdings are configured correctly. You typically don't need to complete a separate state form in Illinois unless you need specific adjustments.
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Kayla Jacobson
Just remember that if your parents are still providing more than half of your support (paying most of your living expenses, health insurance, etc.), they might still be eligible to claim you as a dependent even if you're working. Might want to talk to them before you file!
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William Rivera
•This is super important! My daughter and I had a double taxation issue because we didn't coordinate this. She claimed herself while I also claimed her (I was paying her tuition and housing) and both our returns got flagged by the IRS.
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Liam Fitzgerald
Great advice here! Just wanted to add one more thing - if you're still unsure about your situation, you can also use the IRS withholding calculator on their website (irs.gov/W4App). It's free and walks you through questions about your income, filing status, and whether you can be claimed as a dependent. It then tells you exactly how to fill out your W-4. At $42K annually and living independently for 2 years, you're almost certainly filing as independent. The key thing is making sure your withholding is close to what you'll actually owe - you don't want a huge refund (that's like giving the government a free loan) or a big tax bill in April. The standard W-4 setup for single filers usually gets you pretty close to the right amount.
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Tobias Lancaster
•Thanks for mentioning the IRS withholding calculator! I actually tried using it a few weeks ago when I started my job but got confused by some of the questions about "other income" and "deductions." As a newcomer to taxes, I wasn't sure if things like my 401k contributions counted as deductions or how to estimate them for the whole year when I just started working. Did you find it pretty straightforward to use, or did you need to gather specific documents first? I'm wondering if I should try it again now that I have a few paystubs to reference.
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