Should I claim zero allowances for a two-week temporary job? Does being a dependent matter?
I just got hired for a temporary position that's only going to last for the next two weeks. This is literally the only job I'll have this year, and I'm supposed to make around $1,900 total. I'm currently in college and my parents will be claiming me as a dependent on their taxes this year. I'm filling out my W-4 form and trying to figure out if I should claim zero allowances or what? I'm not really sure what the best approach is here since it's such a short-term thing. Does being claimed as a dependent by my parents affect how much gets withheld from my paycheck? What other things should I be thinking about with this situation? I've never had to deal with this before and want to make sure I don't mess anything up for next year's filing.
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Debra Bai
If you're only making $1,900 total for the year, you likely won't owe any federal income tax at all. The standard deduction for 2025 for single filers is projected to be around $14,000, which means you won't owe federal income taxes if you make less than that amount. Being claimed as a dependent does impact your filing status, but it doesn't change the fact that your income is below the threshold for owing taxes. For withholding purposes, the W-4 form no longer uses allowances (that system was replaced in 2020), so you'll complete the current version which asks about multiple jobs, dependents, and other income. For such a short-term job with low total income, you could actually check the box in Step 2(c) that indicates you only have one job, and leave the rest blank. This should result in minimal to no federal tax withholding, which makes sense given your situation.
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Gabriel Freeman
•Wait, if OP makes under the standard deduction, do they even need to file taxes next year? And what about state taxes, would those still be withheld even if federal isn't?
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Debra Bai
•If their income is only $1,900 for the year, they aren't required to file a federal tax return since it's below the filing threshold. However, they might still want to file to get back any federal taxes that might be withheld. For state taxes, it depends entirely on which state they're in. Some states have very low thresholds for filing requirements, while others align more closely with federal rules. State taxes might still be withheld from their paychecks regardless of their total annual income, so filing a state return would likely be necessary to get that money back.
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Laura Lopez
After dealing with similar confusion on a summer job, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) super helpful for figuring out withholding questions like this. I uploaded my offer letter and some tax docs, and it actually explained that since I was making under the standard deduction, I could adjust my W-4 to have minimal withholding. Saved me from having my money sitting with the IRS until tax season!
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Victoria Brown
•How does this actually work? Do you just take pictures of your documents or do you have to scan them? I'm starting a seasonal retail position next month and wondering if this would help me too.
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Samuel Robinson
•Sounds like an ad tbh. Does it actually give you different advice than what you'd get from the IRS calculator? I mean the standard deduction info is pretty basic tax knowledge.
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Laura Lopez
•You can either take clear pictures with your phone or upload scanned documents - both work great. The system can read and interpret pretty much any tax document or letter, and it's really straightforward to use. I tried the IRS withholding calculator before finding taxr.ai, but I found the IRS tool confusing with all those questions. Taxr.ai explained everything in regular language and actually gave me specific steps for my situation, not just general advice. The best part was being able to ask follow-up questions about my specific job scenario without having to understand all the tax terminology.
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Victoria Brown
Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai for my situation. It was exactly what I needed! I uploaded my job offer letter with payment details and explained I was a student being claimed as a dependent, and it walked me through exactly how to fill out my W-4. Turns out I don't need any withholding for federal taxes since I'll make under $12,000 this semester. It even helped me understand my state's withholding form which was completely different from the federal one. Definitely less stressful than trying to figure this out on my own!
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Camila Castillo
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Brianna Muhammad
•How exactly does this work? Is it some kind of premium line to the IRS? I don't understand how a third party can get you through faster when the IRS phone system is notoriously terrible.
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JaylinCharles
•Yeah right. Nobody gets through to the IRS that fast. I've literally spent entire days trying to reach someone. Sounds like snake oil to me.
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Camila Castillo
•It's not a premium line - they use technology to navigate the IRS phone tree and wait on hold for you. Once they reach an agent, they call you and connect you directly. They're basically waiting in the phone queue so you don't have to. The reason it works is because they have systems that can stay on hold indefinitely while monitoring when a human picks up. I was skeptical at first too, but after wasting an entire afternoon on hold myself, I gave it a shot. They called me when they reached an agent, and I was connected right away. The IRS rep I spoke with answered my specific questions about temporary work and dependent status - saved me from making mistakes on my forms.
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JaylinCharles
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Eloise Kendrick
As a student, make sure you also look into education tax credits that your parents might be eligible for since they're claiming you. The American Opportunity Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit can be pretty significant. Don't miss out on those if you're paying tuition!
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KaiEsmeralda
•Thank you for mentioning this! I have been paying some tuition out of pocket (along with my parents helping). Do you know if I need to give them any specific documentation for them to claim those education credits?
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Eloise Kendrick
•Your school should send a Form 1098-T either to you or your parents showing tuition paid during the year. Make sure they get that form for their tax return. It's also helpful to provide them with receipts for any required course materials like textbooks, as those can sometimes be included in the credit calculation. Keep good records of all education expenses, and pass those along to your parents since they're the ones who will claim the credits on their return when they claim you as a dependent.
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Lucas Schmidt
When I was in ur situation I just put "EXEMPT" on my w4 (there should be a place for this on the form). That way they don't take any federal taxes out at all. Just be aware they'll still take out Social Security and Medicare taxes no matter what (those are different
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Freya Collins
•Isn't that only if you had no tax liability last year AND expect none this year? I think there are specific requirements for claiming exempt.
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LongPeri
Unrelated to the withholding question, but make sure your parents understand how claiming you impacts their taxes vs you filing independently. Sometimes parents claim kids without actually running the numbers both ways. In some situations, it might be better overall if they don't claim you, but you'd need to talk with them about it.
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