Should I have zero federal tax withholdings with 3 kids under 12?

This actually makes perfect sense with your family situation! The Child Tax Credit is currently $2,000 per qualifying child under 17, so with three kids, that's $6,000 right there that directly reduces your tax liability (not just your taxable income). When you're married filing jointly with three young children and earning around $93,500, your standard deduction in 2025 will be approximately $29,200, which reduces your taxable income to about $64,300. The tax on this amount for married filing jointly would be roughly $7,300. Your Child Tax Credits of $6,000 would reduce this tax liability to only about $1,300. Many people also qualify for other credits like the Child and Dependent Care Credit if you pay for childcare. These additional credits could potentially reduce your liability to zero or even result in a refundable amount.

Hey guys, I went through EXACTLY the same freak-out moment last year! I have 2 kids and the IRS calculator told me to set withholding to $0. I was terrified but decided to try it out for a few months. I found this amazing tool at https://taxr.ai that let me upload my paystubs and run different withholding scenarios. It confirmed the IRS calculator was right - with multiple kids under 12, your tax credits often completely offset your tax liability at your income level. The tool even showed me how much I was essentially "loaning" to the government interest-free with my previous withholding. I ended up adjusting to have just $75 withheld per check as a safety buffer, and at tax time I still got a small refund of about $800.

Just wanted to follow up - I actually tried taxr.ai after posting my skeptical comment! Uploaded my last few paystubs and last year's return and it was eye-opening. Turns out I've been massively overwithholding (like $230 per paycheck too much) even with just one kid. I especially liked how it showed different scenarios side by side, like "if you want a $1000 refund, withhold X" vs "if you want to maximize monthly take-home pay, withhold Y." Made the whole decision much less stressful. Already adjusted my W-4 at work and seeing bigger paychecks now!

It's not just about the calculator results - it's about whether you can actually reach someone at the IRS if something goes wrong! I reduced my withholding based on their calculator too, but then had a tax issue when filing. Tried calling the IRS for WEEKS with no luck - constant busy signals or "call volume too high" messages. Finally used https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual human at the IRS. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. They basically keep dialing for you until they get through, then call you to connect. Saved me hours of frustration! The agent confirmed my withholding was correct and helped resolve my specific questions about the Child Tax Credit and how it affected my overall tax situation.

Update: I'm eating my words about Claimyr. After another week of failing to reach the IRS myself (and tax deadline approaching), I broke down and tried it. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 30 minutes without having to sit on hold! The agent confirmed what others here said - with three kids under 12 and income around $90k, having very low or zero withholding can be completely correct. She explained that the Child Tax Credit is specifically designed to offset tax liability for families like mine, and I was essentially giving the government an interest-free loan by overwithholding. Still adjusting to the idea of seeing bigger paychecks now instead of a refund later, but the math checks out. And being able to actually talk to someone official definitely gave me peace of mind.

Don't forget about state taxes!!! Even if your federal withholding might be zero, you probably still need state withholding. The IRS calculator only figures out federal taxes. Just wanna make sure ur not caught by surprise when April comes around.

Slightly different take - I was in almost your exact situation (3 kids, similar income) and did the zero withholding thing based on the IRS calculator. It was mathematically correct BUT it gave me serious anxiety all year knowing I wasn't "saving" for my tax bill. I ended up changing it back to a small withholding ($75/check) just for the peace of mind. If you're disciplined, you could take the extra money each check and put it in a high-yield savings account, then you'd actually earn interest on it instead of giving the government an interest-free loan. But honestly, sometimes the psychological comfort of knowing your taxes are "handled" is worth more than the small amount of interest.

I'm in a very similar boat - married with 2 kids under 10 and around $85k income. Just went through this exact same process and had the same "this can't be right" moment when the IRS calculator suggested minimal withholding! What helped me understand it was breaking down the actual numbers: with the standard deduction of ~$29k for married filing jointly, my taxable income drops significantly. Then the $4k in Child Tax Credits (2 kids x $2k each) essentially wipes out most of my remaining tax liability. I ended up compromising and setting my withholding to about $50 per paycheck - not because the math required it, but because I wanted a small safety net in case anything changed during the year (like if one of us picked up some freelance work or we had unexpected investment gains). The psychological peace of mind was worth the tiny bit of "inefficiency." You could always try the zero withholding for a few months and see how it feels, then adjust if needed. The beauty of the W-4 is you can change it anytime!

The IRS calculator is actually quite reliable for situations like yours! I had the same shock when it told me to withhold almost nothing with my 2 kids. What really helped me understand was realizing that the Child Tax Credit isn't just a deduction - it's a direct dollar-for-dollar reduction of your actual tax owed. With your $93,500 AGI and married filing jointly, after the standard deduction (~$29,200), you're looking at taxable income of around $64,300. The federal tax on that is roughly $7,300. But then your three kids give you $6,000 in Child Tax Credits, bringing your actual tax liability down to only about $1,300 for the entire year. If you're getting paid bi-weekly (26 paychecks), that's only $50 per paycheck you'd actually owe! So having zero withheld isn't crazy at all - you might even qualify for additional credits that could reduce it further. That said, I totally get the anxiety. I ended up withholding about $25 per paycheck just for peace of mind, even though the math said I didn't need to. Sometimes the psychological comfort is worth more than being mathematically perfect!

I totally understand the shock! I went through this exact same thing last year with my 2 kids. The IRS calculator told me to withhold almost nothing and I was convinced it had to be wrong. What really helped me was understanding that the Child Tax Credit is refundable up to $1,600 per child if your tax liability is less than the full credit amount. So even if your actual tax owed ends up being zero, you could still get money back! I'd suggest doing a quick sanity check by looking at your prior year tax return. Look at line 24 (total tax) and compare it to your total credits. If your credits were close to or exceeded your tax liability, then zero withholding probably makes perfect sense. One thing to keep in mind though - make sure you're not missing any income sources. If you or your spouse have any side gigs, investment income, or other taxable income beyond your W-2, that could change the calculation significantly. I ended up going with about $40 per paycheck just to be safe, but honestly the IRS calculator has been spot-on for my situation. Trust the math, but don't feel bad about keeping a small buffer if it helps you sleep better at night!