Started a part time job, but they haven't taken any federal taxes out at all?

This is actually pretty common with part-time jobs! The amount of federal tax withheld depends on how you filled out your W-4 form and how much you earn each pay period. For many part-time workers with lower earnings per paycheck, the standard deduction ($13,850 for single filers in 2025) is larger than what you'd make in a year at that job, so the payroll system calculates that you wouldn't owe federal income tax on just that income. That's why you're still seeing Social Security and Medicare taxes (FICA) being withheld - those start from the first dollar earned, but federal income tax has thresholds. If this is a second job, though, you might want to adjust your W-4 to account for your total income from all jobs. You can ask your employer for a new W-4 form or download one from the IRS website to update your withholding information.

I had a similar situation and found that https://taxr.ai helped me figure out exactly what was going on with my withholding. I was confused because one of my jobs wasn't taking out federal taxes either, and I wanted to know if I was going to get hit with a big bill at tax time. The tool analyzed my pay stubs and tax situation and explained that my part-time job wasn't withholding federal tax because of how I'd filled out my W-4 and because the payroll system was calculating withholding based just on what I made at that job. It predicted how much I'd likely owe at tax time considering all my income sources together. Really helped me understand what was happening and what I needed to change to avoid owing a bunch when filing.

Just wanted to update on my experience with taxr.ai after trying it based on the recommendation here. I was initially concerned about security, but after researching their encryption standards I gave it a try. The tool immediately identified why my second job wasn't withholding - turns out I had checked the "multiple jobs" box on my main job's W-4 but not on my part-time job's form. It showed me exactly how to update my W-4 for the part-time position to avoid a tax bill next year. Super helpful and straightforward! Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about withholding across multiple jobs.

If you're having trouble getting this resolved through your employer's payroll department, I've had great success using https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual IRS agent who explained the withholding requirements for multiple jobs. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I spent weeks trying to get through to the IRS on my own with no luck (kept getting disconnected or told to call back later). Claimyr got me connected to an IRS representative in about 20 minutes who walked me through exactly what I needed to do with my W-4 forms for both jobs to get the right withholding amount. Saved me so much frustration and I finally got a clear answer directly from the IRS about how to handle multiple job withholding.

I have to eat my words here. After my skeptical comment earlier, I decided to try Claimyr out of desperation. I'd been trying to reach the IRS for THREE MONTHS about a similar withholding issue with multiple jobs. Honestly, I couldn't believe it when my phone rang and there was an actual IRS agent on the line! Got connected in about 40 minutes. The agent pulled up my tax records and explained exactly why my second job wasn't withholding properly - turns out there's a specific way to fill out the W-4 when you have multiple jobs to ensure enough is withheld from each paycheck. Definitely saved me from a surprise tax bill. Wish I'd known about this service months ago instead of wasting hours redialing the IRS!

If this is just a very small side job, another option is to just make quarterly estimated tax payments to cover what's not being withheld. I have a part-time gig that doesn't withhold anything, so every quarter I just make a payment through the IRS Direct Pay website. It's pretty straightforward - you calculate roughly what you'll owe on that income and make 4 payments throughout the year. Saves having to mess with changing your W-4 if it's just a small amount.

This happened to me too! If you filled out your W-4 with the "Multiple Jobs" box checked on your main job, you're supposed to leave it unchecked on the second job. There's also a place on your W-4 where you can just request additional withholding from each paycheck. I ended up asking my main job to withhold an extra $25 per paycheck to cover what my part time job wasn't withholding. Easier than trying to get the part time job to set up withholding correctly.

I had this exact same situation with my part-time retail job! What helped me was looking at my W-4 form that I filled out when I started. If you claimed too many allowances or filled it out assuming this was your only job, that could explain why no federal taxes are being withheld. The good news is you can update your W-4 at any time - just ask HR or your manager for a new form. Since you mentioned this is a side job, you'll want to be extra careful about the "Multiple Jobs" section. The IRS has a really helpful online calculator called the Tax Withholding Estimator that can help you figure out exactly what to put on your W-4 based on both jobs. Also, keep in mind that even if nothing is being withheld now, you're not necessarily in trouble - you might just need to pay a bit more when you file taxes. But getting the withholding fixed now will definitely save you from a bigger bill later!

You're absolutely right to be concerned about this! I went through the exact same thing with my part-time job last year. The key thing to understand is that federal tax withholding is based on what your employer's payroll system thinks you'll earn for the entire year from that job alone. If you're only making around $2,100 total from this part-time position, the payroll system is calculating that you won't owe federal income tax on that amount (since it's well below the standard deduction). That's why you're still seeing FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) - those are calculated differently and start from dollar one. However, since this is a second job, your total income from both jobs combined might put you in a situation where you'll owe taxes at filing time. I'd definitely recommend updating your W-4 at the part-time job to account for your multiple income sources. You can either use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator online to figure out the right amounts, or simply request additional withholding of a specific dollar amount per paycheck. Don't panic though - even if you end up owing some money at tax time, as long as it's not a huge amount, you likely won't face penalties. But getting your withholding sorted out now will definitely save you from any surprises!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Just started a seasonal job in November and noticed they haven't withheld any federal taxes from my paychecks either, even though I've earned about $1,500 so far. What's been really helpful reading through these responses is understanding that the payroll system at each job calculates withholding based only on what you earn at that specific job, not your total income from all sources. So if your part-time earnings alone are below certain thresholds, no federal tax gets withheld even though you might owe when combining all your income. I'm planning to use that IRS Tax Withholding Estimator tool that several people mentioned to figure out how much extra I should have withheld. The idea of just requesting a specific dollar amount per paycheck sounds much simpler than trying to navigate all those W-4 worksheets for multiple jobs. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's reassuring to know this is actually pretty common and there are straightforward ways to fix it before tax season!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my weekend retail job isn't withholding any federal taxes despite earning about $1,800 over the past few months. Reading through everyone's experiences really clarifies what's happening. It sounds like the main issue is that each employer's payroll system calculates withholding based only on what you earn at that specific job, not your total income from all sources. So even though my weekend earnings combined with my main job will definitely put me in a tax bracket where I'll owe money, the part-time employer's system sees my low earnings there and assumes I won't owe federal taxes. I'm definitely going to try the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator that several people recommended before updating my W-4. The option to just request a specific additional dollar amount per paycheck sounds much more straightforward than trying to figure out all the multiple jobs worksheets. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's really reassuring to know this is a common situation with practical solutions!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with my part-time coffee shop job - been working there since October and just realized they haven't withheld any federal taxes from my $1,400 in earnings so far. What really clicked for me from reading everyone's experiences is understanding that the payroll system at each job operates independently. My coffee shop's system sees my relatively low earnings there and calculates that I won't owe federal income tax on just that amount, even though when combined with my full-time salary, I definitely will. I'm going to use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator this weekend to figure out exactly how much extra I should have withheld. The idea of just adding a specific dollar amount per paycheck sounds so much simpler than trying to navigate those multiple jobs worksheets on the W-4. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and solutions - it's really comforting to know this is a common issue with straightforward fixes. Better to handle it now than get surprised at tax time!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Started a part-time tutoring job in October and just noticed they haven't withheld any federal taxes from my paychecks either, even though I've made about $1,900 so far. Reading through all these responses has been so enlightening - I had no idea that each employer's payroll system only looks at what you earn at that specific job when calculating withholding. So my tutoring income alone is below the threshold where federal taxes would be withheld, but combined with my main job, I'll definitely owe something at tax time. I'm planning to use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator this week to figure out how much extra I should have withheld. The suggestion about just requesting additional withholding from my main job rather than trying to coordinate W-4 changes at both places sounds like the way to go. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's such a relief to know this is normal and fixable! Much better to deal with it now than get hit with a surprise bill in April.