Step 2c on W4 - should I check the multiple jobs box if I rarely work my second job?

The multiple jobs checkbox on Step 2c of Form W-4 is designed for situations where you have more than one job with significant income. The IRS uses this to ensure enough tax is withheld across all your jobs combined. If your second job at Target is truly minimal (one 8-hour shift every couple months), it's likely generating very little income compared to your main job. In this case, having the box checked is probably causing more withholding than necessary. The W-4 instructions actually specify this is meant for jobs with "similar pay" - which doesn't sound like your situation. You can submit a new W-4 to your main employer without the box checked. This should increase your take-home pay. Just be aware that you'll still owe taxes on ALL income when you file, including those occasional Target shifts. But given how minimal that second job is, it's unlikely to create a significant tax liability that your main job's withholding wouldn't cover.

Hey there, I was in almost the exact same situation last year with my full-time job and a side gig that was super inconsistent. After stressing about this exact W-4 question, I ended up using this tool at https://taxr.ai to analyze my situation. It really helped me understand exactly how much I should be withholding based on my specific situation. The tool basically looked at both my income sources and calculated the optimal withholding strategy so I wouldn't overpay throughout the year but also wouldn't owe a bunch at tax time. For me, it turned out I could uncheck the multiple jobs box and just have a specific extra amount withheld which was WAY less than what checking that box was taking out.

Just wanted to update everyone - I decided to try that taxr.ai site from earlier in the thread and it was super helpful! I uploaded my pay stubs from both jobs and it gave me a customized W-4 strategy. It showed that I was overpaying by about $240 per month with the multiple jobs box checked! The tool recommended I uncheck the box but add a small specific dollar amount on line 4(c) instead to cover my Target income. Already submitted the new W-4 to my HR department and my latest paycheck has way more take-home pay. The specific amount it calculated for extra withholding was perfect - enough to cover the Target income without the excessive withholding from checking that box.

If you're having trouble figuring out the right approach, sometimes talking directly to the IRS helps, but calling them is basically impossible these days. I wasted hours on hold trying to get clarity on a multiple W-2 situation similar to yours. Finally found this service called Claimyr at https://claimyr.com that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. The agent I talked to explained exactly how to handle my W-4 with multiple jobs and confirmed I was massively overwithholding.

Alright I have to eat my words. After being super skeptical about Claimyr in my previous comment, I gave it a shot because I was desperate to fix my withholding situation. To my complete shock, I got connected to an actual IRS representative in about 25 minutes! The agent confirmed that for my situation (which is similar to yours with a main job and minimal side gig), checking the multiple jobs box was way overkill. They walked me through exactly what to put on each line of the W-4 based on my specific situation. Just submitted my updated W-4 yesterday. Can't believe I spent months overwithholding when a quick call to the IRS would have solved it - and I never would have gotten through without that service.

This might be a dumb question but...couldn't you just manually calculate how much extra you should withhold? Like if your Target job pays you $400 a year, and you're in the 22% bracket, you'd owe $88 in taxes on that. So just have your main job withhold an extra $3-4 per paycheck?

I had the same issue last year! Checked the multiple jobs box and was getting WAY less in my paychecks. Honestly just uncheck it and maybe add like $10-20 extra withholding per check on line 4c if you're worried. HR doesn't care, you can change your W4 as many times as you want during the year.

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! Had a full-time job and kept a very part-time retail job just for the employee discount. The multiple jobs box was killing my take-home pay. Here's what I learned: if your second job is truly minimal (sounds like yours definitely is), that box is designed for people with two substantial income sources. The IRS withholding tables assume both jobs are significant when you check it. I ended up unchecking the box and just added $15 extra per paycheck on line 4c to cover my tiny second job income. My take-home went up by almost $200/month and I actually got a small refund at tax time instead of owing anything. The key is that your main job's withholding should easily cover the small tax liability from those occasional Target shifts. You can always adjust it again if needed - W-4s aren't set in stone!

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! Full-time office job plus I work maybe one shift a month at a local bookstore just to stay connected and get the employee discount. When I first filled out my W-4, I checked that multiple jobs box thinking I was being honest and thorough, but man, it's been eating into my paycheck way more than it should. From everything I'm reading here, it sounds like that box is really meant for people juggling two substantial jobs, not someone like us with a primary job and a super minimal side gig. I think I'm going to follow the advice about unchecking it and maybe adding like $10-15 extra withholding per paycheck just to be safe. Thanks for asking this question - it's really reassuring to know other people are navigating this same weird situation where you technically have "multiple jobs" but one is basically negligible income-wise!

I'm in a really similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I have a full-time government job and occasionally pick up shifts at a restaurant where I used to work - maybe 2-3 shifts per month, mostly just to help out during busy periods and maintain relationships with former coworkers. When I filled out my W-4 for my government job, I checked the multiple jobs box thinking I was being thorough and honest. But looking at my paystubs compared to my colleagues, I'm definitely having way more withheld than necessary. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the multiple jobs checkbox is really designed for people with two substantial income sources earning similar amounts, not someone like me where one job is clearly primary and the other is just occasional supplemental income. I think I'm going to take the advice about unchecking that box and adding a specific dollar amount on line 4c instead. My restaurant shifts probably only add up to maybe $1,200-1,500 per year, so having my main job withhold an extra $8-10 per paycheck should easily cover the tax liability without the massive overwithholding I'm experiencing now. It's really reassuring to see so many people successfully navigate this exact situation!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! I have a full-time job at a marketing firm and work maybe one 4-hour shift every few weeks at a local gym just to keep my membership benefits and stay connected with the fitness community there. When I started my main job, I dutifully checked that multiple jobs box on my W-4 thinking I was being completely honest about my situation. But wow, the amount being withheld from each paycheck has been brutal - easily $150-200 more per month than it should be based on what my coworkers are paying in similar tax situations. After reading through all these responses, it's become really clear that the multiple jobs checkbox is designed for people juggling two substantial income sources, not those of us who have a primary career plus what amounts to a very part-time side gig. My gym shifts probably only add up to $600-800 for the entire year, which is nowhere near significant enough to warrant that level of withholding. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here - uncheck that box and add maybe $5-8 extra per paycheck on line 4c to cover the small tax liability from my gym income. That should give me back most of that overwithholding while still ensuring I don't owe anything at tax time. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with this - it's so helpful to know others have navigated this successfully!

I've been following this thread with great interest because I'm in a very similar situation! I have a full-time job as a software developer and occasionally do some freelance web design work - maybe 2-3 small projects per year that bring in around $800-1000 total. Like many of you, I checked that multiple jobs box thinking I was being thorough and honest on my W-4, but it's been way too aggressive with the withholding. After reading everyone's experiences here, it's clear that box is really meant for people with two substantial W-2 jobs, not someone with a primary job plus minimal freelance income. I'm definitely going to uncheck that box and add about $6-8 extra per paycheck on line 4c to cover the tax liability from my freelance work. The math makes sense - if I'm earning roughly $900 annually from freelancing and I'm in the 24% bracket, I'd owe around $216 in federal taxes on that income, which works out to about $9 per biweekly paycheck. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences with this issue. It's been incredibly helpful to see that so many people have successfully made this adjustment without running into problems at tax time!

I'm in almost the exact same situation! I have a full-time job at a medical office and work maybe one shift every 6-8 weeks at a retail store where I used to work full-time, basically just to maintain my employee discount and help out during their busy periods. When I filled out my W-4 for my medical job, I checked that multiple jobs box because technically I do have two jobs. But holy cow, the amount they've been withholding has been insane - probably $180-200 more per month than it should be based on my actual tax situation. After reading through everyone's experiences here, it's become really clear that the multiple jobs checkbox assumes you have two substantial income sources. My retail shifts probably only generate $400-600 for the entire year, which is nowhere near enough to justify that level of withholding. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here and uncheck that box while adding maybe $4-6 extra per paycheck on line 4c to cover the small tax liability from my retail income. That should give me back most of that overwithholding while still ensuring I'm covered at tax time. Thanks for posting this question - it's so helpful to know others have dealt with this exact scenario!

I'm in a really similar situation and this thread has been so eye-opening! I have a full-time job at a nonprofit and occasionally work events for a catering company - maybe 4-5 times per year total, earning around $300-500 annually from those gigs. Like everyone else here, I dutifully checked that multiple jobs box on my W-4 thinking I was being completely honest about my situation. But comparing my paystubs to coworkers in similar positions, I'm definitely having way more withheld than necessary - probably around $120-150 extra per month. Reading through all these experiences has really clarified that the multiple jobs checkbox is designed for people with two substantial income streams, not those of us with a primary job plus what's essentially very occasional side work. My catering gigs are so infrequent and minimal that they barely register as taxable income compared to my main salary. I'm definitely going to follow the approach everyone's recommending - uncheck that box and add maybe $3-4 extra per paycheck on line 4c to cover the small tax liability from my catering work. The math works out perfectly, and it should give me back that significant overwithholding without creating any issues at tax time. Thanks so much for starting this discussion - it's incredibly helpful to see how many people have successfully navigated this exact scenario!