What's the correct way to fill out a W-4 when newly married with 2 jobs?

The W-4 can definitely be tricky when you're newly married with two jobs! Here's how to handle it: For the most accurate withholding, you'll want to use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator online. It's much easier than trying to figure out the worksheets manually. But if you prefer to do it yourself, here's what I recommend: For two jobs with similar income levels like yours, the easiest approach is for both of you to check the box in Step 2(c) on each of your W-4 forms. This tells your employers to withhold at a higher single rate. However, this method works best when both jobs have similar pay, which seems to be your case ($62k and $58k). If you want to be more precise, you can use the worksheet in Step 2(b) instead. This involves using the Multiple Jobs Worksheet or the tables in the W-4 instructions. It takes a bit more time but gives you a specific extra withholding amount for Step 4(c). Either way, only one of you should claim dependents (if any) in Step 3. If you both claim them, you'll underwithhold.

After struggling with the exact same W-4 marriage situation last year, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that totally saved me from the withholding nightmare. I uploaded my W-4 form and my spouse's income info, and it gave me specific instructions for exactly what to put on each line. What I liked most was that it showed me different scenarios - like if we both checked the Step 2(c) box versus using the more detailed worksheet approach. For us, it recommended using the worksheet and putting a specific additional withholding amount in Step 4(c), which worked out perfectly. We got a small refund instead of owing thousands like the previous year. The site also explained everything in normal human language instead of IRS-speak, which made the whole process way less stressful!

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that the other commenter mentioned! I was super skeptical at first since the IRS calculator had failed me before, but it actually worked really well for our situation. My husband and I both make around $65k, and the tool recommended we both check the Step 2(c) box but also add an additional $87 withholding on my form only (in Step 4c). We've been using this setup for two pay periods now, and when I compared the withholding to what we should need according to our expected tax liability, it's tracking almost perfectly. The explanation was really clear about why the standard "check box" approach might withhold slightly too little for our specific situation. Definitely less stressful than trying to decode the IRS worksheets on my own!

If you're struggling to get this right (like I was) and need to actually TALK to someone at the IRS about your specific situation, I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to call the IRS directly about my W-4 questions after getting married and couldn't get through. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. The agent walked me through exactly how to fill out the W-4 for our two-income household. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was honestly shocked it worked because I had tried calling the IRS for THREE DAYS before that and never got through. The IRS agent I talked to gave me specific guidance for our situation that I couldn't find anywhere online.

I need to eat crow here. After my skeptical comment earlier, I actually tried Claimyr because I was desperate to get some W-4 questions answered before our HR deadline this week. It legit worked. Got a call back in about 45 minutes (not quite 15, but still WAY faster than my previous attempts), and I spoke with an actual IRS representative who answered all my multiple jobs W-4 questions. She even explained why the W-4 calculator was giving me different results than what my HR department suggested. For my situation (married, both making about $70k), she recommended we both check the box in Step 2c AND add a small additional withholding amount. Completely different from what I was going to do. Probably saved me from a nasty tax bill next year.

One thing nobody mentioned yet - if your jobs have vastly different pay periods (like one is biweekly and one is monthly), or if one has bonuses and the other doesn't, the simple "check box in Step 2c" approach might not be accurate enough. In that case, definitely use either the IRS withholding calculator or the Multiple Jobs Worksheet. My spouse and I have a $55k and $120k income split, and we had to use the worksheet approach to get it right. Also, remember you can submit a new W-4 anytime during the year if you realize your withholding isn't on track!

dont forget to consider if either of u contribute to 401ks or hsas!!! that can change your withholding needs a LOT. made this mistake last yr after getting married. we both checked the box in step 2c but didn't account for our 401k contributions. ended up with a $3200 refund which was way too much money being held all year.

Great thread everyone! As someone who works in tax prep, I wanted to add a few practical tips for newly married couples: 1. **Timing matters** - If you got married late in the year (like November/December), your withholding for that year might already be mostly locked in. You'll want to be extra careful about 2025 planning. 2. **State taxes too** - Don't forget that some states have different rules for married couples. If you live in a state with income tax, make sure your state withholding is also adjusted accordingly. 3. **Quarterly check-ins** - I always tell my clients to review their withholding after each quarter, especially in their first year of marriage. Look at your paystubs and estimate where you'll land for the year. It's much easier to make small adjustments than to get hit with a big surprise in April. 4. **The "marriage penalty"** - For couples with similar incomes like yours ($62k and $58k), you might actually benefit slightly from being married (marriage bonus), but the withholding tables don't always account for this perfectly. The IRS estimator is definitely your best bet, but if the tech solutions others mentioned work for you, that's great too. Just make sure whatever method you use accounts for ALL your deductions - 401k, health insurance premiums, HSA contributions, etc.

Just went through this exact situation a few months ago! One thing I'd add to all the great advice here is to make sure you both update your W-4s at roughly the same time. My spouse updated theirs first in January, but I didn't get around to mine until March. During those two months, our withholding was completely out of whack because only one of us was using the married filing jointly rate while the other was still on single. It created this weird period where we were under-withholding significantly. Also, if either of you gets a raise or bonus during the year, revisit your W-4s immediately. We learned this the hard way when my husband got a promotion in August and suddenly our carefully calculated withholding was off again. The checkbox method in Step 2(c) really is the easiest for most people in your situation. Don't overthink it - you can always adjust if your first few paystubs show you're way off track. Better to start somewhere reasonable than to get paralyzed trying to get it perfect from day one!