Can I submit Social Security tax withholding forms online or need to visit SSA office?

You don't need to go to an SSA office for this! Your mom can complete Form W-4V (Voluntary Withholding Request) to have federal taxes withheld from her benefits. She can download and print the form from the IRS website, fill it out (she can choose 7%, 10%, 12%, or 22% withholding), and then mail it to her local Social Security office. Unfortunately, SSA doesn't currently allow electronic submission of the W-4V form - it must be mailed or delivered in person. If she has a my Social Security account, she can't submit the form there, but she can see other tax documents like her SSA-1099 benefit statement when tax season comes around.

my aunt tried doing this online last yr and couldnt. had to print form and mail it. took foreeeever to process tho, like 6 weeks!!! might wanna do it asap if ur mom wants withholding for this tax year

Actually, I think you CAN do this online now! I just helped my father-in-law set up tax withholding through his my Social Security account last month. They've updated some features recently. Have her log in (or create an account if she doesn't have one) and look under the Benefits & Payments section. There should be an option for tax withholding preferences. Much easier than the paper form route!

I HATE dealing with SSA paperwork!!! spent 4 hours on hold last week just trying to get someone to explain my medicare premium increase. absolute nightmare. who has time for this??

Just a thought - your mom might want to calculate whether she actually needs withholding from her SS benefits. Depending on her total income, she might not need to withhold anything from SS specifically. My mom was withholding unnecessarily for years and basically giving the government an interest-free loan until tax time! She now just adjusts her withholding at her part-time job instead.

To directly answer your question - no, you cannot currently submit tax withholding requests for Social Security benefits online. Here's the exact process: 1. Download Form W-4V from irs.gov 2. Complete the form (your mom will need her Social Security number and to select a withholding percentage) 3. Mail or hand-deliver the completed form to your local Social Security office The processing time is typically 30-45 days for the withholding to take effect. For future reference, your mom can change or stop the withholding at any time by submitting a new W-4V form. If she hasn't already, I strongly recommend your mom create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov. While she can't submit the W-4V online, the account allows access to benefit verification letters, direct deposit changes, and address updates without calling or visiting an office.

One more thing to know - if your mom is receiving both Social Security retirement and a pension from work where she didn't pay Social Security taxes (like some government jobs), she might be subject to WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) or GPO (Government Pension Offset). This could affect her tax situation differently. Just something to be aware of when calculating her potential tax liability.

btw my grandpa said if ur mom doesnt do withholding she might have to do quarterly estimated tax payments instead. just fyi. tax stuff is so confusing with ss benefits!!!