How to increase tax withholding on Social Security benefits - where to send W-4V form?
I need to increase the tax withholding on my Social Security retirement benefits because I'm tired of owing the IRS every April. I downloaded and filled out Form W-4V to request 15% withholding, but the instructions aren't clear on where to actually send the completed form. The SSA website just says to return it to my 'local Social Security office' but doesn't give specific mailing addresses. I tried calling but keep getting disconnected after waiting 45+ minutes. Has anyone successfully submitted this form recently? Did you mail it or drop it off in person? Any help appreciated before tax season catches me unprepared again!
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Nathan Kim
You need to mail it to your local Social Security office. You can find the mailing address by going to the SSA office locator on their website (https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp), enter your zip code, and it will show you the address of your local office. Don't forget to sign the form - they'll reject it without a signature. I increased my withholding last year from 10% to 15% and it took about 3-4 weeks to process.
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Gavin King
•Thank you! I didn't even think to check the office locator for the mailing address. How long did it take for the increased withholding to show up in your monthly payments after you submitted the form?
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Eleanor Foster
i took mine in person to the office just to be sure they got it. had to wait like 2 hrs but at least i knew it was done right
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Lucas Turner
•This is actually the best approach. I mailed mine in and then found out 2 months later they never received it! Had to start all over again. The SSA is drowning in paperwork and mail can easily get lost. If you bring it in person, ask for a receipt or some kind of confirmation they received it.
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Kai Rivera
THEY MAKE EVERYTHING SO COMPLICATED!!! I've been trying to change my withholding for MONTHS and keep getting runaround. First they said they never got my form. Then they said I filled it out wrong. Then they said there's a backlog. I'm STILL paying too little and will owe AGAIN this year. The whole system is BROKEN!!!
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Anna Stewart
•Same thing happened to my brother. He ended up owing $2700 to the IRS because his withholding never got updated even though he sent the form twice. Social security is so backed up with everything these days.
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Layla Sanders
I was having the same issue last month trying to figure out where to send my W-4V. I found this service called Claimyr that helped me actually reach a live person at SSA to ask about this. It's at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. I was skeptical but got through to SSA in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours. The agent told me exactly where to send my form and confirmed when they received it.
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Gavin King
•Thanks for the tip! I'll check out that service. At this point I'm willing to try anything to actually talk to a human at SSA.
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Morgan Washington
Just to clarify some points about tax withholding on Social Security benefits: 1. Form W-4V allows you to request withholding at 7%, 10%, 12%, or 22% of your monthly benefit. 2. You can submit this form by mail or in person to your local SSA office. 3. Processing typically takes 30-45 days for the withholding to appear on your payments. 4. If you're worried about underpayment penalties, remember you can also make quarterly estimated tax payments directly to the IRS using Form 1040-ES as another option. 5. Resubmit your W-4V if you don't see the withholding change after 45 days. I'm a retired tax preparer who specialized in senior tax issues, and I've helped many clients with this exact situation.
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Anna Stewart
•Wait I thought you could only do 7% or 10%? Did they change the percentages recently? I need to check my withholding now...
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Eleanor Foster
make sure u keep a copy of everything u send them!! they lost my paperwork twice
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Gavin King
Update: I used the office locator and found my local SSA office address. I'm going to go in person tomorrow with my completed W-4V form and request a receipt. Thanks everyone for your help! Hoping to get this resolved before the next tax year starts.
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Nathan Kim
•Good choice going in person. One more tip - go early! Most SSA offices get very crowded by mid-morning. If you can get there right when they open (usually 9am), you'll have a much shorter wait.
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