How to Fill out a W-4 Form- Employee's Withholding Certificate

If you are formally employed and it is tax time, you may find that you need to fill out and submit a W-4 form. Usually, your employer will use the W-4 form that they have on file for you, but if you have changed jobs, you will need to fill in a new W-4 form.

Fortunately, with so many tools to help, the process of filling out a W-4 form is not overly complicated. Here, we will share with you how to fill out a W-4 form, but let's start with what it is.

What is a Form W-4?

The form W-4 form often has the title "Employee's Withholding Certificate". It is an IRS form that helps your employer determine how much tax they will withhold from your paycheck. As an employee, you will fill out this form once and your employer will use the information that you provide to determine how much taxes they remit to the IRS or the state.

How to Download Form W-4

You can download form W-4 directly from the IRS website or the official website for your State if applicable. There is also a lot of tax support software that will allow you to download the W-4 form directly. Once downloaded, you can use a PDF program to fill out the form before submitting it to your employer.

When Do I Need to Fill Out a Form W-4?

Form W-4 is an IRS tax form that is filled by an employee so that their employer can have the information they need to withhold taxes from their paycheck. So, this is a tax form that you will fill out if you are formally employed. Usually, employees will be required to fill out a W-4 form as soon as they are employed and the employer will use the form on file as long as the employee is working at their organization.

If you have already filled a Form W-4 for your employer, chances are that you will not need to fill a new one every tax season, your employer will just use the one they have on file. But you may need to fill out a Form W-4 if the information in the old one needs updating or if you have changed jobs and you are yet to provide your tax information to your new employer.

The Best PDF Editor to Fill Out W-4 form

UPDF focuses on simplicity and therefore has the potential to make it very easy for you to deal with PDF documents. UPDF can be useful in several situations, allowing you to view, annotate, convert, edit, OCR, protect, and organize PDFs quickly and easily. The main advantage of choosing UPDF over other PDF editing tools is its very simple user interface that makes editing PDFs as simple as working with Word documents.

The following is a breakdown of all the standout features that you can expect when you choose UPDF;

• It is the perfect tool to read and annotate PDFs. There are numerous annotation features to choose from, allowing you to collaborate and share a PDF document with others more easily.
• It is also a great tool for the conversion of PDF files to other formats. You can use it to convert PDF documents to popular formats like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, and most image formats.
• It is the most ideal solution for editing a W-4 form as it allows you to directly edit the text on the PDF document without leaving the PDF.
• It also facilitates the easy sharing of any PDF documents that you work with in various ways directly from UPDF.

How to Fill Form W-4

Once you download the W-4 form onto your computer, you can use UPDF to fill in and sign the form before sending it to your employer. UPDF makes this process very simple.

The following is a simple step-by-step guide to help you fill out a W-4 form;

Step 1: Open the W-4 Form

Open UPDF on your computer and then open the W-4 form PDF by clicking the "Open File" on the main interface.

Step 2: How can I fill out the W-4 form

Once the form becomes fillable, you can then provide all the information that is needed.

Start with the personal information required including your name, address, social security number, and tax filing status.

Then provide all other information that is required including information about multiple jobs or if you are filing jointly with your spouse.

If you have any dependents, including children, you may also want to provide this information on the form.

Step 3: How do I sign the W-4 form?

Once you have provided all the information that is required, you will need to authenticate the form by adding your signature.

UPDF makes this very easy, just click on "Comment" in the left toolbar. Then tap the "Signature" at the top of the page and then either draw the signature you would like to use or select create a signature. Click signature to add the signature to the W-4 form.

Step 4: Share the PDF Form

Once everything is in order, you can share the form with others including your employer. To do that easily, click on "Share with others" or "Send file by email" on the right panel and follow the instructions to share the form.

Video Tutorial on How to Fill Out a PDF Form

Common Mistakes to Avoid when Filing Out Form W-4

If it is your first time filling out a W-4 form, the following common mistakes are likely to crop up;

• Filling out incorrect income numbers. When filling out a W-4 form, all income must be reported in full including any wages, interest, and dividends that you may earn.
• Forgetting to declare your dependency status. You are a dependent if you are a child or relative of a taxpayer and claiming this status can reduce the income that is subject to taxation.
• Choosing the wrong filing status. The filing statuses you can choose from including single, married and filing jointly, married and filing separately, head of household, or qualifying widow or widower with dependent. Knowing your filing status in advance can help you avoid a lot of problems later.
• Filing too early is a common mistake that may cause you to leave out some important information.
• Equally problematic is submitting your filing returns too late. This can lead to various kinds of penalties.

Conclusion

Filling out a W-4 form or any other type of tax return can be difficult especially if it is your first time. A tool like UPDF, when used correctly can significantly simplify the process, allowing you to focus on providing the most relevant information to the IRS. But when in doubt, it is a good idea to seek professional help as this may save you a lot of problems when filing your taxes.