W-4 Employee�s Withholding Allowance Certificate

Form W-4 (2009)
Purpose. Complete Form W-4 so that your
employer can withhold the correct federal income
tax from your pay. Consider completing a new
Form W-4 each year and when your personal or
financial situation changes.
Exemption from withholding. If you are
exempt, complete only lines 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7
and sign the form to validate it. Your exemption
for 2009 expires February 16, 2010. See
Pub. 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax.
Note. You cannot claim exemption from
withholding if (a) your income exceeds $950
and includes more than $300 of unearned
income (for example, interest and dividends)
and (b) another person can claim you as a
dependent on their tax return.
Basic instructions. If you are not exempt,
complete the Personal Allowances Worksheet
below. The worksheets on page 2 further adjust
your withholding allowances based on itemized
deductions, certain credits, adjustments to
income, or two-earner/multiple job situations.

Complete all worksheets that apply. However, you
may claim fewer (or zero) allowances. For regular
wages, withholding must be based on allowances
you claimed and may not be a flat amount or
percentage of wages.
Head of household. Generally, you may claim
head of household filing status on your tax
return only if you are unmarried and pay more
than 50% of the costs of keeping up a home
for yourself and your dependent(s) or other
qualifying individuals. See Pub. 501,
Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing
Information, for information.
Tax credits. You can take projected tax
credits into account in figuring your allowable
number of withholding allowances. Credits for
child or dependent care expenses and the
child tax credit may be claimed using the
Personal Allowances Worksheet below. See
Pub. 919, How Do I Adjust My Tax
Withholding, for information on converting
your other credits into withholding allowances.
Nonwage income. If you have a large amount
of nonwage income, such as interest or

dividends, consider making estimated tax
payments using Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax
for Individuals. Otherwise, you may owe
additional tax. If you have pension or annuity
income, see Pub. 919 to find out if you should
adjust your withholding on Form W-4 or W-4P.
Two earners or multiple jobs. If you have a
working spouse or more than one job, figure
the total number of allowances you are entitled
to claim on all jobs using worksheets from only
one Form W-4. Your withholding usually will
be most accurate when all allowances are
claimed on the Form W-4 for the highest
paying job and zero allowances are claimed on
the others. See Pub. 919 for details.
Nonresident alien. If you are a nonresident
alien, see the Instructions for Form 8233
before completing this Form W-4.
Check your withholding. After your Form W-4
takes effect, use Pub. 919 to see how the
amount you are having withheld compares to
your projected total tax for 2009. See Pub.
919, especially if your earnings exceed
$130,000 (Single) or $180,000 (Married).

Personal Allowances Worksheet (Keep for your records.)
A

Enter “1” for yourself if no one else can claim you as a dependent
● You are single and have only one job; or
B Enter “1” if:
● You are married, have only one job, and your spouse does not work; or
● Your wages from a second job or your spouse’s wages (or the total of both) are $1,500 or less.

$

A

%

B

C Enter “1” for your spouse. But, you may choose to enter “-0-” if you are married and have either a working spouse or
C
more than one job. (Entering “-0-” may help you avoid having too little tax withheld.)
D
D Enter number of dependents (other than your spouse or yourself) you will claim on your tax return
E
E Enter “1” if you will file as head of household on your tax return (see conditions under Head of household above)
F
F Enter “1” if you have at least $1,800 of child or dependent care expenses for which you plan to claim a credit
(Note. Do not include child support payments. See Pub. 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses, for details.)
G Child Tax Credit (including additional child tax credit). See Pub. 972, Child Tax Credit, for more information.
● If your total income will be less than $61,000 ($90,000 if married), enter “2” for each eligible child; then less “1” if you have three or more eligible children.
● If your total income will be between $61,000 and $84,000 ($90,000 and $119,000 if married), enter “1” for each eligible
G
child plus “1” additional if you have six or more eligible children.
H Add lines A through G and enter total here. (Note. This may be different from the number of exemptions you claim on your tax return.) © H
● If you plan to itemize or claim adjustments to income and want to reduce your withholding, see the Deductions
For accuracy,
and Adjustments Worksheet on page 2.
complete all
worksheets
● If you have more than one job or are married and you and your spouse both work and the combined earnings from all jobs exceed
$40,000 ($25,000 if married), see the Two-Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet on page 2 to avoid having too little tax withheld.
that apply.
● If neither of the above situations applies, stop here and enter the number from line H on line 5 of Form W-4 below.

$

Cut here and give Form W-4 to your employer. Keep the top part for your records.
Form

W-4

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

1

5
6
7

OMB No. 1545-0074

Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate
©

Whether you are entitled to claim a certain number of allowances or exemption from withholding is
subject to review by the IRS. Your employer may be required to send a copy of this form to the IRS.

Type or print your first name and middle initial.

Last name

2

2009

Your social security number

Home address (number and street or rural route)

3

City or town, state, and ZIP code

4 If your last name differs from that shown on your social security card,
check here. You must call 1-800-772-1213 for a replacement card. ©

Single
Married
Married, but withhold at higher Single rate.
Note. If married, but legally separated, or spouse is a nonresident alien, check the “Single” box.

5
Total number of allowances you are claiming (from line H above or from the applicable worksheet on page 2)
6
Additional amount, if any, you want withheld from each paycheck
I claim exemption from withholding for 2009, and I certify that I meet both of the following conditions for exemption.
● Last year I had a right to a refund of all federal income tax withheld because I had no tax liability and
● This year I expect a refund of all federal income tax withheld because I expect to have no tax liability.
©
If you meet both conditions, write “Exempt” here
7

$

Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this certificate and to the best of my knowledge and belief, it is true, correct, and complete.

Employee’s signature
(Form is not valid unless you sign it.)
8

©

Employer’s name and address (Employer: Complete lines 8 and 10 only if sending to the IRS.)

For Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see page 2.

Date
9 Office code (optional) 10

Cat. No. 10220Q

©

Employer identification number (EIN)

Form

W-4

(2009)

Form W-4 (2009)

Page

2

Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet
Note. Use this worksheet only if you plan to itemize deductions, claim certain credits, adjustments to income, or an additional standard deduction.
1 Enter an estimate of your 2009 itemized deductions. These include qualifying home mortgage interest,
charitable contributions, state and local taxes, medical expenses in excess of 7.5% of your income, and
miscellaneous deductions. (For 2009, you may have to reduce your itemized deductions if your income
is over $166,800 ($83,400 if married filing separately). See Worksheet 2 in Pub. 919 for details.)
1 $
$11,400 if married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er)
2 Enter:
$ 8,350 if head of household
2 $
$ 5,700 if single or married filing separately
3 Subtract line 2 from line 1. If zero or less, enter “-0-”
3 $
4 Enter an estimate of your 2009 adjustments to income and any additional standard deduction. (Pub. 919)
4 $
5 Add lines 3 and 4 and enter the total. (Include any amount for credits from Worksheet 8 in Pub. 919.)
5 $
6 Enter an estimate of your 2009 nonwage income (such as dividends or interest)
6 $
7 Subtract line 6 from line 5. If zero or less, enter “-0-”
7 $
8 Divide the amount on line 7 by $3,500 and enter the result here. Drop any fraction
8
9 Enter the number from the Personal Allowances Worksheet, line H, page 1
9
10 Add lines 8 and 9 and enter the total here. If you plan to use the Two-Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet,
also enter this total on line 1 below. Otherwise, stop here and enter this total on Form W-4, line 5, page 1 10

$

%

Two-Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet (See Two earners or multiple jobs on page 1.)
Note. Use this worksheet only if the instructions under line H on page 1 direct you here.
1 Enter the number from line H, page 1 (or from line 10 above if you used the Deductions and Adjustments Worksheet)
2 Find the number in Table 1 below that applies to the LOWEST paying job and enter it here. However, if
you are married filing jointly and wages from the highest paying job are $50,000 or less, do not enter more
than “3.”

1

2

3 If line 1 is more than or equal to line 2, subtract line 2 from line 1. Enter the result here (if zero, enter
“-0-”) and on Form W-4, line 5, page 1. Do not use the rest of this worksheet
3
Note. If line 1 is less than line 2, enter “-0-” on Form W-4, line 5, page 1. Complete lines 4–9 below to calculate the additional
withholding amount necessary to avoid a year-end tax bill.
4
5
6
7
8
9

Enter the number from line 2 of this worksheet
4
Enter the number from line 1 of this worksheet
5
Subtract line 5 from line 4
Find the amount in Table 2 below that applies to the HIGHEST paying job and enter it here
Multiply line 7 by line 6 and enter the result here. This is the additional annual withholding needed
Divide line 8 by the number of pay periods remaining in 2009. For example, divide by 26 if you are paid
every two weeks and you complete this form in December 2008. Enter the result here and on Form W-4,
line 6, page 1. This is the additional amount to be withheld from each paycheck

Table 1
Married Filing Jointly
If wages from LOWEST
paying job are—
$0 - $4,500
4,501 - 9,000
9,001 - 18,000
18,001 - 22,000
22,001 - 26,000
26,001 - 32,000
32,001 - 38,000
38,001 - 46,000
46,001 - 55,000
55,001 - 60,000
60,001 - 65,000
65,001 - 75,000
75,001 - 95,000
95,001 - 105,000
105,001 - 120,000
120,001 and over

Enter on
line 2 above
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

$
$

9

$

Table 2
All Others

If wages from LOWEST
paying job are—
$0
6,001
12,001
19,001
26,001
35,001
50,001
65,001
80,001
90,001
120,001

6
7
8

- $6,000
- 12,000
- 19,000
- 26,000
- 35,000
- 50,000
- 65,000
- 80,000
- 90,000
- 120,000
and over

Married Filing Jointly
Enter on
line 2 above

If wages from HIGHEST
paying job are—

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

$0 - $65,000
65,001 - 120,000
120,001 - 185,000
185,001 - 330,000
330,001 and over

Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We ask for the information on
this form to carry out the Internal Revenue laws of the United States. The Internal
Revenue Code requires this information under sections 3402(f)(2)(A) and 6109 and
their regulations. Failure to provide a properly completed form will result in your
being treated as a single person who claims no withholding allowances; providing
fraudulent information may also subject you to penalties. Routine uses of this
information include giving it to the Department of Justice for civil and criminal
litigation, to cities, states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. commonwealths and
possessions for use in administering their tax laws, and using it in the National
Directory of New Hires. We may also disclose this information to other countries
under a tax treaty, to federal and state agencies to enforce federal nontax criminal
laws, or to federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat terrorism.

All Others

If wages from HIGHEST
Enter on
line 7 above paying job are—
$550
910
1,020
1,200
1,280

$0 - $35,000
35,001 90,000
90,001 - 165,000
165,001 - 370,000
370,001 and over

Enter on
line 7 above
$550
910
1,020
1,200
1,280

You are not required to provide the information requested on a form that is
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act unless the form displays a valid OMB
control number. Books or records relating to a form or its instructions must be
retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of
any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax returns and return information are
confidential, as required by Code section 6103.
The average time and expenses required to complete and file this form will vary
depending on individual circumstances. For estimated averages, see the
instructions for your income tax return.
If you have suggestions for making this form simpler, we would be happy to hear
from you. See the instructions for your income tax return.