, officially known as the Employee’s Withholding Certificate, is an IRS tax form completed by employees in the United States to inform their employer of their tax situation so that the correct amount of federal income tax can be withheld from their paychecks. The form is typically submitted when starting a new job and is used by employers to calculate federal income tax withholding based on personal information such as filing status, number of dependents, and other financial details. The IRS released the updated 2026 version of Form W-4 on December 8, 2025, which includes revised instructions and worksheets to improve accuracy, especially for individuals with multiple jobs, dependents, or other income sources. To help ensure accurate withholding, the IRS recommends using the online Tax Withholding Estimator at www.irs.gov/W4App, particularly if you are starting the form mid-year or have changes in your financial situation.
How to complete a W4
If you have the dependent on your own W-4, you can keep that. Or you can change yours and have your spouse put the dependent. Just don't put it on both.
You don't count yourself as a dependent.
You should change your W-4 as well as hers to follow the instructions in part 2 for both of you having jobs.
More on reddit.comThe new W4 tax withholdings form sucks
How do I fill out my new W-4 form?
CMV: The United States W4 form should allow me to tell my employer exactly how much to withhold from my check.
OR prove to me there is a way to predict how much will be withheld based on how I fill out a W4 without first having to wait for a paycheck to come in.
Ask and you shall receive: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator
More on reddit.com