After a new job or a major income change, the Internal Revenue Service recommends checking your federal tax withholding. Its Tax Withholding Estimator can help you work out what your employer should withhold and generate a form to give the employer if you decide to make a change.

Check eligibility and gather your records

You can use the tool if you have a W-2 job, or a pension or annuity with federal income tax withholding. It is not for people with nonresident status for U.S. tax purposes.

Have these records ready:

  • Your most recent paystubs for your jobs, pensions or annuities.
  • Your spouse's most recent paystubs for those income sources if you expect to file jointly.

If you have other income or expect to itemize deductions, the IRS also lists your latest federal tax return and payment records for self-employment, gig work or Social Security. Have expense records available if you plan to itemize deductions or claim adjustments.

Run the estimate, then submit the form

Open the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator page[1] and select Start your estimate. The tool asks about you and your spouse, your income, and the adjustments, deductions or credits you expect to claim. The IRS estimates that it takes about 25 minutes.

It does not ask for your name, Social Security number, address or bank-account numbers. The IRS says your responses are not saved or shared with the agency, and closing the browser window clears them.

If you decide to change withholding, use the result to generate and download a pre-filled Form W-4 or Form W-4P. Give it to your employer or pension provider, including through its payroll or human-resources system.

Depending on the result, an adjustment may help avoid having too little tax withheld or reduce excessive withholding. Withholding less can mean a bigger paycheck now and a smaller refund later.

Know when to check again

The IRS recommends a check every January, as well as after major changes such as marriage, divorce or separation, a birth or adoption, or a home purchase. If you change withholding during the year, you may need to update it again in late December for the following year.