


Wait, don't just stuff a copy of your 1040 in your files now that April 15 is over. You may want to sit down right now and do a paycheck checkup.

Seriously. Did you suddenly owe $3,000 when you typically expected a tax refund? Did you get much smaller refund than usual when you filed your 2018 tax return?

A lot could be out of whack when it comes to how much money you're withholding in payroll taxes. Some people are just fine; some clearly aren't. 

Next year, it's possible it could be worse for some taxpayers. Why? The new withholding table was in place for roughly nine months in 2018. This year, you could be going an entire year with having too little taxes being withheld — unless you take action.  

"The impact of the withholding changes will be amplified in 2019 because they will be in effect all 12 months of the year," according to H&R Block. 

More: Angry about your tax refund this year? You're not alone

More: You might need to plan for a smaller tax refund in 2019

It's impossible to generalize this tax season about the state of America's returns. But if you owed far more than you expected, you would want to take notice now. 

Take-home pay went up in 2018 once withholding tables were adjusted to reflect the lower tax rates in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

But in many cases, there was a mismatch because the tax rules changed so much and withholding tables don't reflect all the details of your financial life that influence your actual tax bill. 

Two common trouble spots: 

  • Two wage earners: The IRS notes that each job is withheld starting at the lowest tax rate. But if a married couple is filing a joint return, their actual tax is calculated on their combined income. And that often puts a married couple filing a joint return in a higher tax bracket.  
  • Itemizers: Your old withholding allowances might no longer really reflect what you're able to itemize under the new tax rules. 

For some tax filers, the extra money that ended up in their paychecks turned out to be more than the amount their taxes would have gone down under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, according to H&R Block data. 

Under the new tax rules, some people lost key tax benefits. Maybe your children are 17 or older and you don't get as big of a tax break. Maybe you now can only deduct up to $10,000 — and no more — for the money paid for state income taxes, local taxes and property taxes. 

It was estimated, for example, that more than 10 million taxpayers could have been affected by the new $10,000 limit on deductions for individuals for state and local taxes. 

It's a balancing act. 

There's a way to fix all that. It's called tinkering with your W-4 to change how much money you're having withheld for taxes from your paycheck. Here's how to take action: 

Here is where you need to start

You're going to need to fill out a new W-4 form with your employer if you want to have more — or less — money taken out for federal income taxes in 2019. 

Before you take that step, though, it may help to take a look at an online tool from the Internal Revenue Service called the "IRS Withholding Calculator." 

This isn't a one-two step. You're going to be asked a series of questions that can move you closer to withholding an amount that more accurately reflects your tax situation. 

"It does a pretty nice job walking you through how you complete a W-4," said Susan Allen, senior manager on the tax practice and ethics team at the American Institute of CPAs.

"It will get you thinking in the right direction."

If you receive pension income, the calculator can help you complete a W-4P form to give to the firm paying your pension. 

Here's the kind of information you will need 

To do your own "paycheck checkup," see and click on the Withholding Calculator. 

Five different screens of questions are involved in the process. Some are fairly easy. Filing single? Or married filing a joint return? 

How many jobs do you and your spouse have? Are you contributing to a tax-deferred 401(k) plan at work? How many dependents are you claiming on your tax return? 

But the calculator gets pretty detailed pretty quickly. 

"Expect it to take some level of effort. It is not something you run on your phone and do in five minutes. In essence, you are simulating your full-year taxes," said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist for Cox Automotive who used the calculator in 2018 to avoid any nasty tax surprises.

If you are accustomed to using tax software, Smoke said, you will be able to use the calculator. 

But it's essential to have some of the correct numbers easily at hand — including your most recent pay statement that includes how much taxes are being withheld now.

You need to know the wages, salary and tips you expect to receive in 2019. How much you expect to contribute to that 401(k) in 2019. It can help to have your 2018 tax return information at hand to estimate those 2019 numbers now. 

You're also going to need an estimate for non-wage income — such as dividends and interest that you received. 

If you took the standard deduction in 2019, it's a bit easier. If you itemize or plan to itemize, you'd need that information to run your numbers through the calculator. 

"If you take your time and put quality information into it (your best estimates), you should have a solid view of what your tax situation will look like next year," Smoke said.

So if you're on track now to withhold $5,000 in taxes but you'd owe another $6,000 at tax time, the calculator will let you know. 

"And from that, you can make any necessary adjustments," Smoke said. 

Once you complete the information on the calculator, you even get a number on how much money to withhold on Line 6 of the W-4 form: "Additional amount, if any, you want withheld from each paycheck." 

The calculator also will help you download a W-4 form that you can give to your employer. You can do that here too: A new W-4 form.  

Again, the IRS notes: "If your circumstances change during the year, come back to this calculator to make sure that your withholding is still correct." 

Smoke said he was happy he took time to run his numbers through the calculator back in 2018. As a result, he increased his tax withholding throughout much of last year and was able to still get a tax refund. 

"I ended up getting an amount similar to last year and what I expected," he said. "The calculator was accurate." 

If he didn't make adjustments in his W-4 in 2018, he said, he would have been "negatively surprised" and ended up owing money.  

There's a shortcut, though it isn't exact

Of course. It's not going to be totally accurate but it may be better than living in fear of April 15. 

Say you owed $5,000 when you filed your 2018 return. And say there's roughly 35 weeks left in the year.

If you're paid once a week, divide $5,000 by 35. 

You could fill out a new W-4 form and put $140 on line 6 for the additional amount to withhold — assuming you're paid every week. If you're paid every two weeks, the amount would be $280.

It's not going to be exact. But it would help you toward a goal of covering more of your tax bill for 2019. 

Did people really adjust their W-4s?

They didn't in 2018 after the IRS, tax professionals and others warned that federal income tax withholding amounts could be off for many people. 

I wrote more than one column in 2018 giving this warning, too.

But I've heard a few more people talking about their W-4 forms now — especially if they had to write a huge check to cover their income taxes.

Nearly 80% of Americans did not update their W-4 last year, even though they saw a bump in their paychecks throughout the year, according to H&R Block data. 


More: You might need to make this change to your paycheck

Yes, it's intimidating to just look at the W-4 form on its own.

The IRS is expected to issue a new W-4 form in 2020 that could better reflect the changes in the tax rules. A draft version is expected to be released by May 31. 

But again, you don't want to wait until that new form comes out because it's far better to start withholding a smaller amount earlier in the year. Wait too long, and you're losing too much of your paycheck as you try playing catch up.

You can also talk with your tax professional about how to handle your W-4. 

Here are other steps you can take

It's possible to reduce your taxable income in 2019 by contributing more money on a tax-deferred basis to your 401(k) plan.

"When people get big refunds, I suggest they lower their withholding and put the refund in the 401(k)" during the year, said Leon LaBrecque, a certified public accountant and chief growth officer for the Sequoia Financial Group in Troy.

So if you received a $2,400 refund, you could contribute an extra $45 a week into your 401(k) after changing your W-4.

If you did that, you'd save federal and state income taxes on the $2,400. You'd have more money saved up for retirement, plus you might still get a small refund, maybe $350 or more, LaBrecque said. 

"If your employer has a match, you really need to put more in," LaBrecque said.  

Or you can contribute more money to a flexible spending account for dependent care to cover qualifying day care costs. Or you might make contributions for a Health Savings Account to reduce your taxable income in 2019. 

The best time to think about your W-4 — and your 401(k) — could be when you're highly motivated now after some April 15 tax surprises. 


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