Form W4 is the tax withholding form to let employers know by employees about their anticipated federal income tax returns to set an appropriate withholding rate. It isn’t mandatory to file, but it would be nice doing it for your taxes. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of Form W4 and answer the questions about furnishing the filed copy along with the mailing address regarding the form.
Cause if not filed, the IRS wants employers to withhold federal income taxes at the highest single rate, which only results in more tax than necessary being withheld. The highest single rate is when you’re considered single for tax purposes with no dependents and claim only the standard deduction on your tax return.
Since this would result in a higher tax withholding than needed, you will end up with a smaller cash flow every month. Although you will get the excess amount paid in taxes on your tax refund, it isn’t wise to loan your money away to Uncle Sam, where you could have invested with the extra. For these reasons, it’s not good to pay more in taxes to shelter yourself from the underpayment penalties.
How to file and furnish Form W4?
When filing Form W4 for the first time, employees must use the most recent form. The Internal Revenue Service updates Form W4 for every tax year. Even though changes don’t come to the form often, the W4 for that tax year must be used. You can see the latest Forms W4 and start filling out a copy.
After it’s filed, you can go ahead and furnish the copy to your employer. It’s not necessary to send it anywhere else, including the Internal Revenue Service. Form W4 is between you and the employer. Having said that, the only place you might need to mail it is your employer’s office. For the majority though, you don’t need to mail it anywhere as giving it to your employer or the payroll/human resources department of the company does the trick. Do not mail Form W4 to the IRS or anyone that’s requesting it from you.