If you're considered an independent contractor, there would be no federal tax withheld from your pay. In fact, your employer would not withhold any tax at all.
By placing a “0” on line 5, you are indicating that you want the most amount of tax taken out of your pay each pay period. If you wish to claim 1 for yourself instead, then less tax is taken out of your pay each pay period.
The fact that you have zero withheld for federal means you will probably not see any refund, but will end up owing taxes on the tax return. You need to go to your employer and ask to complete a new W-4 and make sure you've chosen the correct number of allowances.
You Are Exempt from Federal Taxes
That being said, bear in mind that just because you might be exempt from federal income tax, it doesn't mean that you are also exempt from all the other taxable wages. Your W2 will show all of your taxable wages, even if you technically don't have any federal income tax withheld.
If you see that your paycheck has no withholding tax, it could be because you are exempt. If you claimed tax exemption on your W-4 form, no federal income tax is withheld from your wages.
When you file exempt with your employer for federal tax withholding, you do not make any tax payments during the year. Without paying tax, you do not qualify for a tax refund unless you qualify to claim a refundable tax credit, like the Earned Income Tax Credit.
If Box 2, "Federal income tax withheld," is blank on the W-2 form you file with your annual tax return, your employer either didn't withhold taxes or an error occurred in transferring the information to the form. If you didn't have money withheld, you must pay your federal tax when you file a return.
There is no threshold amount for withholding taxes from an employee's wages. As an employer, you're responsible for withholding taxes on every employee's wages from day one based on the information the employee provides to you on Form W-4.
Penalties. Failure to do so will get the attention of the IRS and can result in civil and even criminal penalties. Sometimes the failure to pay is an oversight or a lack of understanding of what legal duties exist.
Federal income tax withholding is driven by the number of allowances you claim on Form W-4. Each allowance you claim lowers your taxable wages. If you claim too many allowances, an insufficient amount of taxes will be withheld from your pay and you will owe taxes when you file your income tax return.
You are tax-exempt when you do not meet the requirements for paying tax. This usually happens because your income is lower than the tax threshold. To make the tax collection process smoother, your employer subtracts the tax you need to pay from your paycheck before you receive it.
In the event you claim 0 federal withholding allowances instead of 1 on your W 4 tax form, you'll receive less money every paycheck, though your tax bill will likely be reduced at the end of the year.
Federal income tax withholding is driven by the number of allowances you claim on Form W-4. Each allowance you claim lowers your taxable wages. If you claim too many allowances, an insufficient amount of taxes will be withheld from your pay and you will owe taxes when you file your income tax return.
Claiming 0 on Your Taxes
When you claim 0 on your taxes, you have the largest amount withheld from your paycheck for federal taxes. If your goal is to receive a larger tax refund, then it will be your best option to claim 0. Typically, those who opt for 0 want a lump sum to use as they wish, like: Pay bills.
If Box 2, "Federal income tax withheld," is blank on the W-2 form you file with your annual tax return, your employer either didn't withhold taxes or an error occurred in transferring the information to the form. If you didn't have money withheld, you must pay your federal tax when you file a return.
There is no threshold amount for withholding taxes from an employee's wages. As an employer, you're responsible for withholding taxes on every employee's wages from day one based on the information the employee provides to you on Form W-4.
Claiming zero allowances means that you are having the most withheld from your paycheck for federal income taxes. When you go exempt, you are claiming complete exemption from any allowances, therefore, having no federal income taxes withheld from your paycheck.
If you'd rather get more money with each paycheck instead of having to wait for your refund, claiming 1 on your taxes is typically a better option. Claiming 1 reduces the amount of taxes that are withheld from weekly paychecks, so you get more money now with a smaller refund.
It won't create problems with the IRS, it will just determine how much you'll get back on your tax return next year. If you claim 0, you will get less back on paychecks and more back on your tax refund. If you claim 1, you will get more back on your paychecks and less back on your tax refund when you file next year.
Penalties. Failure to do so will get the attention of the IRS and can result in civil and even criminal penalties. Sometimes the failure to pay is an oversight or a lack of understanding of what legal duties exist.
Here's your rule of thumb: the more allowances you claim, the less federal income tax your employer will withhold from your paycheck (the bigger your take home pay). The fewer allowances you claim, the more federal income tax your employer will withhold from your paycheck (the smaller your take home pay).
A single person who lives alone and has only one job should place a 1 in part A and B on the worksheet giving them a total of 2 allowances. A married couple with no children, and both having jobs should claim one allowance each.
Tips. While claiming one allowance on your W-4 means your employer will take less money out of your paycheck for federal taxes, it does not impact how much taxes you'll actually owe. Depending on your income and any deductions or credits that apply to you, you may receive a tax refund or have to pay a difference.
To receive a bigger refund, adjust line 4(c) on Form W-4, called "Extra withholding," to increase the federal tax withholding for each paycheck you receive.