Forms
IRS · 2026 form

Fill out your 2026 W-⁠4 right on the official IRS form.

Type each answer where it prints on the W-⁠4, with a plain-English note beside every step, based on the IRS instructions. Then download page 1 for your employer.

  • A note beside every step, based on the IRS instructions
  • Your employer gets page 1; the worksheets stay with you
  • Sign on screen, or leave the line for ink
Start filling out

Built on the IRS’s own PDF · 2026Not affiliated with the IRS

Which steps are yours?

Tick the ones that apply — their steps light up on the form.

Your steps

15
Steps 1 and 5 — for everyone
1(a)1(b)5
Steps 1(a), 1(b) and 5 — with Exempt, nothing else
2
One of three ways: the IRS estimator, the page 3 worksheet, or the 2(c) box — the box only with two jobs in total, ticked on both W-⁠4s
3
Children under 17 × $2,200, other dependents × $500 — with income of $200,000 or less ($400,000 filing jointly)
4
(a) Other income, not from jobs · (b) deductions other than the basic standard deduction · (c) extra tax each pay period
Exempt
Only with no federal income tax liability in 2025 and none expected in 2026

Exempt means leaving Steps 2–4 empty: the form says “Do not complete any other steps.”

Based on the form’s own steps. Form W-⁠4, p. 1, p. 2; Pub. 15, p. 25

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Who fills it in

Employees — Steps 1 and 5 apply to every one of them. More than one job? A separate W-⁠4 for each job.Pub. 15, p. 25; Form W-⁠4, p. 2

  • A nonresident alien? Read Notice 1392 before you fill it in.
  • Asked for your taxpayer ID by a payer? That’s a Form W-⁠9.

Where it goes

To your employer. The form says: “Give Form W-⁠4 to your employer.”Form W-⁠4, p. 1

Why it matters

Too little withheld, and you will generally owe tax when you file — and may owe a penalty. A form not properly completed is treated as “a single person with no other entries on the form”.Form W-⁠4, p. 2, p. 4

When to give a new one

When changes in your personal or financial situation would change your entries. Claimed Exempt? A new one by February 16, 2027.Form W-⁠4, p. 2

Step by step

What goes in each step of the W-⁠4

Steps 1 and 5 are for everyone; Steps 2–4 only if they apply to you. Notes like these sit beside each step while you fill.

Personal informationStep 1

  1. 1(a)

    Step 1(a) · Name and addressRequired

    Your first name and middle initial, last name, and address with city or town, state and ZIP code.Form W-⁠4, p. 1; Pub. 15-T, p. 4

  2. 1(b)

    Step 1(b) · Social security numberRequired

    Beside the box the form asks: “Does your name match the name on your social security card?” If not, it points you to SSA so you get credit for your earnings. An ITIN does not go here.Form W-⁠4, p. 1; Notice 1392, p. 2

  3. 1(c)

    Step 1(c) · Filing statusRequired unless Exempt

    “Check your anticipated filing status. This will determine the standard deduction and tax rates used to compute your withholding.” Head of household only if you’re unmarried and pay more than half the costs of keeping up a home for yourself and a qualifying individual.Form W-⁠4, p. 1, p. 2

Only if they apply to youSteps 2–4

  1. 2

    Step 2 · Multiple jobs or spouse worksOptional

    The form says: “Complete Steps 2–4 ONLY if they apply to you”. Pick one of three ways: the IRS estimator, the worksheet on page 3, or the box in 2(c) — the box only with exactly two jobs in total, and ticked on the other W-⁠4 too.Form W-⁠4, p. 1, p. 2

  2. 3

    Step 3 · Dependents and other creditsOptional

    Income of $200,000 or less ($400,000 or less married filing jointly): qualifying children under 17 × $2,200, other dependents × $500. With more than one job, fill Steps 3–4(b) “for only ONE of these jobs” — withholding is most accurate on the W-⁠4 for the highest paying job.Form W-⁠4, p. 1

  3. 4

    Step 4 · Other adjustmentsOptional

    (a) Other income, not from jobs. (b) Deductions other than the basic standard deduction — itemized deductions and others “such as for qualified tips, overtime compensation, and passenger vehicle loan interest”; the page 4 worksheet works out the amount. (c) Extra tax to withhold each pay period. A nonresident alien writes “Nonresident Alien” or “NRA” below 4(c).Form W-⁠4, p. 1, p. 2, p. 4; Pub. 15, p. 27

Exempt from withholdingInstead of Steps 1(c)–4

  1. Exempt

    Exempt · Exemption from withholdingOptional

    Only if you had “no federal income tax liability in 2025” and expect “no federal income tax liability in 2026”. Then complete only Steps 1(a), 1(b) and 5. “You will need to submit a new Form W-⁠4 by February 16, 2027.”Form W-⁠4, p. 2

Signature, and the employer’s partStep 5 · Employers Only

  1. 5

    Step 5 · Sign hereRequired

    “This form is not valid unless you sign it.” Sign on screen and date it, or leave the line for ink.Form W-⁠4, p. 1; Pub. 15-T, p. 4

  2. Employers

    Employers Only · Filled by your employerLeave it empty

    Your employer’s name and address, your first date of employment and the employer’s EIN. Your employer fills this in.Form W-⁠4, p. 1

Every one of these notes waits beside its step.Fill the official W-⁠4 in your browser, then download page 1.

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Questions

W-⁠4 questions, answered

Short answers, based on the IRS form and publications where they apply.

Do I have to sign it?

Yes. The form says: “This form is not valid unless you sign it.” Employers expect a dated signature in Step 5. Sign on screen and date it, or print and sign in ink — check that your employer accepts an electronic signature.Form W-⁠4, p. 1; Pub. 15-T, p. 4

Do I send my W-⁠4 to the IRS?

No. The form says: “Give Form W-⁠4 to your employer.” An employer “may also be directed to send certain Forms W-⁠4 to the IRS” — that is between your employer and the IRS.Form W-⁠4, p. 1; Pub. 15, p. 27

What if I leave parts of it empty?

Steps 2–4 are only for people they apply to. Step 1 and Step 5 apply to all employees, and a form that isn’t properly completed means “being treated as a single person with no other entries on the form”.Form W-⁠4, p. 1, p. 4; Pub. 15, p. 25

Do I need a new W-⁠4 every year?

Only when changes to your personal or financial situation would change the entries on the form. Claiming exemption is the exception: “You will need to submit a new Form W-⁠4 by February 16, 2027.”Form W-⁠4, p. 2

I have two jobs. What do I do?

Submit a separate W-⁠4 for each job. Use one of Step 2’s three ways — with only two jobs in total you may tick 2(c), then tick it on both W-⁠4s. Fill Steps 3–4(b) on only one of them; withholding is most accurate on the W-⁠4 for the highest paying job.Form W-⁠4, p. 1, p. 2

Will you submit the form for me?

No. You download page 1 and give it to your employer yourself. Nothing is sent on your behalf.

What happens to my draft?

Your answers save to your own draft on our servers as you type, over an encrypted connection. A guest draft is deleted 24 hours after it’s created; with an account, 30 days after you last use it. Delete your draft whenever you like.

Before you start

Five things to have at hand

  • Your social security numberAn ITIN can’t go in Step 1(b)
  • Your address
  • The filing status you expect to use this year
  • Your most recent pay stubThe form suggests it if you use the IRS estimator
  • The other job’s pay, if Step 2 appliesThe page 3 worksheet uses both jobs’ yearly wages

Upload your own PDF
For any other PDF: fill it in and sign it in the PDF editor.

Why rely on this page

The IRS’s own form, with notes you can check

The IRS’s own form

Built from the IRS’s own file (2026). Your answers go into its own boxes.

Protected as you type

Your answers travel over an encrypted connection to your own draft.

Notes you can check

Each note on this page names the IRS form page or publication it is based on.

You hand it in

We don’t send the form to anyone. You download page 1 and give it to your employer yourself.

Official sources

The IRS documents this page quotes.

From blank form to your next step

  1. STEP 1

    Fill in directly on the form

    Type your answers where they print, with a short note beside every field.

  2. STEP 2

    Sign, or leave the line for ink

    Add a signature on screen, or mark the form to be signed by hand after printing.

  3. STEP 3

    Download and hand it in

    Get your PDF, print it if you need to, and give it to whoever asked for it.

Official, protected, in your hands

  • The official form

    Built from the 2026 Form W-⁠4 published on irs.gov.

  • Protected, then deleted

    Your answers go to your own draft over an encrypted connection. A guest draft is deleted 24 hours after it’s created; with an account, 30 days after you last use it.

  • You stay in control

    We help you fill it in. You choose where it goes and hand it in yourself — nothing is sent on your behalf. Delete your draft whenever you like.

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Fill out your 2026 W-⁠4 on the official form.

Every step has its note beside it. Download page 1 when you’re done and give it to your employer.

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Form W-⁠4IRS · 2026Start filling out