Are you withholding enough from your taxes?

In a prior article, we talk about how moonlighters (those with 1099s and a W2 job) might need to withhold more taxes from their W2 role to avoid owing for the 2019 year.

They aren’t the only ones. Retirees, those with dependents, and a handful of others will need to take a look at how much they’re withholding and adjust accordingly.

Basically, if you were surprised at how low your refund was this year, you might need to adjust your withholding amount. That means if your refund was low or you owed (and never did before) you need to prioritize your withholding amount.

The time to adjust is now, right after the April 15 tax preparation deadline. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that you’ll owe or get a low tax refund amount. This can mostly be done with the IRS withholding calculator, but you’ll likely need to talk to an accountant for proper withholding.

This is for two reasons:

• State and local taxes aren’t calculated.
• Without a full understanding of taxes, taxpayers may not fill out the calculator correctly.

Reach out to a tax professional. They’ll help you navigate the muddy waters that were caused by the latest tax bill change.

Additionally, the IRS is cooking up a new W4 form – the form you fill out at the beginning of conventional employment (where you’d receive a W2) or to adjust your withholding amount. It will be ready for the 2020 tax season and won’t affect this year’s taxes.

If you ended up owing in this year or had a small tax refund, reach out to us. We can help ensure you’re withholding enough.