From: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Dear TaxMama,
Please help, my husband is getting reamed on witholding. They're taking $200
each check and he only makes about $700.
Our rent is a fortune; we have a new car; I'm disabled and must stay at home.
We also have a 4-month old.
How many can he claim?
I have looked everywhere and have no idea.
I'm going to cry because each paycheck is small and he works overtime they
take out so much!
Please help.
Diane
Oh Diane,
Your voice is so full of despair, I think I'm going to cry, too.
Actually, that's not such a bad idea. A good cry, with friends, can be very
refreshing. But, that's enough now.
Let's get to work. Assuming that your husband earns $700 per week, that
means he earns about $36,400 per year.
You're renting, so there's no mortgage deduction.
Regardless of what else you do - he will have about $60 withheld from each
check for Social Security (7.65%) and State Disability (1.08%). That won't
change.
There are three of you, for exemptions.
So, using TurboTax's nifty Tax Estimator
If you are not receiving any income of your own, including Social Security
disability or anything else, odds are, your husband has probably already paid
in enough to cover this year's taxes.
So, prepare new W-4
Forms for him showing Married with 9 allowances. That
will have payroll take little or nothing out of his paychecks, except for
the SS & SDI.
If your husband is getting paid less often than once a week, then, your
family definitely should be using the Married-9 status.
This will give you about $135 more from each paycheck.
Take care of each other.
Best Wishes,
Eva Rosenberg, MBA, EA
