My husband and I are both W-2 employees and file as MFJ. I’ve heard that in this situation it’s better for one of us to ask their employer to withhold extra. Is it true that otherwise we’d have to pay more when filing our tax return at the end of the year?
We’re both on W-2s and file MFJ, and we didn’t do any extra withholding. In California we actually got a refund because of overpayment, while in Texas we ended up owing about $100 for the year. In my experience companies withhold pretty exactly based on what you put on the W-4—if it’s filled out correctly, there aren’t any big surprises.
6 Likes
Thanks, that calmed me down a bit. How did you fill out the W-4 — don’t you have to indicate somewhere that your spouse also works?
6 Likes
On the W-4 there’s Step 2 — the checkbox ‘Multiple Jobs or Spouse Works’. We checked it for both of us. If you don’t check it, each employer assumes you’re the only earner in the household and withholds less than necessary — that’s where the extra tax due at the end of the year comes from.
6 Likes
One separate point about the first tax return: if someone in the family doesn’t have an ITIN, TurboTax won’t let you e-file — it literally says it can’t process the return unless every family member has a number. Then you have to prepare the forms, print them out and mail them. I did my first one through a tax agent for that exact reason — they handled getting the ITINs, and if something on the forms turns out to be wrong, the responsibility is on them.
6 Likes
If you entered mid-year, MFJ (Married Filing Jointly) doesn’t always apply. The first year is considered dual-status, and with that status you can’t file one joint return with your spouse—only Married Filing Separately (MFS). I did that my first year—I filed separately, even though I was already married. Only income from the moment of entry is counted, but you still have to report what you had before that. In the second year I switched to MFJ without any problems.
6 Likes
One more thing about F-1 that people often miss — for the first five years you aren’t a tax resident, and your employer shouldn’t withhold Social Security and Medicare. If they’re not on your pay stub, that’s normal — that’s how it should be. Also, Form 8843 needs to be filed every year, even if your income is zero — you’re just confirming your nonresident status for the IRS.
6 Likes
Oh, those first tax returns — I remember sitting with the printouts and not understanding a thing. The first year I had an agent do them; I paid $250 and slept peacefully — they even arranged an ITIN for my husband at the same time. The second year I went through TurboTax myself; everything turned out to be easier once I’d seen how it’s set up)
6 Likes