A step-by-step guide to help you fill out a W-4 Fact checked by Vikki Velasquez IRS Form W-4 dictates how much money is withheld from your gross pay for taxes. Step 1 requires you to input personal ...

Meredith Dietz is Lifehacker’s Senior Staff Writer. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from Northeastern University, where she graduated as valedictorian of her college.

Employers complete form W-2 annually to report employee earnings and tax withholdings. Employees complete form W-4 when starting a new job to tell employers how much to withhold from their paychecks.