The W-4 is a form collected by the Internal Revenue Service which indicates your tax status to your employer. Filling it out correctly is necessary to receive the correct amount in each of your paychecks.
Filling out the form is a lot easier than it looks! To complete it, you need to fill out the following lines:
Social security Number
You need to put in your SSN so when the taxes from your paycheck are sent to the IRS they can be properly applied toward your annual taxes.
If you don't have a SSN, you can apply for one by filling out a SS-5 form
Filing Status
This is a standard piece of identifying information assisting the government in recognizing that the person on the form is you.
Multiple Jobs or Spouse Works (optional)
This section is reserved for those who have a spouse that brings in income, hold a second job, or perform any freelance work. Filling out this section changes the amount withheld from each paycheck.
Claim Dependent or Other Credits (optional)
In this section, you should put down the amount of children or other dependents you claim
Other Income (optional)
Deductions (optional)
Extra Withholdings (optional)
The final section highlights less obvious reasons that you would have more or less money withheld from your paycheck.