Information on IRS Form W-4
Audience: All Employees & Student Workers
What is a W-4?
The W-4 Form is the IRS document you complete for your employer to determine how much should be withheld from your paycheck for federal income taxes and sent to the IRS.
- You have to complete a W-4 as part of your payroll onboarding, but you do not have to fill out a new W-4 every year.
- Major events, such as divorce, marriage, and new dependents can also trigger a change in tax liability, so it's also a good idea to review your withholdings and W-4 as life changes.
Resources:
- More information on the IRS Form W-4 can be found here: IRS FAQs W-4.
- We recommend that you utilize the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to estimate the federal income tax you want your employer to withhold from your paycheck.
- The IRS encourages annual Paycheck Checkups to ensure you are being taxed appropriately.
How do I complete or update my W-4?
Please remember that TSS cannot give you tax advice or tell you how to complete your W-4. Please consider speaking to a tax professional. You may also use the free tax consultation through the Employee Assistance Program.
- You will be prompted to complete your W-4 as part of your payroll onboarding in Employee Self-Service (eServe) when you start your position at Tufts. If you need to make changes, you can do so at any time.
- There is no limit on the number of times you can update your W-4 in Employee Self Service but changes are limited to once per day.
- Changes are never retroactive and will be effective immediately and reflected on the next paycheck provided the change is made prior to TSS running that payroll cycle.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Complete or update your W-4 in Employee Self-Service
What should I do if I do not work in Massachusetts?
- Tufts is required to withhold taxes in the state in which you are working.
- You can change your "Work-in" and "Live-in" State on your W-4. If your state is not listed, please email TSS@tufts.edu. Please know that updating your address in Employee Self-Service does not change your state tax withholdings, you have to adjust your W-4.
How do I submit a new W-4? Where do I see my W-4 information?
You can update your W-4 in Employee Self-Service. However, when you update your W-4, please note that a new W-4 Form is provided to you. You are not able to see your current elections. You can view your current elections on your paycheck.
Update your W-4:
See your tax data on your paycheck: