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In general, the W4 form is designed to withhold less taxes than in previous versions of the W4 form. The amount withheld for federal taxes on our paycheck will depend on the options you choose on this form, which we have outlined below. Reliant is only allowed to educate employees on what happens with the options that they can choose. If you have questions, please seek the advice of a tax consultant before your first paycheck.

Below is a list of possible options to choose when submitting a W4: 

• Option 1) - select married filing jointly. IMPORTANT: This option assumes that the other spouse is not working and uses the full amount of the standard deduction for 2 people which typically results in a lower amount of taxes withheld. For example, if both spouses work, choosing this option alone option 1 (married filling jointly) without checking the box for multiple jobs/spouse works (see Option 2 below) will result in doubling the standard deduction amount used for calculating taxes withheld on each spouse's paycheck. This will typically result in very little taxes (if any) being withheld, potentially leaving a married couple with taxes due at the end of the year.

For married couples, these options below will, in most cases, ensure a higher amount is withheld: 

• Option 2) -select married filing jointly and also check the box “multiple jobs/spouse works”. This option assumes two working people filing taxes with 2 incomes (both spouses working does not mean they both have to be working for Reliant) and this option can also be chosen if you have multiple sources of income.
• Option 3) -select the first box single/married filing separately. This does not affect how you will file your taxes at the end of the year, it is merely for the software to know how much taxes to withhold, which in this case would be based on the standard deduction for 1 person.
• Option 4) - select an option above (single/married filing jointly/multiple jobs) and then under section 4C add a specific monthly dollar amount of extra withholding for federal taxes that you would like Reliant to withhold from each paycheck, which will be added to the amount being withheld out of the paycheck each month based on the type of standard deduction you choose in the top section of the form. This helps to ensure that a specific minimum amount is withheld monthly. However, please note that with this option, this tax amount will be deducted from every payment that is sent from Reliant, including separate backpay checks.   Commissioned/Ordained Ministers may choose to utilize this box to indicate an amount they want withheld as extra Federal taxes that they will use to cover their 15.3% SECA (Social Security/Medicare) obligation, since Reliant does not withhold FICA taxes for these employees.  See Paying SECA Taxes. 

REMINDER for dually employed couples:

Married couples where both spouses are employed by Reliant are still treated as two separate employees for taxation purposes. Even though spouses share a fund number, each spouse is paid on a separate check and has taxes withheld on their individual paychecks unrelated to what their spouse chooses for tax settings.