Calculating withholdings based on W-4 (U.S. Taxes)

Factual Questions
1

My employer asked me to update my W-4. I don’t mind doing so because I have been having to make quarterly payments because my tax liability ends up being too high on April 15. I want to add extra withholding to try to dispense with the quarterly payments, but I’m not sure what my actual withholdings would be.

If I know my salary and all the info on the W-4, can I work backwards to figure out how much my employer will withhold?

2
3

You could also just use your quarterly payments as a guide. Divide one quarterly payment by the number of pay periods in a quarter. That’s the additional amount you want withheld from your check for taxes.

4

This Paycheck Calculator shows how much will be withheld for a given number of allowances. It’s much easier to use than the IRS calculator.