The W-4 sets how much is withheld, not how much you owe. Get it wrong and you either lend the government money interest-free or owe a bill with a penalty.
Reference notes for the 2026 federal tax year and 2025 state schedules, computed from published rates rather than copied from another site.
Since 2020 there are no "allowances". The form has five steps, and most people only need two:
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| 1 | Name, address, filing status |
| 2 | Multiple jobs or a working spouse — the step most people skip and should not |
| 3 | Dependents: $2,200 per child under 17, $500 per other dependent |
| 4 | Other income, extra deductions, extra withholding per period |
| 5 | Sign |
Step 2 exists because each employer withholds as though its job were your only one, so each gives you the full $16,100 standard deduction. Two jobs, two standard deductions, one of which does not exist — which is why two-job households so often owe at filing.
A W-4 changes future paychecks only. Nothing is corrected retroactively, so a fix in November has two months to work in. If you are far behind, step 4(c) extra withholding is the lever.
$48,000 a year in Texas, by how often you are paid:
| Frequency | Gross each | Withheld | Net each |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $4,000.00 | $604.33 | $3,395.67 |
| Biweekly | $1,846.15 | $278.92 | $1,567.23 |
| Weekly | $923.08 | $139.46 | $783.62 |
Marginal federal rate 12%, effective rate across all taxes 15.108%.
Single filer, Texas, which levies no state income tax:
| Salary | Total tax | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| $45,000 after tax | $6,662.50 | $38,337.50 | $3,194.79 |
| $65,000 after tax | $10,592.50 | $54,407.50 | $4,533.96 |
| $90,000 after tax | $17,855.00 | $72,145.00 | $6,012.08 |
| $130,000 after tax | $29,879.00 | $100,121.00 | $8,343.42 |
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Related: How to Read a US Pay Stub · How Bonuses Are Taxed · Traditional or Roth 401(k) · Moving to Another State
Every figure above is computed, not transcribed. Federal rates are 2026, from the IRS; state schedules are 2025, because the IRS publishes a year ahead of the states, and both years are named rather than blended.
The whole rate table is open data: rates.json, no key and no rate limit, indexed at dev-lab-x/us-tax-rates-json. Everything ever found wrong is published with before-and-after figures on the corrections page.
Found a wrong number? Open an issue with the figure and a link to the department document.
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