Legal Dependents Allowed on W4?

Question

I have a question. Up to how many dependents can be claimed on the W4 from work?.

Answer 1

You can legally claim the number of allowances on a W-4 that you actually have. They aren't just allowances for dependents - there are other things like itemized deductions, or a spouse not working, that can allow you additional allowances on your W-4. Your goal should be to come out about even at tax time.

If you claim too many allowances, resulting in withholding well below your tax liability for the year, you can be subject to penalties at tax time for underwithholding.

Answer 2

You aren't claiming dependents on Form W4. You use the form W4 to calculate your withholding exemptions. The number of withholding exemptions that you should claim is based in part on your family size but there are many other factors that you must consider.

Do you own a home and pay a mortgage on it? Do you have more than 1 job? Do you have a spouse who works? Do you have other sources of income that are not subject to withholding?

You should fill out the worksheets on page 2 of the Form W4 to calculate how many exemptions you should claim and whether or not you should direct your employer to withhold additional tax from each paycheck.

Answer 3

you can claim as many as you wish but that is not the reason that they are asking for dependent. The number mean the % of you taxes that are taken out of your paycheck. The higher the number the less they will take out of your paycheck, but remember that they less they take out the greater the chance that you will have a balance due from the government. The best thing to do is your status and the number of children you have that are under the age of 13.

Answer 4

The first two answers are very good. The IRS provides an on-line calculator to help answer your question. The link is below.