Specific Instructions
Step 1(c). Check your anticipated filing status. This will determine the standard deduction and tax rates used to compute your withholding.
Step 2. Use this step if you have at least one of the following: income from a job, income from more than one pension/annuity, and/or a spouse (if married filing jointly) that receives income from a job/pension/annuity. The following examples will assist you in completing Step 2(b).
Example 1. Bob, a single filer, is completing Form W-4P for a pension that pays $50,000 a year. Bob also has a job that pays $25,000 a year. Bob has no other pensions or annuities. Bob will enter $25,000 in Step 2(b)(i) and in Step 2(b)(iii). If Bob also has $1,000 of interest income, which he entered on Form W-4, Step 4(a), then he will instead enter $26,000 in Step 2(b)(i) and in Step 2(b)(iii). He will make no entries in Step 4(a) on this Form W-4P.
Example 2. Carol, a single filer, is completing Form W-4P for a pension that pays $50,000 a year. Carol does not have a job, but she also receives another pension for $25,000 a year (which pays less annually than the $50,000 pension). Carol will enter $25,000 in Step 2(b)(ii) and in Step 2(b)(iii). If Carol also has $1,000 of interest income, then she will enter $1,000 in Step 4(a) of this Form W-4P.
Example 3. Don, a single filer, is completing Form W-4P for a pension that pays $50,000 a year. Don does not have a job, but he receives another pension for $75,000 a year (which pays more annually than the $50,000 pension). Don will not enter any amounts in Step 2. If Don also has $1,000 of interest income, he won’t enter that amount on this Form W-4P because he entered the $1,000 on the Form W-4P for the higher paying $75,000 pension.
Example 4. Ann, a single filer, is completing Form W-4P for a pension that pays $50,000 a year. Ann also has a job that pays $25,000 a year and another pension that pays $20,000 a year. Ann will enter $25,000 in Step 2(b)(i), $20,000 in Step 2(b)(ii), and $45,000 in Step 2(b)(iii).
If Ann also has $1,000 of interest income, which she entered on Form W-4, Step 4(a), she will instead enter $26,000 in Step 2(b)(i), leave Step 2(b)(ii) unchanged, and enter $46,000 in Step 2(b)(iii). She will make no entries in Step 4(a) of this Form W-4P.
If you are married filing jointly, the entries described above do not change if your spouse is the one who has the job or the other pension/annuity instead of you.
Caution:
Multiple sources of pensions/annuities or jobs. If you (or if married filing jointly, you and/or your spouse) have a job(s), do NOT complete Steps 3 through 4(b) on Form W-4P. Instead, complete Steps 3 through 4(b) on the Form W-4 for the job. If you (or if married filing jointly, you and your spouse) do not have a job, complete Steps 3 through 4(b) on Form W-4P for only the pension/annuity that pays the most annually. Leave those steps blank for the other pensions/ annuities.
Step 3. This step provides instructions for determining the amount of the child tax credit and the credit for other dependents that you may be able to claim when you file your tax return. To qualify for the child tax credit, the child must be under age 17 as of December 31, must be your dependent who generally lives with you for more than half the year, and must have the required social security number. You may be able to claim a credit for other dependents for whom a child tax credit can’t be claimed, such as an older child or a qualifying relative. For additional eligibility requirements for these credits, see Pub. 501, Dependents, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information. You can also include other tax credits for which you are eligible in this step, such as the foreign tax credit and the education tax credits. Including these credits will increase your payments and reduce the amount of any refund you may receive when you file your tax return.
Step 4 (optional).
Step 4(a). Enter in this step the total of your other estimated income for the year, if any. You shouldn’t include amounts from any job(s) or pension/annuity payments. If you complete Step 4(a), you likely won’t have to make estimated tax payments for that income. If you prefer to pay estimated tax rather than having tax on other income withheld from your pension, see Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals.
Step 4(b). Enter in this step the amount from the Deductions Worksheet, line 6, if you expect to claim deductions other than the basic standard deduction on your 2024 tax return and want to reduce your withholding to account for these deductions. This includes itemized deductions, the additional standard deduction for those 65 and over, and other deductions such as for student loan interest and IRAs.
Step 4(c). Enter in this step any additional tax you want withheld from each payment. Entering an amount here will reduce your payments and will either increase your refund or reduce any amount of tax that you owe.
Note: If you don’t give Form W-4P to your payer, you don’t provide an SSN, or the IRS notifies the payer that you gave an incorrect SSN, then the payer will withhold tax from your payments as if your filing status is single with no adjustments in Steps 2 through 4. For payments that began before 2024, your current withholding election (or your default rate) remains in effect unless you submit a new Form W-4P.