If you got a big tax refund or owed the IRS a lot of money when you filed your 2014 tax return, it may be time to adjust your income tax withholding.
Many people like to receive a refund from the IRS, thinking of it as a form of forced saving. If you’re of this opinion, that’s fine. But too big a refund means you’re wasting your money, giving an interest-free loan to the government.
On the other side, if you underpay your taxes by more than $1,000 and don’t meet certain exceptions, you could be hit with a penalty.
Adjusting your withholding is as simple as filing a new Form W-4 with your employer. The form comes with a worksheet to figure out how many allowances you should claim. Or you can increase withholding by specifying an extra dollar amount to be withheld from every paycheck.
When reviewing your 2015 tax payments, keep a couple of general rules in mind. Generally, you must pay (through withholding or quarterly estimated payments) at least 100% of last year’s tax liability (110% if your prior year’s adjusted gross income is over $150,000), or at least 90% of what you’ll owe for this year.
However you do it, you should adjust your withholding to match the taxes you expect to owe. If you need assistance figuring out your 2015 tax payments, give us a call.
