How to calculate biweekly federal tax withholding 2022

Payroll income tax withholding is figured based on expected annual earnings. Employers use different pay period lengths, resulting in different numbers of paydays. Thus, a monthly pay schedule has 12 pay periods per year. A biweekly pay period has 26 pay periods, so payroll taxes must be calculated differently to compensate.

Taxable Earnings

  1. Federal income tax is figured on taxable earnings that remain after withholding allowances are subtracted from gross pay. The amount of a withholding allowance is computed from an annual basis figure and is different for each pay period. For example, the basis for 2013 was $3,900. One withholding allowance for a biweekly pay period was equal to $3,900 divided by 26, or $150. To figure the taxable earnings, multiply the amount of one allowance by the number claimed and subtract it from the gross pay. For instance, if an employee’s gross pay is $1,400 for two weeks and she claims two withholding allowances, her taxable earnings are $1,400 minus $300, or $1,100. Taxable earnings may be further reduced by other deductions such as contributions to a retirement plan.

Tax Brackets

  1. Income tax is levied in a series of tax brackets with percentage rates that increase as income goes up. The tax brackets are based on annual income. The incremental amount of each tax bracket is different for each length of pay period. For example, in 2013 a single person paid weekly paid nothing on the first $42 of taxable earnings. From $42 to $214, the rate was 10 percent. Taxable earnings over $214 were taxed at 15 percent and then at progressively higher rates as earnings went up. However, you calculate biweekly tax using different increments. If the same worker was paid biweekly, the brackets were zero percent for the first $85 and 10 percent from $85 to $428. Taxable earnings over $428 were taxed at 15 percent and then at progressively higher tax rates as income continued to increase.

Federal Tax Withholding Information

  • Federal Withholding Table
    To determine Federal tax withholding, use the Bi-Weekly amounts in the Federal Withholding Tables.

Other Tax Withholding Information

  • Michigan Tax Withholding
    To determine Michigan tax withholding: Michigan Income Tax Withholding Table. 
  • Social Security (FICA) Withholding
    The Social Security FICA tax is based on the first $137,700 paid at the rate of 6.2% with a maximum amount withheld of $8,537.40.  The Medicare (Hospital Insurance) FICA tax is based on all earnings paid at the rate of 1.45%.

Any further questions, request for clarification or changes to tax withholding rates/amounts should be directed to the Payroll office at (231) 591-2160.

Think that hefty tax refund you got last year was basically a big bonus? Think again.

A big, fat refund just means you’ve been loaning the government too much of your hard-earned cash with each paycheck, and Uncle Sam is simply returning money that was yours to begin with—that’s why it’s called a refund!

Or maybe you have the opposite problem. You’re getting hit with massive tax bills, and you’re sick and tired of sending the IRS a big check every April. If that’s you, we feel your pain.

How much should you withhold for taxes? Should you withhold an additional amount from each paycheck? It all starts with taking a closer look at your tax withholding.

Tax Withholding Explained

Every time you get a paycheck, your employer withholds taxes to send to the IRS. And you thought tax time was only in April? Nope. You pay taxes all year long through tax withholding.

When tax time rolls around, that’s when you find out if you had too much or not enough taxes withheld from your paycheck. Withheld too much? You’ll get a tax refund. Withheld too little? You’ll have to cut a check to the IRS. No thanks!

How to calculate biweekly federal tax withholding 2022

Taxes shouldn’t be this complicated. Connect with a RamseyTrusted tax advisor.

You really want to have a refund as close to $0 as possible without having to pay additional taxes. Yep, zero is a winning score when it comes to tax refunds!

Understanding the New W-4 Form

Remember the first day of your job? Don’t worry. We don’t either. A new job is a blur of new names and spaces. But at some point, you probably filled out a W-4 form to help your employer figure out how much taxes to withhold from each paycheck.

The official government title for a W-4 is Employee’s Withholding Certificate, which sounds kind of fancy. But it’s not. You won’t hang this certificate in a place of honor next to the one you got for second place in a hot dog eating contest.

The W-4 is divided into five, fairly easy steps that will give your employer the info they need to calculate your withholding. Leave it to the government to label a five-step form with the number four!

  • Step 1: You’ll enter some basic personal information here—name, address, Social Security number and filing status (single, married, head of household, etc.). Everyone has to fill out this step, but you only have to fill out steps 2–4 if they apply to you.  
     
  • Step 2: If you have more than one job, or you’re married filing jointly and your spouse also works, fill out this step. You can use the IRS’ tax withholding estimator or the worksheet on the form to calculate how much additional tax you’ll need to withhold from your paycheck.
  • Step 3: This is where you claim dependent tax credits to lower your taxes. Kids under 17 are $2,000 a pop. Other dependents are $500 each. Just a note here: The child tax credit was temporarily increased from $2,000 to a maximum of $3,600 per child in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan, and many taxpayers received advanced monthly payments. It reverted back to $2,000 in 2022.1
     
  • Step 4: Here’s where you can make even more adjustments to your withholding for additional income (such as retirement income or self-employment income), deductions outside of the standard deduction, and any additional tax you want withheld from each paycheck. 
     
  • Step 5: Scribble your John Hancock on the dotted line, and you’re done!

The IRS introduced a new W-4 form in 2020. If you’ve been at your job for a while, you don’t have to fill out a new W-4 form. But it could be a good idea to check it anyway because the new form should help you get your tax withholding closer to where it needs to be.

And besides, it’s always a good idea to do a “paycheck checkup” once in a while just to make sure your employer isn’t withholding too much (or too little) on payday.

Why Do You Need to Adjust Your Tax Withholding?

If you adjust your withholding so you break even (or get really close to breaking even) at tax time, you end up with more cash in your pocket throughout the year. In other words, you don’t send the IRS a big check, and you don’t get a huge refund back either.

IRS data shows that the average tax refund for the 2022 tax season was $3,039.2 So, let’s say you got paid twice a month and received the average refund. That means you should’ve had almost an extra $127 in every paycheck last year! Think of what you could do with $254 or more each month! 

And if you went through a major life change over the past year that might impact how much you owe in taxes—you got married, bought a house, or welcomed a baby into the world—it’s a good idea to take a fresh look at your tax withholding and make any adjustments.

How to Calculate and Adjust Your Tax Withholding

Ready to get your tax withholding back on track? Here’s how.

Step 1: Total Up Your Tax Withholding

Let’s start by adding up your expected tax withholding for the year. You can find the amount of federal income tax withheld on your paycheck stub. Ugh, we know. It’s been years since you’ve looked at your paystub, and you don’t even remember how to log in to your payroll system. But this will be worth it!

Let’s say you have $150 withheld each pay period and get paid twice a month. That would be $3,600 in taxes withheld each year.

How to calculate biweekly federal tax withholding 2022

If you’re single, this is pretty easy. If you’re married filing jointly and both of you work, calculate your spouse’s tax withholding too. In this example, we’ll assume your spouse has $400 withheld each pay period and receives a monthly paycheck.

How to calculate biweekly federal tax withholding 2022

Then add the two together to get your total household tax withholding.

How to calculate biweekly federal tax withholding 2022

Step 2: Estimate Your Tax Liability

Now that you know your projected withholding, the next step is to estimate how much you’ll owe in taxes for this year.

The IRS provides worksheets to walk you through the process, which is basically like completing a pretend tax return.

If you’re married and filing jointly, for example, and your taxable income is around $107,000 for the 2022 tax year, that puts you in the 12% tax bracket. But you actually won’t pay 12% on your entire income because the United States has a progressive tax system. After deductions, your tax liability, or what you owe in taxes, will be about $9,300

Remember, federal taxes aren’t automatically deducted from self-employment income. If you have a side business or do freelance work, it’s especially important to factor that income into your tax equation to make sure you don’t end up with a big tax bill at the end of the year.

Step 3: Subtract the Difference

Once you have an idea of how much you owe the IRS, it’s time to compare that amount to your total withholding. Take your annual tax withholding and subtract your estimated tax liability.

Let’s continue our example from above and assume your estimated tax liability is $9,300. In that case, you’d have a potential $900 deficit. 

How to calculate biweekly federal tax withholding 2022

A positive balance indicates a refund, while a negative balance means you owe more and may have to pay the IRS interest and a penalty for underpaying your taxes. The good news is you can fix it before tax time ever rolls around!

Step 4: Adjust Your Withholding

If you run the numbers and find you’ve got ground to make up, it’s best to adjust your tax withholding as quickly as you can. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get it just right. You have two options:

  • File a new W-4 and submit it to your employer. If you’ve been at your job for a while and you’ve been getting big refunds or tax bills for years, filling out a new W-4 could help you get your tax withholding right.  
  • Specify additional withholding. As mentioned above, you have the option on the W-4 form to enter an additional amount you want to have withheld with each paycheck. Simply divide your estimated tax shortage by the number of pay periods you have left before the end of the year to get your number.

How to calculate biweekly federal tax withholding 2022

Work With a Pro

If you get stuck along the way or don’t feel comfortable with your numbers, ask a tax Endorsed Local Provider (ELP) for help. They’re RamseyTrusted and can make sense of your personal tax situation and guide you toward a reasonable target. With a few minor adjustments, you can strike a better balance and look toward next year’s tax season with a lot less stress.

Find your tax pro today!

How to calculate biweekly federal tax withholding 2022

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Ramsey Solutions

Ramsey Solutions has been committed to helping people regain control of their money, build wealth, grow their leadership skills, and enhance their lives through personal development since 1992. Millions of people have used our financial advice through 22 books (including 12 national bestsellers) published by Ramsey Press, as well as two syndicated radio shows and 10 podcasts, which have over 17 million weekly listeners. Learn More.