NC-30 Income Tax Withholding Tables and Instructions for Employers 2022 Income Tax Withholding Tables and Instructions for Employers PDF • 783.78 KB - December 10, 2021 https://www.ncdor.gov/taxes-forms/withholding-tax/withholding-tax-forms-and-instructions/income-tax-withholding-tables-and-instructions-employers
What are income tax withholding tables?Federal withholding tables dictate how much money an employer should withhold from their employees’ wages. This includes federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare tax, and sometimes state income tax as well. A federal withholding tax table is usually in the form of a table or chart to simplify this process for employers. To determine the amount to withhold, you will need an employee’s W-4 information, filing status, and pay frequency. Every new employee at a business needs to fill out a W-4 for this purpose. Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate, is a tax form issued by the IRS that all U.S. employees must complete. These are the components of 2020 or later Form W-4:
Federal withholding term definitionsBefore we get into calculations, let’s define a couple of key terms related to federal withholding tax tables: Gross pay: The full amount of your salary before deductions, withholdings, and contributions are taken out of it Net pay: Your take-home pay, once deductions, withholdings, and contributions are removed from your gross pay Withholdings: The amount taken out of an employee’s paycheck to pay their income taxes during that pay period Deductions: The amount taken out of an employee’s paycheck to pay for specific benefits/donations the employee has chosen, such as retirement or health care These are all common terms that have to do with withholding tax, so it is important to understand these definitions as an employer. How to calculate withholding taxSo now that you understand what a federal withholding tax table is, let’s discuss how to calculate withholding tax. Follow the steps below to calculate federal withholding tax rate: 1. Collect required documentsGathering all relevant documents from your employees is the first step in correctly calculating withholding tax. To calculate withholding tax, you’ll need your employee’s W-4 form, gross pay for the pay period, and an income withholding tax table. 2. Reference employee W-4sIt is crucial that your employee fills out their W-4 correctly for your withholding tax calculations. Your employee will have to fill out their filing status, number of dependents, additional income information, and any other amounts the employee requests to be withheld. You will need to reference this form to calculate withholding tax. 3. Review payroll recordsTo calculate employee withholding tax, you will need to review important information from your payroll. An employer will need to look at the payroll period details, the frequency of the pay periods, and the gross pay amount for the pay period. An employer is also responsible for payroll withholding , which is money taken out of an employee’s gross wages. The money taken out is then used to pay their portion of payroll taxes on their behalf. There are also payroll deductions , which is money taken out of an employee’s paycheck that goes toward paying for costs like payroll and income taxes, employee benefits, and more. Payroll deductions can either be mandatory, which employers are required to pay, or voluntary, which employees have the option to pay. Understanding payroll can be overwhelming, which is why it is useful to use a payroll accounting service to keep track of payroll costs and employee compensation. 4. Calculate withholding taxThere are two federal income tax withholding methods for use in 2021 : wage bracket method and percentage method.
2021 income tax withholding tables2021 federal withholding tables are a bit different than they used to be. The IRS adjusts income threshold every year for inflation. That means the federal income withholding tables change every year, in addition to the tax brackets. These are the 2021 withholding tax table updates:
There are also rate and bracket updates to the 2021 income tax withholding tables. The federal withholding tax table that you use will depend on the type of W-4 your employees filled out and whether you automate payroll. Employers have the option to use a computational bridge to treat 2019 or earlier W-4s as if they were 2020 or later W-4s, specifically for tax withholding purposes. If your employees filled out a 2020 or later W-4, it is important to note that they can no longer request adjustments to their withholding allowances. Instead, there is a “standard withholding” and a “Form W-4, Step 2, Checkbox withholding” section. If you’re unsure of which federal withholding tax table to use for an employee, here is an overview:
Withholding allowances were also removed in 2020 or later W-4s. Before withholding allowances were removed, employees could claim more allowances to decrease their federal income tax withholding. But now, on updated W-4s, employees can only lower their tax withholding by claiming dependents or by using the deduction worksheet on the form. What is the income tax rate for 2021?The federal withholding tax has seven rates for 2021: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%. The federal withholding tax rate an employee owes depends on their income level and filing status. This all depends on whether you’re filing as single, married jointly or married separately, or head of household. How to use a withholding tax tableSo now that you understand what a withholding tax table is and how to calculate withholding tax, let’s talk about how to use a withholding tax table. It’s relatively simple when you break it down into four key steps:
Final notesUnderstanding federal withholding tax tables is undeniably difficult. There are a lot of components to understand, but it is important to learn for the sake of your business and your employees. Correctly calculating withholding tax is crucial for many reasons. To run a business efficiently and pay your employees accurately, you need to make sure they fill out their W-4s correctly. Not doing so can put you, your business, and your employees in deep water. Starting your own business means having to take on a myriad of new responsibilities, so it is helpful to understand tax basics as a new business owner. Using a service like QuickBooks Payroll to handle calculations can simplify your life as a business owner. QuickBooks Payroll offers everything from HR support to a paycheck calculator , so you can spend less time focusing on payroll and more time running your business. Understanding federal withholding tax is challenging, but using a payroll service like QuickBooks payroll will take a weight off your shoulders so you can be confident you’re not missing any steps when it comes to filing taxes for your business. Recommended for youLooking for something else?Get QuickBooksSmart features made for your business. We've got you covered. Firm of the FutureExpert advice and resources for today’s accounting professionals. QuickBooks SupportGet help with QuickBooks. Find articles, video tutorials, and more. |