How to Fill Out a W-4 for Your First Job (2026 Form)

Most people with one job and no kids only need Step 1 (name, address, Social Security number, filing status) and Step 5 (signature). The form tells your employer how much federal income tax to take out of each paycheck, so getting it close means no big bill and no oversized refund in April.

Quick version

• One job, single, no kids: fill in Step 1, sign Step 5, done.
• Two jobs at once, or married to someone who works: do Step 2 (the IRS estimator is the most accurate option).
• Kids under 17: Step 3, at $2,200 per child on the 2026 form.
• Claim “exempt” only if you owed no federal income tax last year and expect to owe none this year.
• Hand the form to your employer, not the IRS, and redo it when life changes.

Before you start

Have your Social Security card handy (the name on the W-4 should match it), your address, and a rough idea of what you’ll earn this year. If you have more than one job or your situation is complicated, give yourself 25 minutes for the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator, which can build a filled-in W-4 for you.

How to fill out a W-4, step by step

The 2026 form is one page of boxes plus four pages of instructions and worksheets. Work through it in order.

Step 1: Personal information (required)

1. Enter your first name, middle initial, last name and address.
2. Enter your Social Security number.
3. Check one filing status in 1(c):
   • Single or Married filing separately
   • Married filing jointly (or Qualifying surviving spouse)
   • Head of household, only if you’re unmarried and pay more than half the cost of keeping up a home for yourself and a qualifying person

Your filing status sets the standard deduction and tax rates your employer uses. If you skip everything else, withholding is based on the standard deduction for that status. For 2026 the form lists $16,100 for single filers, $24,150 for head of household and $32,200 for married filing jointly.

Step 2: Multiple jobs or a working spouse (only if it applies)

Do this step if you hold more than one job at the same time, or you’re married filing jointly and your spouse also works. Pick one of three options:

1. Use the IRS estimator. It’s the most accurate option, and the one to use if either of you has self-employment income.
2. Use the Multiple Jobs Worksheet on page 3, then enter the result in Step 4(c).
3. Check the box in 2(c) if there are only two jobs total. Check it on both W-4s. The IRS says this works best when the two jobs pay about the same; otherwise it can withhold more than you need.

Fill in Steps 3 and 4(b) on only one W-4, ideally the one for your highest-paying job. Doing them on both is a common cause of a surprise tax bill.

Step 3: Dependents and other credits (only if it applies)

If your total income will be $200,000 or less ($400,000 or less if married filing jointly):

• Multiply the number of qualifying children under 17 by $2,200 and write it on 3(a).
• Multiply other dependents by $500 and write it on 3(b).
• Add them, plus any other credits you expect, and enter the total on line 3.

Example: one child under 17 and no other dependents means $2,200 on line 3. Claiming more than you’ll qualify for shrinks your withholding and can leave you owing.

Step 4: Other adjustments (optional)

• 4(a), other income: interest, dividends or retirement income that has no withholding. Enter the yearly amount, not the tax.
• 4(b), deductions: use the Deductions Worksheet on page 4 if you expect deductions other than the standard deduction: itemized deductions, or the new tips, overtime and car-loan-interest deductions you can take on top of it (for tips and overtime, the income limit is under $150,000, or $300,000 married filing jointly). On the 2026 form this worksheet includes new lines for qualified tips (up to $25,000) and qualified overtime pay (up to $12,500, or $25,000 if married filing jointly), each with income limits.
• 4(c), extra withholding: a flat dollar amount taken from each paycheck. Useful if you have a side gig or want a cushion.

Exempt from withholding (rarely)

The 2026 form has a checkbox under Step 4(c). You can claim exempt only if both are true: you had no federal income tax liability in 2025, and you expect none in 2026. If you check it, fill in only Steps 1(a), 1(b) and 5. The exemption lasts one year, so you’d submit a new W-4 by February 16, 2027. It also covers only income tax; Social Security and Medicare still come out of your pay.

Step 5: Sign and date (required)

The form isn’t valid without your signature. Give it to your employer (HR or payroll), keep a copy, and check your first pay stub to see that federal income tax is being withheld the way you expected.

Which situation are you?

If two rows describe you, use the estimator. It handles the combinations better than the paper worksheets do.

What the pros say

• Katie St Ores, a CFP and enrolled agent, walks through the form, stresses that only Steps 1 and 5 are mandatory, and recommends the IRS estimator for the multiple-jobs step and a fresh W-4 after any life change like a new job, marriage or a baby. Her video notes are updated for 2026, including the $2,200 child amount and the new exempt checkbox.
• Travis Sickle, a CFP and enrolled agent, warns that claiming exempt is a signed certification. If you don’t meet both conditions, he explains, the IRS can send your employer a lock-in letter that sets your withholding for you, and a false statement can bring a $500 civil penalty.
• Arun Kumararaj, a CPA and enrolled agent, lays out what changed for 2026: the form grew to five pages, the child amount went from $2,000 to $2,200, the deductions worksheet expanded to cover tips, overtime and car loan interest, and exempt status moved to its own checkbox.

Tools and links that help

Both are free IRS tools. The estimator is the one Katie St Ores recommends for tricky cases; Free File is for next spring’s return.

Do this this week

• Download the 2026 W-4 or open it in your payroll portal.
• Find your row in the “Which situation are you?” table.
• If you have two jobs or a working spouse, run the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
• Turn in the signed form and save a copy.
• Check your first pay stub for the federal income tax line.
• Set a reminder to review your W-4 each January, and read our guides on health insurance deductibles and building credit from scratch while you’re sorting out new-job paperwork.