If your employees experienced an unexpected tax bill for 2018, now is the time for them to make changes to their tax withholding to prevent issues when they file their 2019 taxes. The IRS is encouraging all taxpayers to do a Paycheck Checkup using their online tools now to make sure they have elected the correct amount of federal tax withholding from their paychecks.
The reason many employees have seen a difference is because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was enacted in December 2017. As a result of the changes, some taxpayers ended up with smaller or larger refund that they expected for 2018. Others found they owed additional tax when they filed earlier this year. To prevent surprises when taxes are filed next year, employees may need to increase the amount of tax they have taken out of their pay throughout the year.
The IRS has created some online tools to help employees including the Withholding Calculator available on IRS.gov. To use the tool most effectively, employees should have a copy of the 2018 tax return they filed earlier this year as well as the most recent paystubs for all jobs held by both spouses if married and filing jointly. Employees can access copies of paystubs online on the Helpside Tools website
If an employee decides they need to change their withholding, they can make the change immediately online in the Helpside Employee Portal.
Employees should also take a look at their state tax withholding. Many states, including Utah and Idaho had changes to their tax tables in 2018 as well.
If employees have questions how much federal and state tax they should request to have withheld from their paychecks, we encourage them to use the online tools available through the IRS and state tax commissions or consult a tax professional.
If employees have questions about how to change their withholding or access pay stubs, they can reach out to Helpside at service@helpside.com or 1-800-748-5102.