Starting February 15, 2018, employers must use new tables to determine how much income tax to withhold from their employees’ paychecks. Helpside is actively working to get these updated in our system in preparation for the change.

According to the IRS, Notice 1036 is the first in a series of steps that the agency will take to help employers improve the accuracy of their tax withholdings under changes made by a new tax reform law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, enacted on Dec. 22, 2017.

Background
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made several changes to the tax code that will affect individual taxpayers in 2018. For example, the new law:

  • Adjusted tax rates and tax brackets;
  • Increased the standard deduction; and
  • Repealed personal exemptions.

The IRS issued the new tax withholding tables in Notice 1036 to reflect these changes and to help employers avoid withholding to much or too little from their employees’ paychecks for income taxes in 2018. A withholding table shows payroll service providers and employers how much tax to withhold based on each employee’s wages, marital status and number of withholding allowances claimed on a Form W-4. Notice 1036 also includes information about Social Security and Medicare rates for 2018.

New Tables Work with Existing Forms W-4 for 2018
The new tables in Notice 1036 are designed to work with the Forms W-4 that employees have already filed with their employers to claim withholding allowances for 2018. Thus, employers do not need to obtain updated Forms W-4 from their employees to start using the new tables.

For 2019, however, the IRS is revising Form W-4 to more fully reflect the new law and to help individuals determine whether to adjust their withholding. Once released, the revised Form W-4 can be used in 2018 by employees starting a new job and by existing employees who wish to update their withholding in response to the new law or changes in their personal circumstances. Until the revised Form W-4 is released, employees and employers should continue to use the 2017 Form W-4.

Future Guidance
In addition to the Form W-4 updates in progress, the IRS is currently revising its online tax-withholding calculator to help individuals determine their withholding under the new tax law. The IRS anticipates that the new calculator will be available by the end of February 2018, and encourages taxpayers to use it to adjust their withholding as soon as it is released. According to the IRS, the Form W-4 and calculator revisions will reflect additional changes made by the new tax law, including:

  • Changes in available itemized deductions;
  • Increases in the child tax credit;
  • The new dependent credit; and
  • The repeal of dependent exemptions.

The IRS also indicated that it will include more detailed guidance on tax withholding, along with the information in Notice 1036, in Publication 15 and related publications in early 2018. Helpside will continue to keep you updated of any important changes you need to be aware of.