Throughout 2024, I worked a few different serving jobs and since October, I have been working as a dental assistant.
Obviously, with serving, I didn’t make great money, but I got my W-2s back and saw that they didn’t deduct anything for federal taxes.
The same is true for my current employer. I make $18/hr, and they haven’t taken out any federal taxes from my paychecks. On my W-4, I only have one withholding because I have a kid.
Am I royally screwed on my taxes or what?
How much did you make in 2024? All gross income combined?
Wylie said:
How much did you make in 2024? All gross income combined?
Maybe around 25k, not a lot lol.
Wylie said:
How much did you make in 2024? All gross income combined?
Maybe around 25k, not a lot lol.
With the Head of Household standard deduction and the child tax credit, you should owe zero tax on $25k of W-2 income. Everything is as it should be.
Wylie said:
How much did you make in 2024? All gross income combined?
Maybe around 25k, not a lot lol.
You wouldn’t owe any federal income tax, so it makes sense that it isn’t being taken out of your paycheck.
Edit: This is assuming you are filing as Single or Head of Household. If you have a spouse, you’d need to take their income into account too.
@Wylie
Only if the spouse has income.
How much were you being paid gross, and how often? Also, what’s your filing status?
The employers’ accounting software might not have withheld anything because, based on your instructions on your W4, it calculated that there wasn’t a tax obligation.
How many hours a week are you working? If you’re not working more than 14 hours a week at $18/hr, you’re not making enough money to be subject to federal income tax, assuming no other income sources and a single filing status.
Edit: See /u/SendMeBae’s comment below.
@Aubrey
I doubt it was that OP was working less than 14 hours a week.
More likely, based on Head of Household/MFJ standard deduction and the child tax credit, OP indicated to the employers on their W-4 that they have no tax obligation up until their total income exceeds $40,400. At 40-hour weeks @ $18/hr, OP wouldn’t exceed this threshold.
@Shan
Good point, I missed the child mentioned at the end.
@Shan
This probably sounds ignorant, so I apologize in advance, but I had no idea that’s what those numbers meant on the W-4 form. I’ve always put one because that’s what it prompts you to do.
@Aubrey
When I was in school, I worked 18hrs/week.
Now, because of the holidays, I worked around 16hrs/week, but now that the holidays are over, I work 30hrs/week.
I file Head of Household because I’m unmarried with a child.
Without knowing how much you made all year, we don’t know if you are going to owe or not.
If you file HOH with 1 child under 17, you wouldn’t need to have federal income tax withheld unless you’re making about $50k a year.
@Nova
I do file HOH with 1 child under 17. I definitely make nowhere near $50k a year though.
Nori said:
@Nova
I do file HOH with 1 child under 17. I definitely make nowhere near $50k a year though.
Then it’s correct to have no federal income tax withheld. You don’t have a federal income tax liability.
@Nova
Is that bad for me? Cause if it’s better for me to put single on my W-4, then I can do that.
Nori said:
@Nova
Is that bad for me? Cause if it’s better for me to put single on my W-4, then I can do that.
No, it’s not bad for you. It gets you the most money in your paycheck, instead of having to wait months to get your money.
@Nova
Thank you for being so helpful 
Nori said:
@Nova
I do file HOH with 1 child under 17. I definitely make nowhere near $50k a year though.
It’s actually $41,300 for 2024, not $50k, but it sounds like you don’t make $41,300 either, so you won’t owe any tax.
Are you full-time?