Form W-4

Form W-4 (2026), Employee's Withholding Certificate

Form W-4 is the IRS withholding certificate an employee completes so an employer can withhold the right federal income tax from pay. The current IRS form is Form W-4 (2026), and you give the completed form to your employer. To fill in a new one without retyping, upload your completed W-4 and a blank 2026 form. RepeatForm carries over matching answers. You review them and preview free.

Tested with the irs.gov edition dated 2026

Start with your PDFs

Who completes Form W-4 and who receives it

The IRS says to complete Form W-4 so your employer can withhold the correct federal income tax from your pay, and to consider completing a new one each year and when your personal or financial situation changes. The employee fills in Steps 1 to 5 and signs; the form has an "Employers Only" box at the bottom for the employer's name and address, first date of employment and employer identification number (EIN). You give the completed form to your employer. IRS Topic 753 tells employers what to do with it.

Download the current W-4 (2026)

The PDF on irs.gov is marked Form W-4 (2026). The IRS About Form W-4 page also offers it in other languages. RepeatForm adds the official blank when you start from this page, so upload only your completed W-4; you can use your own blank instead.

The W-4 step by step

Step 1, personal information: name, address, Social Security number and filing status. Step 2, multiple jobs or a working spouse: the form offers three ways to cover this (the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator, the Multiple Jobs Worksheet, or a checkbox for two jobs), and says to do only one. Step 3, dependents and other credits: amounts for qualifying children under 17 and for other dependents, when your total income is $200,000 or less ($400,000 or less if married filing jointly). Step 4, other adjustments: other income not from jobs, deductions, and extra withholding per pay period. Step 5: sign and date under penalties of perjury. The IRS says that steps 2 to 4 apply only if they fit your situation, and that the form is not valid unless you sign it. RepeatForm does not tell you what to enter or whether a step applies to you.

Exemption from withholding

The 2026 form lets you claim exemption from withholding for 2026 if you had no federal income tax liability in 2025 and expect none in 2026. The IRS says to check the exempt box and complete only Steps 1(a), 1(b) and 5, and to submit a new Form W-4 by February 16, 2027 to continue the exemption. An exemption claim is valid only for the year it is given, so it is something to re-decide each year, not something to carry over.

Filling in a new W-4 from your last one

You may have a W-4 from a previous year, from a different job, or one you prepared for each of several employees. Upload a completed Form W-4 and a blank one. RepeatForm carries matching answers into the blank form. You review each one, then preview the PDF free before you pay.

Reuse it for the next hire and the next year

A W-4 belongs to one employee and one job. A new hire completes their own Form W-4, and the IRS says to consider completing a new one each year and whenever your personal or financial situation changes. So the same person may fill in a W-4 for a new employer, after a life or income change, or for a new year. Upload your last completed W-4 and the blank 2026 form, then check the preview: the Step 3 and Step 4 amounts and the "Employers Only" box need your attention, and the signature and date always stay blank for you to sign. An employer or payroll clerk preparing W-4s for staff uses one upload per employee.

Who fills in a W-4 again

✓An employee starting a new job, or updating their withholding after a life or income change.
✓An employer or small business preparing W-4s for staff with the same employer details.
✓A payroll clerk, bookkeeper or HR person preparing many W-4s for one employer.

What carries over

✓Your name and address, where the same fields appear in both copies
✓Filing status and the other checkboxes that appear in both copies
✓Amounts you entered in Steps 3 and 4, where the same fields appear in both copies, so you can see what they were and update them

What to check on the 2026 edition

✓The IRS changes the form and the IRS renames some fields from year to year. When your completed copy is an older edition, some answers may not carry, and some that do may now mean something different.
✓Step 3: the 2026 form multiplies qualifying children under 17 by $2,200. The 2025 form multiplied by $2,000. If a Step 3 amount carries over from a 2025 W-4, recalculate it.
✓Anything that depends on the year, such as exemption from withholding, or on your pay and household, such as Steps 2 to 4.
✓The "Employers Only" box (employer name, address, first date of employment, EIN): it belongs to one job, so check it in the preview.
✓The Social Security number, if you reuse a copy that was filled in for someone else.

What never carries over

✓Your signature and the date. They stay blank for you to sign on the new form (the form is not valid until you sign).
✓Anything that changed since your last W-4. Update it in the preview.
✓Anything in your completed copy that does not appear in the blank form.

Current irs.gov edition

The W-4 PDF on irs.gov is marked Form W-4 (2026). The IRS About Form W-4 page says to consider completing a new W-4 each year and when your personal or financial situation changes. Get the current form from irs.gov

Employers report the tax they withhold from pay each quarter on Form 941.

Your employer reports your yearly wages and the tax withheld on Form W-2.

How it works

Move matching answers into the new form, then check the PDF.

Upload the two versions, check what matched, then inspect the finished PDF before paying.

Upload two PDFs

Start with a completed W-4 and a blank one.

Check matching answers

Review what RepeatForm found before creating Preview.

Preview the result

Inspect the exact completed PDF before paying.

Free to upload, review and preview. Pay $6.99 USD once to download the PDF you checked. No subscription.

Start with your PDFs

Good to know

✓You review every carried-over answer. RepeatForm does not guarantee the form is correct.
✓RepeatForm does not give tax advice and does not send anything to your employer or the IRS.
✓It works with digital, text-selectable PDFs only. Scans, photos and handwriting are not supported.
✓Same or recent editions work best. If the form has changed you may get fewer matches, so check the preview carefully and get the current form from irs.gov.

Not sure whether your form is supported? See the list on supported PDFs.

Want to know how reuse works with any PDF form? Read how to copy PDF form fields.

FAQ

What is a W-4 form used for?+

The IRS says to complete Form W-4 so your employer can withhold the correct federal income tax from your pay. It tells the employer your filing status and any adjustments for multiple jobs, credits, other income, deductions or extra withholding. You give the completed form to your employer.

Is there a fillable 2026 W-4?+

The PDF on irs.gov is marked Form W-4 (2026) and has form fields. RepeatForm adds the official blank when you start from this page, so upload only your completed W-4; you can use your own blank instead. It fills the blank one with the matching answers, and you review and preview the result before you pay.

How often do I need to fill in a new W-4?+

The IRS says to consider completing a new Form W-4 each year and when your personal or financial situation changes. If you claim exemption from withholding, the IRS says to submit a new W-4 by February 16, 2027 to continue it. Your employer may also ask for one when you start a job.

How soon does my employer have to use a new W-4?+

IRS Topic 753 says an employer must put a revised Form W-4 into effect no later than the start of the first payroll period ending on or after the 30th day from the date they received it, unless an exception it describes applies. Ask your employer how they collect W-4s.

Can I reuse last year's W-4 answers on the 2026 form?+

Where the same fields appear in both copies, yes: upload your completed W-4 and the blank 2026 form and review what carries over. Some answers will not carry if the IRS renamed the field, and some amounts change from year to year. For example, the child amount in Step 3 is $2,200 on the 2026 form, and the 2025 form used $2,000. Check every Step 3 and 4 entry in the preview.

Does RepeatForm send my W-4 to my employer?+

No. RepeatForm helps you prepare the PDF. You review it, then download the PDF you checked and give it to your employer yourself, in the way they ask.

Is there a 2024 W-4, or only the 2026 one?+

The current IRS form is Form W-4 (2026). Earlier years' W-4s are on the IRS prior-year forms page, which is useful if you need to see an old copy. For a new W-4 today, use the 2026 form. To start from an older W-4, upload it with a blank 2026 form and check every Step 3 and Step 4 entry in the preview.