Income tax collected at source
Requirement of withholding
In general
Except as otherwise provided in this section, every employer making payment of wages shall deduct and withhold upon such wages a tax determined in accordance with tables or computational procedures prescribed by the Secretary. Any tables or procedures prescribed under this paragraph shall—
apply with respect to the amount of wages paid during such periods as the Secretary may prescribe, and
be in such form, and provide for such amounts to be deducted and withheld, as the Secretary determines to be most appropriate to carry out the purposes of this chapter and to reflect the provisions of chapter 1 applicable to such periods.
Amount of wages
Percentage method of withholding
If wages are paid with respect to a period which is not a payroll period, the withholding exemption allowable with respect to each payment of such wages shall be the exemption allowed for a miscellaneous payroll period containing a number of days (including Sundays and holidays) equal to the number of days in the period with respect to which such wages are paid.
In any case in which wages are paid by an employer without regard to any payroll period or other period, the withholding exemption allowable with respect to each payment of such wages shall be the exemption allowed for a miscellaneous payroll period containing a number of days equal to the number of days (including Sundays and holidays) which have elapsed since the date of the last payment of such wages by such employer during the calendar year, or the date of commencement of employment with such employer during such year, or January 1 of such year, whichever is the later.
In any case in which the period, or the time described in paragraph (2), in respect of any wages is less than one week, the Secretary, under regulations prescribed by him, may authorize an employer to compute the tax to be deducted and withheld as if the aggregate of the wages paid to the employee during the calendar week were paid for a weekly payroll period.
In determining the amount to be deducted and withheld under this subsection, the wages may, at the election of the employer, be computed to the nearest dollar.
Wage bracket withholding
At the election of the employer with respect to any employee, the employer shall deduct and withhold upon the wages paid to such employee a tax (in lieu of the tax required to be deducted and withheld under subsection (a)) determined in accordance with tables prescribed by the Secretary in accordance with paragraph (6).
If wages are paid with respect to a period which is not a payroll period, the amount to be deducted and withheld shall be that applicable in the case of a miscellaneous payroll period containing a number of days (including Sundays and holidays) equal to the number of days in the period with respect to which such wages are paid.
In any case in which wages are paid by an employer without regard to any payroll period or other period, the amount to be deducted and withheld shall be that applicable in the case of a miscellaneous payroll period containing a number of days equal to the number of days (including Sundays and holidays) which have elapsed since the date of the last payment of such wages by such employer during the calendar year, or the date of commencement of employment with such employer during such year, or January 1 of such year, whichever is the later.
In any case in which the period, or the time described in paragraph (3), in respect of any wages is less than one week, the Secretary, under regulations prescribed by him, may authorize an employer to determine the amount to be deducted and withheld under the tables applicable in the case of a weekly payroll period, in which case the aggregate of the wages paid to the employee during the calendar week shall be considered the weekly wages.
If the wages exceed the highest wage bracket, in determining the amount to be deducted and withheld under this subsection, the wages may, at the election of the employer, be computed to the nearest dollar.
In the case of wages paid after
Tax paid by recipient
Included and excluded wages
Withholding exemptions
In general
An employee receiving wages shall on any day be entitled to the following withholding exemptions:
an exemption for himself unless he is an individual described in section 151(d)(2);
if the employee is married, any exemption to which his spouse is entitled, or would be entitled if such spouse were an employee receiving wages, under subparagraph (A) or (D), but only if such spouse does not have in effect a withholding exemption certificate claiming such exemption;
an exemption for each individual with respect to whom, on the basis of facts existing at the beginning of such day, there may reasonably be expected to be allowable an exemption under section 151(c) for the taxable year under subtitle A in respect of which amounts deducted and withheld under this chapter in the calendar year in which such day falls are allowed as a credit;
any allowance to which he is entitled under subsection (m), but only if his spouse does not have in effect a withholding exemption certificate claiming such allowance; and
a standard deduction allowance which shall be an amount equal to one exemption (or more than one exemption if so prescribed by the Secretary) unless (i) he is married (as determined under section 7703) and his spouse is an employee receiving wages subject to withholding or (ii) he has withholding exemption certificates in effect with respect to more than one employer.
For purposes of this title, any standard deduction allowance under subparagraph (E) shall be treated as if it were denominated a withholding exemption.
Exemption certificates
On commencement of employment
Change of status
Change of status which affects next calendar year
When certificate takes effect
First certificate furnished
Furnished to take place of existing certificate
In general
Employer may elect earlier effective date
Change of status which affects next year
Period during which certificate remains in effect
Form and contents of certificate
Exemption of certain nonresident aliens
Exemption where certificate with another employer is in effect
Overlapping pay periods, and payment by agent or fiduciary
If a payment of wages is made to an employee by an employer—
with respect to a payroll period or other period, any part of which is included in a payroll period or other period with respect to which wages are also paid to such employee by such employer, or
without regard to any payroll period or other period, but on or prior to the expiration of a payroll period or other period with respect to which wages are also paid to such employee by such employer, or
with respect to a period beginning in one and ending in another calendar year, or
through an agent, fiduciary, or other person who also has the control, receipt, custody, or disposal of, or pays, the wages payable by another employer to such employee,
the manner of withholding and the amount to be deducted and withheld under this chapter shall be determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary under which the withholding exemption allowed to the employee in any calendar year shall approximate the withholding exemption allowable with respect to an annual payroll period.
Alternative methods of computing amount to be withheld
The Secretary may, under regulations prescribed by him, authorize—
Withholding on basis of average wages
An employer—
to estimate the wages which will be paid to any employee in any quarter of the calendar year,
to determine the amount to be deducted and withheld upon each payment of wages to such employee during such quarter as if the appropriate average of the wages so estimated constituted the actual wages paid, and
to deduct and withhold upon any payment of wages to such employee during such quarter (and, in the case of tips referred to in subsection (k), within 30 days thereafter) such amount as may be necessary to adjust the amount actually deducted and withheld upon the wages of such employee during such quarter to the amount required to be deducted and withheld during such quarter without regard to this subsection.
Withholding on basis of annualized wages
An employer to determine the amount of tax to be deducted and withheld upon a payment of wages to an employee for a payroll period by—
multiplying the amount of an employee’s wages for a payroll period by the number of such payroll periods in the calendar year,
determining the amount of tax which would be required to be deducted and withheld upon the amount determined under subparagraph (A) if such amount constituted the actual wages for the calendar year and the payroll period of the employee were an annual payroll period, and
dividing the amount of tax determined under subparagraph (B) by the number of payroll periods (described in subparagraph (A)) in the calendar year.
Withholding on basis of cumulative wages
An employer, in the case of any employee who requests to have the amount of tax to be withheld from his wages computed on the basis of his cumulative wages, to—
add the amount of the wages to be paid to the employee for the payroll period to the total amount of wages paid by the employer to the employee during the calendar year,
divide the aggregate amount of wages computed under subparagraph (A) by the number of payroll periods to which such aggregate amount of wages relates,
compute the total amount of tax that would have been required to be deducted and withheld under subsection (a) if the average amount of wages (as computed under subparagraph (B)) had been paid to the employee for the number of payroll periods to which the aggregate amount of wages (computed under subparagraph (A)) relates,
determine the excess, if any, of the amount of tax computed under subparagraph (C) over the total amount of tax deducted and withheld by the employer from wages paid to the employee during the calendar year, and
deduct and withhold upon the payment of wages (referred to in subparagraph (A)) to the employee an amount equal to the excess (if any) computed under subparagraph (D).
Other methods
Changes in withholding
In general
Treatment as tax
Noncash remuneration to retail commission salesman
Tips
Determination and disclosure of marital status
Determination of status by employer
Disclosure of status by employee
Determination of marital status
For purposes of paragraph (2), an employee shall on any day be considered—
as not married, if (i) he is legally separated from his spouse under a decree of divorce or separate maintenance, or (ii) either he or his spouse is, or on any preceding day within the calendar year was, a nonresident alien; or
as married, if (i) his spouse (other than a spouse referred to in subparagraph (A)) died within the portion of his taxable year which precedes such day, or (ii) his spouse died during one of the two taxable years immediately preceding the current taxable year and, on the basis of facts existing at the beginning of such day, the employee reasonably expects, at the close of his taxable year, to be a surviving spouse (as defined in section 2(a)).
Withholding allowances
Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, an employee shall be entitled to additional withholding allowances or additional reductions in withholding under this subsection. In determining the number of additional withholding allowances or the amount of additional reductions in withholding under this subsection, the employee may take into account (to the extent and in the manner provided by such regulations)—
estimated itemized deductions allowable under chapter 1 (other than the deductions referred to in section 151 and other than the deductions required to be taken into account in determining adjusted gross income under section 62(a) (other than paragraph (10) thereof)),
estimated tax credits allowable under chapter 1, and
such additional deductions (including the additional standard deduction under section 63(c)(3) for the aged and blind) and other items as may be specified by the Secretary in regulations.
Employees incurring no income tax liability
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an employer shall not be required to deduct and withhold any tax under this chapter upon a payment of wages to an employee if there is in effect with respect to such payment a withholding exemption certificate (in such form and containing such other information as the Secretary may prescribe) furnished to the employer by the employee certifying that the employee—
incurred no liability for income tax imposed under subtitle A for his preceding taxable year, and
anticipates that he will incur no liability for income tax imposed under subtitle A for his current taxable year.
The Secretary shall by regulations provide for the coordination of the provisions of this subsection with the provisions of subsection (f).
Extension of withholding to certain payments other than wages
General rule
For purposes of this chapter (and so much of subtitle F as relates to this chapter)—
any supplemental unemployment compensation benefit paid to an individual,
any payment of an annuity to an individual, if at the time the payment is made a request that such annuity be subject to withholding under this chapter is in effect, and
any payment to an individual of sick pay which does not constitute wages (determined without regard to this subsection), if at the time the payment is made a request that such sick pay be subject to withholding under this chapter is in effect,
shall be treated as if it were a payment of wages by an employer to an employee for a payroll period.
Definitions
Supplemental unemployment compensation benefits
Annuity
Sick pay
For purposes of this subsection, the term “sick pay” means any amount which—
is paid to an employee pursuant to a plan to which the employer is a party, and
constitutes remuneration or a payment in lieu of remuneration for any period during which the employee is temporarily absent from work on account of sickness or personal injuries.
Amount withheld from annuity payments or sick pay
Request for withholding
A request that an annuity or any sick pay be subject to withholding under this chapter—
shall be made by the payee in writing to the person making the payments and shall contain the social security number of the payee,
shall specify the amount to be deducted and withheld from each full payment, and
shall take effect—
in the case of sick pay, with respect to payments made more than 7 days after the date on which such request is furnished to the payor, or
in the case of an annuity, at such time (after the date on which such request is furnished to the payor) as the Secretary shall by regulations prescribe.
Such a request may be changed or terminated by furnishing to the person making the payments a written statement of change or termination which shall take effect in the same manner as provided in subparagraph (C). At the election of the payor, any such request (or statement of change or revocation) may take effect earlier than as provided in subparagraph (C).
Special rule for sick pay paid pursuant to certain collective-bargaining agreements
In the case of any sick pay paid pursuant to a collective-bargaining agreement between employee representatives and one or more employers which contains a provision specifying that this paragraph is to apply to sick pay paid pursuant to such agreement and contains a provision for determining the amount to be deducted and withheld from each payment of such sick pay—
the requirement of paragraph (1)(C) that a request for withholding be in effect shall not apply, and
except as provided in subsection (n), the amounts to be deducted and withheld under this chapter shall be determined in accordance with such agreement.
The preceding sentence shall not apply with respect to sick pay paid pursuant to any agreement to any individual unless the social security number of such individual is furnished to the payor and the payor is furnished with such information as is necessary to determine whether the payment is pursuant to the agreement and to determine the amount to be deducted and withheld.
Coordination with withholding on designated distributions under section 3405
Voluntary withholding agreements
Certain Federal payments
In general
Amount withheld
Specified Federal payments
For purposes of this paragraph, the term “specified Federal payment” means—
any payment of a social security benefit (as defined in section 86(d)),
any payment referred to in the second sentence of section 451(d) which is treated as insurance proceeds,
any amount which is includible in gross income under section 77(a), and
any other payment made pursuant to Federal law which is specified by the Secretary for purposes of this paragraph.
Requests for withholding
Voluntary withholding on unemployment benefits
Authority for other voluntary withholding
The Secretary is authorized by regulations to provide for withholding—
from remuneration for services performed by an employee for the employee’s employer which (without regard to this paragraph) does not constitute wages, and
from any other type of payment with respect to which the Secretary finds that withholding would be appropriate under the provisions of this chapter,
if the employer and employee, or the person making and the person receiving such other type of payment, agree to such withholding. Such agreement shall be in such form and manner as the Secretary may by regulations prescribe. For purposes of this chapter (and so much of subtitle F as relates to this chapter), remuneration or other payments with respect to which such agreement is made shall be treated as if they were wages paid by an employer to an employee to the extent that such remuneration is paid or other payments are made during the period for which the agreement is in effect.
Extension of withholding to certain gambling winnings
General rule
Exemption where tax otherwise withheld
Winnings which are subject to withholding
For purposes of this subsection, the term “winnings which are subject to withholding” means proceeds from a wager determined in accordance with the following:
In general
State-conducted lotteries
Sweepstakes, wagering pools, certain parimutuel pools, jai alai, and lotteries
Proceeds of more than $5,000 from—
a wager placed in a sweepstakes, wagering pool, or lottery (other than a wager described in subparagraph (B)), or
a wagering transaction in a parimutuel pool with respect to horse races, dog races, or jai alai if the amount of such proceeds is at least 300 times as large as the amount wagered.
Rules for determining proceeds from a wager
For purposes of this subsection—
proceeds from a wager shall be determined by reducing the amount received by the amount of the wager, and
proceeds which are not money shall be taken into account at their fair market value.
Exemption for bingo, keno, and slot machines
Statement by recipient
Coordination with other sections
Extension of withholding to certain taxable payments of Indian casino profits
In general
Exception
The tax imposed by paragraph (1) shall not apply to any payment to the extent that the payment, when annualized, does not exceed an amount equal to the sum of—
the basic standard deduction (as defined in section 63(c)) for an individual to whom section 63(c)(2)(C) 1
the exemption amount (as defined in section 151(d)).
Annualized tax
For purposes of paragraph (1), the term “annualized tax” means, with respect to any payment, the amount of tax which would be imposed by section 1(c) (determined without regard to any rate of tax in excess of the fourth lowest rate of tax applicable under section 1(c)) on an amount of taxable income equal to the excess of—
the annualized amount of such payment, over
the amount determined under paragraph (2).
Classes of gaming activities, etc.
Annualization
Alternate withholding procedures
Coordination with other sections
Exemption from withholding for any vehicle fringe benefit
Employer election not to withhold
Employer must furnish W–2
Vehicle fringe benefit
For purposes of this subsection, the term “vehicle fringe benefit” means any fringe benefit—
which constitutes wages (as defined in section 3401), and
which consists of providing a highway motor vehicle for the use of the employee.
Source
(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 457; Aug. 9, 1955, ch. 666, § 2, 69 Stat. 605; Pub. L. 87–256, § 110(g)(2),Notes
References in Text
Amendments
Effective Date of 2011 Amendment
Effective Date of 2006 Amendment
Effective Date of 2001 Amendment
Effective Date of 1994 Amendment
Effective Date of 1992 Amendments
Effective Date of 1988 Amendment
Effective Date of 1987 Amendment
Effective Date of 1986 Amendment
Effective Date of 1985 Amendment
Effective Date of 1983 Amendment
Effective Date of 1982 Amendment
Effective Date of 1981 Amendment
Effective Date of 1980 Amendment
Effective Date of 1978 Amendment
Effective Date of 1977 Amendment
Effective Date of 1976 Amendment
Effective and Termination Dates of 1975 Amendments
Effective Date of 1971 Amendment
The amendments made by this section [amending this section] (other than subsection (h)) shall apply with respect to wages paid after
The amendments made by subsection (h) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to wages paid after
Effective Date of 1969 Amendments
The amendments made by subsections (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to remuneration paid after
The amendment made by subsection (f) [amending this section and section 6051 of this title] applies to wages paid after
Subsection (o) of section 3402 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 [formerly I.R.C. 1954], added by subsection (g) of this subsection, shall apply to payments made after
Effective Date of 1966 Amendment
Effective Date of 1965 Amendments
Effective Date of 1964 Amendment
Effective Date of 1961 Amendment
Effective Date of 1955 Amendment
Savings Provision
Plan Amendments Not Required Until January 1, 1994
Withholding Allowances To Reflect New Rate Schedules
Employer’s Responsibility Upon Failure of Employee To File Revised Withholding Allowance Certificate Before Oct. 1, 1987
“If an employee has not filed a revised withholding allowance certificate before
as if the employee claimed 1 withholding allowance, if the employee checked the ‘single’ box on the employee’s previous withholding allowance certificate, or
as if the employee claimed 2 withholding allowances, if the employee checked the ‘married’ box on the employee’s previous withholding allowance certificate.
The preceding sentence shall not apply if its application would result in an increase in the number of withholding allowances for the employee.”