FREE TEMPLATE / GOVERNMENT, TAX FORMS AND STAMP DUTY
Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Certificate
The IRS form a new employee fills in so their employer withholds the right amount of federal income tax from their pay. The employee signs it and the employer keeps it.
The official form comes from Internal Revenue Service.
PDF, 1 page, 10 KB
SIGNING RULES
How it is signed in the United States
The rules for an official government form depend on where it is signed. Laws change, so check the sources before anyone signs.
W-4
Official form
Form W-4 tells an employer how much federal income tax to withhold from an employee's pay. The employee fills in Step 1 and any of Steps 2 to 4 that apply and signs Step 5, and the employer completes the Employers Only box with its name and address, the first date of employment and its EIN.
Steps
Download the current Form W-4 from the IRS page.
Choose who fills each one: the employee fills Steps 1 to 5 as they apply, and you fill the Employers Only box.
Can the form w-4, employee's withholding certificate be signed electronically in the United States?
Yes. An electronic signature is accepted for it in the United States. Employers may take Form W-4 electronically when their system meets the IRS requirements.
How many witnesses does the form w-4, employee's withholding certificate need in the United States?
None. No witness is needed in the United States.
Does the form w-4, employee's withholding certificate need a notary in the United States?
No. No notary is needed.
Does the form w-4, employee's withholding certificate need to be registered in the United States?
No. It is not registered.
Is stamp duty due on the form w-4, employee's withholding certificate in the United States?
No stamp duty is due.
Can the form w-4, employee's withholding certificate be signed or witnessed remotely in the United States?
No.
THE RIGHT TEMPLATE
Where it fits
For employees paid in the United States, for federal income tax withholding. Not for independent contractors, who give a Form W-9, and not for state withholding, which many states handle on their own forms. Sign does not rewrite it: you upload the official form and send it for e-signature.
A CAREFUL CHECK
Before you rely on it
Original Centilio wording, not legal advice. Publication 15 lets an employer receive Forms W-4 electronically through a system that meets Regulations section 31.3402(f)(5)-1(c). It does not cover state withholding forms, claims of exemption from withholding or the employer's payroll duties. Ask a payroll or tax adviser about anything unusual.
The IRS form a foreign individual gives a US payer to show they are not a US person and, where a tax treaty applies, to claim a lower rate of US tax withholding.
The declaration a resident under 60 gives a bank or other payer so that no tax is deducted at source from interest or similar income when the tax on their total income for the year is nil.
The forms from the Canada Revenue Agency that a new employee or pension recipient in Canada fills in so the right income tax is deducted from their pay: the federal TD1 and, where needed, the TD1 for their province or territory.
