Curious About What the New Form W-4 Might Look Like for 2019?

The IRS recently issued a 2019 draft version of Form W-4 (Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate) and its instructions. The form has been updated to improve withholding accuracy as a result of major tax law changes in the TCJA. The draft version of the 2019 Form W-4 is one full page, with 11 pages of instructions. (Tax simplification is a wonderful thing!) An individual with a simple tax situation may be able to use the brief instructions on the back of the form; however, those with more complex situations may need to use the worksheets provided with the instructions. The IRS stated that the focus of the form is to move away from the number of withholding allowances to more direct reporting of adjustments to income. Taxpayers are encouraged to provide comments on the draft form, which can be found at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-dft/fw4--dft.pdf, with the instructions found at www.irs.gov/pub/irs- dft/iw4--dft.pdf.