A Friendly Reminder from the IRS - For What It's Worth - Comcast.net Finance

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that was signed into law by President Obama back in February included little in the way of immediate, direct relief for consumers. Sure, there is the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit. And billions have been set aside for highway construction projects. But those super-targeted funds haven't done much to help millions of struggling Americans make ends meet over the past few months.

The one small victory for taxpayers in this regard came in the form of the Making Work Pay Credit. The credit, essentially an across-the-board $400 cut in the payroll tax, works out to roughly $8 more in the pockets of every working American per week.

The logic behind these measly incremental payouts is that we'll be more likely to spend the extra sum if it comes to us in the form of small, regular payments. Had the government sent us all checks for $400 we'd be much more likely to put them in the bank, hence defeating the purpose of the "stimulus."

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Makes sense. And whether it comes to us all at once or little by little, extra cash is extra cash. But there is one tiny catch. And yesterday the IRS published another alert aimed at getting Americans to sidestep a nasty little surprise tied to the new credit.

The bottom line: Your employer could actually be giving you more money than you're entitled to. Due to standardized IRS withholding tables that were updated to take less from all taxpayers, regardless of their individual circumstances (most importantly, marital status), it's possible that you shouldn't be receiving the full extra amount in each check. And what your employer giveth every two weeks… the IRS will eventually taketh away when you file your income-tax return next year.

Married couples with two incomes, individuals with two jobs, taxpayers who can be claimed as a dependent and those receiving pension payments are most vulnerable to this little clerical quirk. According to the IRS, your best course of action to head off a smaller refund or, heaven forbid, a tax-due bill next year: Adjust your withholding.

The good news: Changing your withholding is as simple as completing a new Form W-4 and handing it to your employer. What's more, the IRS offers a publication and worksheet, as well as a calculator that will help you figure your withholding allowance correctly.

For more information from the IRS, check out its resource center for the Making Work Pay Tax Credit. Or sit back, relax, and fire up this entertaining and informative video clip:



Have you been spending the extra take-home pay you've been receiving in each paycheck thanks to the stimulus bill? Or is it as tough as ever to make ends meet? Share your story.

Message Edited by Anthony_Catalano on 06-26-2009 02:43 PM