How To Treat 2019 and Earlier Forms W-4 as if They Were 2020 or Later Forms W-4

Employers may use an optional computational bridge to treat 2019 and earlier Forms W-4 as if they were 2020 or later Forms W-4 for purposes of figuring federal income tax withholding. This computational bridge allows you to use computational procedures and data fields for a 2020 and later Form W-4 to arrive at the equivalent withholding for an employee that would have applied using the computational procedures and data fields on a 2019 or earlier Form W-4. You must make up to four adjustments to use this computational bridge.

Select the filing status in Step 1(c) of a 2020 or later Form W-4 that most accurately reflects the employee’s marital status on line 3 of a 2019 or earlier Form W-4. Treat the employee as “Single or Married filing separately” on a 2020 or later Form W-4 if the employee selected either “Single” or “Married, but withhold at higher single rate” as their marital status on their 2019 or earlier Form W-4. Treat the employee as “Married filing jointly” on a 2020 or later Form W-4 if the employee selected “Married” as their marital status on their 2019 or earlier Form W-4. You can’t convert an employee to a filing status of “Head of household” using this computational bridge.

Enter an amount in Step 4(a) on a 2020 or later Form W-4 based on the filing status that you determined in (1) above when you converted the employee’s marital status on a 2019 or earlier Form W-4. Enter $8,600 if the employee’s filing status is “Single or Married filing separately” or $12,900 if the employee’s filing status is “Married filing jointly.”

Multiply the number of allowances claimed on line 5 of an employee’s 2019 or earlier Form W-4 by $4,300 and enter the result in Step 4(b) on a 2020 or later Form W-4.

Enter the additional amount of withholding requested by the employee on line 6 of their 2019 or earlier Form W-4 in Step 4(c) of a 2020 or later Form W-4.