New Form W-4

Disclaimer:

Central Human Resources employees are not tax specialists. By law, we are unable to provide any advice on completing the W-4.

New Form W-4 for Tax Withholding

Federal tax law changes have removed personal and dependent exemptions from the W-4. In the past, the value of a withholding allowance was tied to the amount of a personal exemption. This is no longer the case. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently published a newly designed Form W-4 due to these federal tax law changes.

Who Should Complete a New Form W-4?

If you are a new hire in 2020 or if you wish to update your current W-4 for payroll dated after January 1, 2020.

The new W-4 is designed to help employees more accurately calculate their withholding allowances. Withholding is an individual decision based on each person’s financial and personal situation. Each employee must make withholding decisions on their own, or with the assistance of their individual tax consultant. The UW is not authorized to provide tax advice.

If You Want to Complete a New Form W-4

If you decide that you would like to complete a new form, you can submit a Form W-4 (see below) to the Central Human Resources office, Engelmann 125. Before completing the 2020 form, please read the instructions included with the form.

You must complete Step 1 (personal information) and Step 5 (signing the form).

Steps 2, 3, and 4 are optional, but completing them will help ensure that your federal income tax withholding will more accurately match your tax liability.

  • Step 2 is for households with multiple jobs.
  • Step 3 is used to claim tax credits for dependents.
  • Step 4 is for other adjustments (additional income such as interest and dividends, itemized deductions that exceed the standard deduction, and extra tax you want withheld).

Wisconsin Residents

The new Federal W-4 requires Wisconsin residents to complete the WI W-4-T form if adjusting WI State taxes. If no change is needed for current WI tax setup, you do not need to submit a revised WI W-4.

Illinois, Minnesota, California Residents

The UW is now able to withhold tax for these three states if you meet the necessary requirements. If you would like taxes withheld, please submit that respective state’s W-4.

Other Resources

UW-Shared Services

IRS

Forms

Form Who Completes the Form Link to Form
Wisconsin Resident W-4s WI Resident

Form W-4 packet

(contains Form W-4 Supplemental, Form W-4, Form WT-4)
Non Wisconsin Resident W-4s Non Wisconsin Resident and Foreign Nationals Form W-4 non WI resident
Declaration of Wages Earn over $1,500 in WI during a calendar year for residents of a non-reciprocity state that perform work primarily outside WI Declaration of Wages for Non-Wisconsin Residents
Illinois W-4 Resident Form IL-W-4
Minnesota W-4 Resident and primary work location Form W-4MN
California DE-4 Resident and primary work location DE 4

Which Forms are Required

Supplemental Federal
W-4		 Wisconsin
W-4		 IL, CA, MN
W-4		 Wisconsin Declaration of Wages Foreign Source Income Statement
New/Rehires Yes Yes If Taxable If Resident No No
WI Resident Not Required, Preferred If updating Fed tax withholding If updating WI tax withholding No No No
Non-WI Resident working in WI (Exc. IL, IN, MI, KY, CA, and MN) Not Required, Preferred If updating Fed tax withholding If updating WI tax withholding No No No
IL, CA, MN Residents Yes If updating Fed tax withholding No If updating IL, CA, MN tax withholding No No
Foreign Nationals Always Yes Yes No No No
Claiming Reciprocity (IL, IN, MI, KY) Always If updating Fed tax withholding No No No No
Living/Working outside Wisconsin or Reciprocity State Always If updating Fed tax withholding No No If Applicable No
Living/Working outside USA Always No No No No If Applicable

Questions:

For any questions please contact Central Human Resources Payroll.

  • Phone: (414) 229-5353
  • Email: payroll@uwm.edu
  • Website: https://uwm.edu/hr/payroll/
  • Address:

    Central Human Resources Payroll
    Engelmann Hall, Room 125
    2033 E. Hartford Avenue
    P.O. Box 413
    Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413

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