W-4 Forms are essential tax documents used to determine how much federal and state income tax should be withheld from an Employee’s paycheck. Within Zeal, you can easily collect, review, and manage W-4 forms through a streamlined, secure paperwork experience.
What Is a W-4 Form?
A Federal W-4 Form is required by the IRS for all Employees to determine federal income tax withholding. Some states also require a State W-4 Form to determine state tax withholdings.
These forms must be completed accurately to ensure proper tax withholding in Zeal. Employees can fill out W-4 forms during their onboarding as part of paperwork, or outside of onboarding with a shareable link.
Sending & Managing W-4 Forms
W-4 Forms in Onboarding Links
During the Zeal White-labeled Onboarding flow Federal and applicable State W-4 Forms will be prompted for the Employee to complete as part of their onboarding.
To Create an Onboarding Link for a new hire in the Zeal dashboard:
- Go to the People Page
- Locate and Select the eye icon next an Employee's name who's status is still In progress and select "Onboarding Link".
- The onboarding link will include the W-4 Forms in the required Paperwork section.
- The link can be sent in one of two ways
- Direct Email to the address on file.
- Copy the Link and send it manually.
Once the link is executed, the Employee's tax withholding information will automatically be updated in Zeal. This ensures W-4 completion will be part of every new onboarding.
W-4 Form as a Shareable Link
If an Employee is not onboarded yet, or needs to update their existing withholding information post-onboarding, they can be sent a specific W-4 to fill out as it's own shareable link.
Common use cases for needing a new or updated W-4 Form include:
Employees updating their W-4 due to changes in family structure (e.g., marriage, dependents) or adjustments to withholding preferences.
Admins preemptively requesting a new State W-4 for Employees planning a relocation to another jurisdiction.
To Create a Shareable Link for an Employee in the Zeal dashboard:
- Go to the People Page in your Zeal dashboard.
- Locate and Select the Employee who will need the W-4 Form.
- In their Profile, navigate to either the Federal W-4 or State W-4 tab.
- Click "Ask Worker to Update".
- If it's a State W-4 you are able to select the correct state.
- Form can be sent in one of two ways
- Direct Email to the address on file.
- Copy the Link and send it manually.
Once the link is executed, the Employee's tax withholding information will automatically be updated in Zeal for their next created check.
Viewing Completed W-4s Withholding Information
Viewing Completed Form Copies
Once an Employee completes a W4 a copy of the completed forms are available in the Employee profile for reference.
- Go to the specific Employee's profile → Paperwork tab.
- You’ll see all completed Paperwork, which includes all W-4 forms, available in PDF format.
- The completed forms are also accessible for the worker in their Employee Dashboard.
Viewing Active Tax Parameters
The information the Employee provides in their W-4 Forms informs their Active Tax Parameters on Checks they receive.
This can be viewed under the specific Employee profile, in their Active Tax Parameters tab. It will list information collected from the Employee's last completed Federal and State(s) W-4 Forms.
Note: Editing an Active Tax Parameter involves either an admin editing the Federal W-4 or State W-4 tab for the Employee, or asking the Employee to complete a new Federal or State W-4 Form.
Employee Experience: Completing W-4s
- As part of Employee Onboarding, Employee can be required to complete:
- Federal W-4 Form (always required)
- State W-4 Form (if applicable based on work location)
- An Employee can be asked to complete a Specific W-4 Form via a Shareable Link.
- Note that this can done before or after the Employee has onboarded into Zeal.
- Each form will vary in information being asked. Generally Employees will be prompted to enter:
- Filing status
- Dependents
- Other income
- Extra withholding amounts
- Multiple jobs or spouse working?
- Indicate if a tax preparer helped fill out the form
- The Federal W-4 is available in both English and Spanish.
If you have questions about collecting or managing W-4 forms, please Contact Zeal Support for further assistance.
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