In the United States, on September 20, the IRS announced it will delay major revisions to Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, until the 2020 version. The 2019 form will be similar to the 2018 version. The IRS hopes to release a new draft version of the 2019 Form W-4 “in the coming weeks” [IRS Statement on Form W-4, 9-20-18].

The IRS decided to delay the changes to the 2019 Form W-4 “following feedback from the payroll and tax communities.” The APA submitted detailed comments to the IRS on the preliminary draft 2019 Form W-4. The IRS also said that it will continue to work closely with these communities as it continues to develop the Form W-4 for use in 2020. The 2020 version will “fully reflect” tax law changes made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA; Pub. L. 115-97), and is intended to help employees improve the accuracy of their federal income tax withholding.

To learn more about federal and state laws, regulations, and information in the United States to keep your company's payroll operations in compliance, check out the American Payroll Association’s Payroll Source Plus!