IRS Finalizes 2026 Form W-4: What’s Changed and What Employers Should Do

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SHRM & HRCI Approved Webinar  |  CEUs = 1.5 Credit Hours

Overview:

The IRS has officially released the final 2026 Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate, incorporating updates from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The finalized form confirms structural and numeric changes designed to align withholding with new deduction and credit provisions under the OBBBA.

This webinar takes a closer look at the IRS Form W-4 for 2026 and what’s in store for payroll in the new year. This includes new wording changes for the OBBBA, the requirements for completing the form properly, handling non-resident aliens, state equivalent forms, record retention and processing the form electronically instead of on paper. We will also discuss best practices for processing more efficiently within the department.

Topics covered include:

  • In-Depth Review of the Form W-4 for 2026 including changes for the OBBBA
  • Review of the employer instructions and Publication 15-T
  • Examples of calculating income tax withholding
  • Discussion of how to handle calculating income tax withholding using prior versions of the form

Attendees will learn:

  • How to use the new form W-4 including the various new tables
  • To understand the employer instructions in Publication 15-T
  • Discover the various methods of calculating income tax withholding using current and prior year forms W-4.

Why you should Attend:

The importance of the Form W-4 is fundamental to the payroll department. It is the foundation for the taxation of an employee’s paycheck as well as a required IRS form.  Failure to handle the form correctly and completely can open the door to serious problems not only in properly withholding from the employee’s gross wages but could extend beyond the regulations and affect payroll customer service or employee morale. It can also lead to costly expenditures of time and budget resources to correct non-compliance consequences.

Questions arise in processing the forms almost daily in a payroll department. Is it a valid form? If not, what should payroll do to correct the problem? Did the employee check the box on Line 2c? Did the employee complete Step 4? These are the types of questions that must be answered to process the form completely and correctly. And it is not just the federal form that payroll must process; many states have their own version of the form and now do not permit use of the federal form for state tax withholding.

Who should Attend:

  • Payroll Executives/Managers/Administrators/Professionals/Practitioners/Entry Level Personnel
  • Human Resources Executives/Managers/Administrators
  • Accounting Personnel
  • Business Owners/Executive Officers/Operations and Departmental Managers
  • Lawmakers
  • Attorneys/Legal Professionals
  • Any individual or entity that must deal with the complexities and requirements of Payroll compliance issues

SHRM -

CEU Services is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM. This program is valid for 1.5 PDCs for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit - portal.shrm.org.

HRCI -

This webinar has been approved for 1.5 HR (General) re-certification credit hours toward California, GPHR, HRBP, HRMP, PHR, and SPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

The use of this seal is not an endorsement by the HR Certification Institute of the quality of the activity. It means that this activity has met the HR Certification Institute’s criteria to be pre-approved for re-certification credit.

Author Images
Vicki M. Lambert
The Payroll Advisor

Vicki M. Lambert, CPP, is President and Academic Director of The Payroll Advisor™, a firm specializing in payroll education and training. With nearly 40 years of hands-on experience in all facets of payroll functions as well as over three decades as a trainer and author.

Ms. Lambert has become the most sought-after and respected voice in the practice and management of payroll issues. She has conducted open market training seminars on payroll issues across the United States that have been attended by executives and professionals from some of the most prestigious firms in business today. A pioneer in electronic and online education, Ms. Lambert produces and presents payroll-related audio seminars, webinars, and webcasts for clients, APA chapters, and business groups throughout the country.

Ms. Lambert is an adjunct faculty member at Brandman University in Southern California and is the creator of and instructor for their Practical Payroll Online program, which is approved for recertification hours by the APA. She is also the instructor for the American Payroll Association’s “PayTrain” online program also offered by Brandman University.