Form W-4V (2026): Voluntary Withholding Request Online

What is Form W-4V?

Form W-4V, Voluntary Withholding Request, lets you ask the payer of certain government payments to withhold federal income tax from each payment. It covers unemployment compensation (including Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act payments), Social Security benefits, Social Security equivalent Tier 1 railroad retirement benefits, Commodity Credit Corporation loans, certain crop disaster payments, and dividends and other distributions from Alaska Native Corporations to their shareholders.

Withholding from these payments isn't required; your request is voluntary. Many people use it because having tax taken out of each payment is more convenient than making quarterly estimated tax payments. The rates are fixed: exactly 10% of each unemployment payment, or 7%, 10%, 12% or 22% of each of the other payments, with no other percentage or amount allowed. The same form is used to change your rate or to stop withholding. This page covers the Rev. January 2026 edition.

FileIt guides you through the W-4V, pre-fills your name from your People record, and prints your answers onto the IRS's own official PDF. You can sign it with FileIt's e-signature or print it and sign by hand, and the finished PDF is saved in your vault. The W-4V goes to your payer, not to the IRS, and FileIt never sends it anywhere: you give it to the payer yourself.

Who fills it: The person receiving the payments.
Given to: The payer of the payments, such as the Social Security Administration or your state unemployment agency. Do not send it to the IRS.
When: Whenever you want to start, change or stop federal income tax withholding from these payments.
Signatures: You must sign and date it; the form is not valid unless you sign it.
Edition: Rev. January 2026
Agency: Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Who needs to fill out Form W-4V?

People receiving unemployment compensation who want 10% of each payment withheld for federal income tax.
Social Security retirement, survivor or disability beneficiaries who expect to owe tax on part of their benefits.
Retirees receiving Social Security equivalent Tier 1 railroad retirement benefits.
Farmers with Commodity Credit Corporation loans or certain crop disaster payments.
Alaska Native Corporation shareholders receiving dividends or other distributions.
Anyone already having tax withheld from these payments who wants to change the rate or stop it.

When to use Form W-4V

When you start receiving unemployment compensation or Social Security benefits and don't want a tax bill at filing time.
When you would otherwise need to make quarterly estimated tax payments on these benefits and would rather have tax withheld.
When your other income changes and you want a higher or lower rate (for payments other than unemployment compensation).
When you no longer want tax withheld, for example because your income has dropped.
Note: if a payer gives you its own form for requesting withholding, the IRS says to use that form instead of the W-4V.

What you need before you start

Your first name, middle initial and last name.
Your Social Security number.
Your home address. If you live outside the United States and its territories, the city, province or state, postal code and the full country name.
The claim or identification number you use with your payer. For Social Security benefits, this is the claim number, which may not be your own SSN.
Which payment the request is for, and the rate you want: 10% for unemployment, or 7%, 10%, 12% or 22% for the others.
The payer's address or submission instructions, so you know where to deliver the signed form.

What’s on Form W-4V

The 2026 edition has 2 pages. FileIt asks for it in 3 parts, and it is signed by You (the person receiving the payments):

Lines 1–4: About youYou (the person receiving the payments)
Lines 5–7: Your requestYou (the person receiving the payments)
Sign hereYou (the person receiving the payments)

How to fill out Form W-4V, step by step

1 Lines 1–3: Name, Social Security number and home address

Line 1 asks for your first name and middle initial, then your last name. Line 2 is your Social Security number. Line 3 is your home address: number and street, city or town, state and ZIP code.

If your address is outside the United States or the U.S. territories, the instructions say to enter the city, the province or state, and the name of the country, following that country's practice for the postal code and without abbreviating the country name. FileIt switches to those boxes when you say you live abroad.

2 Line 4: Claim or identification number

Enter the claim or identification number you use with your payer, if any. For withholding from Social Security benefits, the claim number is the Social Security number under which the claim is filed or benefits are paid, followed by a letter or a letter and number that shows the type of benefit, for example 123-45-6789A or 123-45-6789B6. It may or may not be your own Social Security number, for example if you receive benefits on a spouse's record. For other government payments, ask your payer for the right format.

3 Line 5: Unemployment compensation

Check line 5 if you want federal income tax withheld from your unemployment compensation. The payer will withhold 10% of each payment. No other percentage or amount is allowed for unemployment compensation.

4 Line 6: Social Security and other government payments

Check the rate on line 6 if you want federal income tax withheld from Social Security benefits, Social Security equivalent Tier 1 railroad retirement benefits, Commodity Credit Corporation loans, certain crop disaster payments under the Agricultural Act of 1949 or Title II of the Disaster Assistance Act of 1988, or Alaska Native Corporation dividends and distributions. Choose one rate: 7%, 10%, 12% or 22% of each payment. You can't ask for a flat dollar amount or any other percentage.

5 Line 7: Stop withholding

To stop withholding, complete a new Form W-4V: fill in lines 1 through 4, check line 7, then sign and date it and give it to the payer. Check only one of lines 5, 6 and 7 on any one form.

6 Sign here

Sign and date the form. The W-4V says it is not valid unless you sign it, and the Privacy Act notice adds that without a completed, signed form the payer can't withhold federal income tax from your payment. You can sign in FileIt, or print the form and sign in ink if your payer asks for an original signature.

Common mistakes to avoid

Sending the W-4V to the IRS. It goes to the payer: the Social Security Administration, your unemployment agency or the other payer.
Asking for a rate the form doesn't allow, such as 15% or a fixed dollar amount. Unemployment is 10% only; other payments are 7%, 10%, 12% or 22%.
Checking more than one of lines 5, 6 and 7, or checking line 6 without choosing a rate.
Using your own Social Security number on line 4 when you receive benefits on someone else's record. Use the claim number on your benefit paperwork.
Forgetting to sign. An unsigned W-4V isn't valid.
Using the W-4V when your payer has its own withholding form. The IRS says to use the payer's form in that case.
Assuming withholding starts right away. Ask your payer exactly when it will begin.

After you fill it out

Sign and date the form and give it to your payer, not to the IRS. For Social Security benefits, the form notes that you can also request withholding changes online through the Social Security Administration or by contacting SSA, or you can complete Form W-4V and submit it to SSA. Ask your payer exactly when withholding will begin.

Your choice stays in effect until you change or stop it, or the payments stop. To change the rate on a payment other than unemployment compensation, complete a new W-4V and give it to the payer. To stop withholding, complete a new form and check line 7.

Keep a copy. FileIt saves the finished PDF in your vault so you can see what rate you asked for when you file your return. If you have other income that isn't subject to withholding, the IRS suggests you also consider estimated tax payments (Form 1040-ES).

Fill out Form W-4V online with FileIt

Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 15 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real Internal Revenue Service (IRS) form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault. Sign it, or send it for e-signature.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start Form W-4V now — it’s free

Form W-4V: frequently asked questions

Where do I send Form W-4V?

To the payer of the payments, not to the IRS. For Social Security benefits that is the Social Security Administration; for unemployment compensation it is the agency that pays your benefits. Follow the payer's instructions for mailing or delivering it.

What percentage can I have withheld from Social Security?

You can choose 7%, 10%, 12% or 22% of each payment. No other percentage or dollar amount is allowed on Form W-4V.

How much tax is withheld from unemployment with a W-4V?

10% of each payment. For unemployment compensation the payer is only permitted to withhold 10%; you can't choose another rate.

How do I stop tax withholding from my Social Security benefits?

Complete a new Form W-4V, fill in lines 1 through 4, check line 7, sign and date it, and give it to the Social Security Administration. The form also mentions that Social Security beneficiaries can request withholding changes online with SSA.

What is the claim number on line 4?

For Social Security benefits it is the Social Security number the claim is filed under, followed by a letter or letter-and-number suffix showing the type of benefit, like 123-45-6789A. It may be a spouse's or parent's number rather than your own. For other payments, ask your payer.

Is withholding from these benefits required?

No. The form says you aren't required to have federal income tax withheld from these payments; the request is voluntary. Some people prefer it to making quarterly estimated tax payments.

Can I fill out Form W-4V online?

Yes. FileIt lets you complete the W-4V online, prints your answers onto the official IRS PDF, and saves it in your vault. You can e-sign it or print and sign by hand, then deliver it to your payer yourself; FileIt doesn't submit it.

When does withholding start after I turn in a W-4V?

The form doesn't give a set time. It tells you to ask your payer exactly when income tax withholding will begin.

Official sources

Blank form (PDF), published by Internal Revenue Service (IRS): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4v.pdf
Official instructions and guidance: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-4-v
Edition shown on this page: Rev. January 2026 (created 9/18/25) (checked 2026-09-26).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-09-26.