Federal Filing Status Instructions - New and Old W-4 Form

Did your employee fill out the old W-4 form that we filled out for years, or did they fill out the new W-4 from 2020? It matters when entering data into Vista to get the desired results. You may not realize that having data in some fields will affect the withholding calculation. There are some fields that should be blank for both forms. When they are not, the system does not know whether to calculate withholdings based on the old form or the new.
 
Before we get started though, there are several places where the filing status can be entered or changed. You can update the filing status in HR Resources > Filing Status tab, in PR Employees > Filing Status tab or Dedns/Liabs tab, and in PR Employee Dedns/Liabs. Would you like for changes to update the other places where this data lives? If so, make sure to check the W-4 Info box in HR Company Parameters, under Updates.
 
To update the Federal Filing Status for an employee enter the deduction code for Federal Withholdings. The chart below describes the remaining fields and what should be blank and what should be filled in from the W-4 form.
Hopefully this simplifies things and makes your federal withholdings calculate perfectly!
 
If you have any questions or would like assistance with this or any other Vista issues, please click "Book A Call" and schedule a free 30-minute initial consultation with one of our consultants.