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                                                                                                                   Clear Form

                                 Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate
Complete this form so that your employer can withhold the correct California state income tax from your paycheck.
Enter Personal Information
First, Middle, Last Name                                            Social Security Number

Address                                                             Filing Status
                                                                      Single or Married (with two or more incomes)
City                                             State   ZIP Code     Married (one income)
                                                                      Head of Household

1.  Use Worksheet A for Regular Withholding allowances. Use other worksheets on the following pages as applicable.
1a.  Number of Regular Withholding Allowances (Worksheet A) 
1b.  Number of allowances from the Estimated Deductions (Worksheet B, if applicable.) 
1c.  Total Number of Allowances you are claiming 
2.  Additional amount, if any, you want withheld each pay period (if employer agrees), (Worksheet C) 
OR
Exemption from Withholding
3.  I claim exemption from withholding for 2024, and I certify I meet both of the conditions for exemption.        (Check box here) 
OR
4.  I certify under penalty of perjury that I am not subject to California withholding. I meet the conditions set  
forth under the Service Member Civil Relief Act, as amended by the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act  
and the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018.                                                              (Check box here) 
Under the penalties of perjury, I certify that the number of withholding allowances claimed on this certificate does not exceed the 
number to which I am entitled or, if claiming exemption from withholding, that I am entitled to claim the exempt status.

Employee’s Signature                                                                       Date  

Employer’s Section: Employer’s Name and Address                     California Employer Payroll Tax Account Number

Purpose: The Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate           1.  You did not owe any federal/state income tax last year, and
(DE 4) is for California Personal Income Tax (PIT) withholding      2.  You do not expect to owe any federal/state income tax this 
purposes only. The DE 4 is used to compute the amount of taxes             year. The exemption is good for one year. 
to be withheld from your wages, by your employer, to accurately 
reflect your state tax withholding obligation.                      If you continue to qualify for the exempt filing status, a new DE 4 
                                                                    designating exempt must be submitted by February 15 each year 
Beginning January 1, 2020, Employee’s Withholding Allowance         to continue your exemption. If you are not having federal/state 
Certificate (Form W-4) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)      income tax withheld this year but expect to have a tax liability 
will be used for federal income tax withholding only. You must file next year, you are required to give your employer a new DE 4 by 
the state form DE 4 to determine the appropriate California PIT     December 1.
withholding. 
                                                                    Member Service Civil Relief Act: Under this act, as provided 
If you do not provide your employer with a DE 4, the employer       by the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act and the Veterans 
must use Single with Zero withholding allowance.                    Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, you may be exempt from 
                                                                    California income tax withholding on your wages if
Check Your Withholding: After your DE 4 takes effect, compare 
the state income tax withheld with your estimated total annual      (i)  Your spouse is a member of the armed forces present in 
tax. For state withholding, use the worksheets on this form.               California in compliance with military orders;
                                                                    (ii)  You are present in California solely to be with your spouse; 
Exemption From Withholding: If you wish to claim exempt, 
                                                                           and 
complete the federal Form W-4 and the state DE 4. You may 
claim exempt from withholding California income tax if you meet     (iii)  You maintain your domicile in another state. 
both of the following conditions for exemption:                     If you claim exemption under this act, check the box on Line 4. 
                                                                    You may be required to provide proof of exemption upon request.
DE 4 Rev. 53 (12-23)  (INTERNET)                               Page 1 of 4                                               CU



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The California Employer’s Guide (DE 44) (edd.ca.gov/pdf_pub_ctr/de44.pdf) provides the income tax withholding tables. 
This publication may be found by visiting Payroll Taxes - Forms and Publications (edd.ca.gov/Payroll_Taxes/Forms_and_
Publications.htm). To assist you in calculating your tax liability, please visit the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) (ftb.ca.gov).

If you need information on your last California Resident Income Tax Return (FTB Form 540), visit the FTB (ftb.ca.gov).

Notification: The burden of proof rests with the          Penalty: You may be fined $500 if you file, with no 
employee to show the correct California income            reasonable basis, a DE 4 that results in less tax being 
tax withholding. Pursuant to section 4340-1(e) of         withheld than is properly allowable. In addition, criminal 
Title 22, California Code of Regulations (CCR) (govt.     penalties apply for willfully supplying false or fraudulent 
westlaw.com/calregs/Search/Index), the FTB or the EDD     information or failing to supply information requiring an 
may, by special direction in writing, require an employer increase in withholding. This is provided by section 13101 
to submit a Form W-4 or DE 4 when such forms are          of the California Unemployment Insurance Code (leginfo.
necessary for the administration of the withholding tax   legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes.xhtml) and section 19176 of the  
programs.                                                 Revenue and Taxation Code (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/
                                                          codes.xhtml).

DE 4 Rev. 53 (12-23)  (INTERNET)                          Page 2 of 4



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                                                                        Worksheets
Instructions — 1 — Allowances*
When determining your withholding allowances, you must consider your         Married But Not Living With Your Spouse: You may check the “Head of 
personal situation:                                                          Household” marital status box if you meet all of the following tests:
—  Do you claim allowances for dependents or blindness?                      (1)   Your spouse will not live with you at any time during the year;
—  Will you itemize your deductions?                                         (2)   You will furnish over half of the cost of maintaining a home for the
—  Do you have more than one income coming into the household?                     entire year for yourself and your child or stepchild who qualifies as
                                                                                   your dependent; and
Two-Earners/Multiple Incomes: When earnings are derived from more            (3)   You will file a separate return for the year.
than one source, under-withholding may occur. If you have a working 
spouse or more than one job, it is best to check the box “SINGLE or          Head of Household: To qualify, you must be unmarried or legally 
MARRIED (with two or more incomes).” Figure the total number of              separated from your spouse and pay more than 50% of the costs of 
allowances you are entitled to claim on all jobs using only one DE 4 form.   maintaining a home for the entire year for yourself and your dependent(s) 
Claim allowances with one employer.                                          or other qualifying individuals. Cost of maintaining the home includes 
                                                                             such items as rent, property insurance, property taxes, mortgage interest, 
Do not claim the same allowances with more than one employer. Your           repairs, utilities, and cost of food. It does not include the individual’s 
withholding will usually be most accurate when all allowances are claimed    personal expenses or any amount which represents value of services 
on the DE 4 filed for the highest paying job and zero allowances are         performed by a member of the household of the taxpayer.
claimed for the others.
Worksheet A                                          Regular Withholding Allowances
(A) Allowance for yourself — enter 1                                                                                                    (A)  
(B) Allowance for your spouse (if not separately claimed by your spouse) — enter 1                                                      (B)  
(C) Allowance for blindness — yourself — enter 1                                                                                        (C)  
(D) Allowance for blindness — your spouse (if not separately claimed by your spouse) — enter 1                                          (D)  
(E) Allowance(s) for dependent(s) — do not include yourself or your spouse                                                              (E)  
(F) Total — add lines (A) through (E) above and enter on line 1a of the DE 4                                                            (F)  
Instructions — 2 — (Optional) Additional Withholding Allowances
If you expect to itemize deductions on your California income tax return, you can claim additional withholding allowances. Use Worksheet B to determine 
whether your expected estimated deductions may entitle you to claim one or more additional withholding allowances. Use last year’s FTB Form 540 as 
a model to calculate this year’s withholding amounts.
Do not include deferred compensation, qualified pension payments, or flexible benefits, etc., that are deducted from your gross pay but are not taxed on 
this worksheet.
You may reduce the amount of tax withheld from your wages by claiming one additional withholding allowance for each $1,000, or fraction of $1,000, by 
which you expect your estimated deductions for the year to exceed your allowable standard deduction.
Worksheet B                                             Estimated Deductions
Use this worksheet only if you plan to itemize deductions, claim certain adjustments to income, or have a large amount of nonwage income not subject 
to withholding.
1.  Enter an estimate of your itemized deductions for California taxes for this tax year as listed in the schedules in the FTB Form 540 1. 
2. Enter $10,726 if married filing joint with two or more allowances, unmarried head of household, or qualifying widow(er) 
   with dependent(s) or $5,363 if single or married filing separately, dual income married, or married with multiple employers          –   2.
3. Subtract line 2 from line 1, enter difference                                                                                        =   3.  
4. Enter an estimate of your adjustments to income (alimony payments, IRA deposits)                                                     + 4.
5. Add line 4 to line 3, enter sum                                                                                                      =   5.  
6. Enter an estimate of your nonwage income (dividends, interest income, alimony receipts)                                              – 6.
7. If line 5 is greater than line 6 (if less, see below [go to line 9]);
   Subtract line 6 from line 5, enter difference                                                                                        =   7.  
8. Divide the amount on line 7 by $1,000, round any fraction to the nearest whole number                                                8.  
   enter this number on line 1b of the DE 4. Complete Worksheet C, if needed, otherwise stop here.
9. If line 6 is greater than line 5;
   Enter amount from line 6 (nonwage income)                                                                                            9.  
10. Enter amount from line 5 (deductions)                                                                                               10.  
11. Subtract line 10 from line 9, enter difference. Then, complete Worksheet C.                                                         11.  

*Wages paid to registered domestic partners will be treated the same for state income tax purposes as wages paid to spouses for California PIT withholding
and PIT wages. This law does not impact federal income tax law. A registered domestic partner means an individual partner in a domestic partner relationship
within the meaning of section 297 of the Family Code. For more information, please call our Taxpayer Assistance Center at 1-888-745-3886.
DE 4 Rev. 53 (12-23)  (INTERNET)                                        Page 3 of 4



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Worksheet C                                        Additional Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax
1.  Enter estimate of total wages for tax year 2024.                                                                        1.  
2.  Enter estimate of nonwage income (line 6 of Worksheet B).                                                               2.  
3.  Add line 1 and line 2. Enter sum.                                                                                       3.  
4.  Enter itemized deductions or standard deduction (line 1 or 2 of Worksheet B, whichever is largest).                     4.  
5.  Enter adjustments to income (line 4 of Worksheet B).                                                                    5.  
6.  Add line 4 and line 5. Enter sum.                                                                                       6.  
7.  Subtract line 6 from line 3. Enter difference.                                                                          7.  
8.  Figure your tax liability for the amount on line 7 by using the 2024 tax rate schedules below.                          8.  
9.  Enter personal exemptions (line F of Worksheet A x $158.40).                                                            9.  
10. Subtract line 9 from line 8. Enter difference.                                                                        10.  
11. Enter any tax credits. (See FTB Form 540).                                                                              11.  
12. Subtract line 11 from line 10. Enter difference. This is your total tax liability.                                    12.  
13. Calculate the tax withheld and estimated to be withheld during 2024. Contact your employer to request
    the amount that will be withheld on your wages based on the marital status and number of withholding
    allowances you will claim for 2024. Multiply the estimated amount to be withheld by the number of pay
    periods left in the year. Add the total to the amount already withheld for 2024.                                      13.  
14. Subtract line 13 from line 12. Enter difference. If this is less than zero, you do not need to have additional
    taxes withheld.                                                                                                       14.  
15. Divide line 14 by the number of pay periods remaining in the year. Enter this figure on line 2 of the DE 4.           15.  
Note: Your employer is not required to withhold the additional amount requested on line 2 of your DE 4. If your employer does not agree to withhold the 
additional amount, you may increase your withholdings as much as possible by using the “single” status with “zero” allowances. If the amount withheld 
still results in an underpayment of state income taxes, you may need to file quarterly estimates on Form 540-ES with the FTB to avoid a penalty.
                                      These Tables Are for Calculating Worksheet C and for 2024 Only
              Single Persons, Dual Income Married 
              or Married With Multiple Employers                                                             Married Persons
IF THE TAXABLE INCOME IS              COMPUTED TAX IS                                  IF THE TAXABLE INCOME IS   COMPUTED TAX IS
      OVER    BUT NOT    OF AMOUNT OVER...               PLUS                          OVER        BUT NOT        OF AMOUNT OVER...             PLUS
              OVER                                                                                        OVER
      $0      $10,412    1.100%                    $0    $0.00                         $0          $20,824        1.100%                 $0     $0.00
    $10,412   $24,684    2.200%       $10,412            $114.53                       $20,824     $49,368        2.200%    $20,824             $229.06
    $24,684   $38,959    4.400%       $24,684            $428.51                       $49,368     $77,918        4.400%    $49,368             $857.03
    $38,959   $54,081    6.600%       $38,959            $1,056.61                     $77,918     $108,162       6.600%    $77,918         $2,113.23
    $54,081   $68,350    8.800%       $54,081            $2,054.66                     $108,162    $136,700       8.800%    $108,162        $4,109.33
    $68,350   $349,137   10.230%      $68,350            $3,310.33                     $136,700    $698,274       10.230%   $136,700        $6,620.67
    $349,137  $418,961   11.330%      $349,137        $32,034.84                       $698,274    $837,922       11.330%   $698,274        $64,069.69
    $418,961  $698,271   12.430%      $418,961        $39,945.90                       $837,922    $1,000,000     12.430%   $837,922        $79,891.81
    $698,271  $1,000,000 13.530%      $698,271        $74,664.13                       $1,000,000  $1,396,542     13.530%   $1,000,000      $100,038.11
   $1,000,000 and over   14.630%      $1,000,000      $115,488.06                      $1,396,542  and over       14.630%   $1,396,542      $153,690.24
              Unmarried/Head of Household
IF THE TAXABLE INCOME IS              COMPUTED TAX IS
      OVER    BUT NOT    OF AMOUNT OVER...               PLUS
              OVER
      $0      $20,839    1.100%                    $0    $0.00
    $20,839   $49,371    2.200%       $20,839            $229.23
    $49,371   $63,644    4.400%       $49,371            $856.93
    $63,644   $78,765    6.600%       $63,644            $1,484.94
    $78,765   $93,037    8.800%       $78,765            $2,482.93
    $93,037   $474,824   10.230%      $93,037            $3,738.87
    $474,824  $569,790   11.330%      $474,824        $42,795.68                       If you need information on your last California Resident Income Tax 
    $569,790  $949,649   12.430%      $569,790        $53,555.33                       Return, FTB Form 540, visit (FTB) (ftb.ca.gov).
    $949,649  $1,000,000 13.530%      $949,649        $100,771.80
   $1,000,000 and over   14.630%      $1,000,000      $107,584.29
The DE 4 information is collected for purposes of administering the PIT law and under the authority of Title 22, CCR, section 4340-1, and the California 
Revenue and Taxation Code, including section 18624. The Information Practices Act of 1977 requires that individuals be notified of how information they 
provide may be used. Further information is contained in the instructions that came with your last California resident income tax return.
DE 4 Rev. 53 (12-23)  (INTERNET)                                   Page 4 of 4






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