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Form W­4 & State Tax Withholding

Taxes

Employees who are not U.S. residents for tax purposes should contact the university’s tax department prior to completing tax withholding forms. The Tax Department phone number is 571-553-8313.

The university is responsible for withholding federal and state taxes from all employees’ wages and reporting all taxable wages and taxes withheld to the Internal Revenue Service (Social Security Administration) and to the appropriate state. The university and each employee have responsibilities in this process.

University’s Responsibilities

  • Withholding federal, FICA, and state taxes from employee’s wages.
  • Remitting taxes withheld in a timely manner in accordance with published federal and state guidelines
  • Providing taxable wages and taxes withheld information on each employee to federal and state jurisdictions.
  • Providing each employee an annual W-2 no later than January 31.  More information can be found here on the W-2 Form Page.

Employee’s Responsibilities

  • Complete a Form W-4 in GWeb by visiting the Employee Self-Service Page and using the Federal Withholding Update Instructions.  You may complete the Form W-4 (PDF) and email it to [email protected] using your GWU email address.
  • You can complete the appropriate State Withholding Certificate for Virginia, Maryland, and DC in GWeb by visiting the Employee Self-Service Page and using the VA-MD-DC Initial State Withholding set up Instructions. For other states, complete the appropriate state tax withholding form at the time of hire which can be found in Payroll Forms.  Email the completed form to [email protected] using your GWU email address.
  • Notifying Payroll Services by completing new tax withholding forms when there are changes in their tax status (i.e. address changes, changes in the number of exemptions).
  • Employees who change their state of residence must update their information by visiting the Employee Self-Service Page and using the Changing Residency- State Withholding Instructions. 
  • Employees who qualify to claim exempt from federal withholding must renew their exemption status each year by visiting the Employee Self-Service Page and using the Renewing Federal Withholding Tax Exemption Instructions or completing and sending a new Form W-4 (PDF) to Payroll Services no later than February 15. Failure to do so will result in taxes being withheld at the single standard rate.
  • Payroll Services, Tax Department, and Student Employment are not able to provide tax advice and are limited in the amount of help staff can give in filling out forms. Please consult your tax advisor or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (telephone: 800-829-1040) for assistance.

Form W-4

Form W-4 (PDF), Employee Withholding Certificate, is required so that the university can withhold the correct amount of Federal income tax from employees' pay.  Employees are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of personal information to include their address and withholding information. Form W-4 address information will be used for payroll and benefit purposes. It is important to keep your information current.

Instructions on how to change address information and W-4 Withholding information using GWeb can be found online in Employee Self Service. 

Form W-4 Address Changes

  • For payroll and benefit purposes, it is important that GW has a current record of all faculty and staff addresses.  
  • Changes to address information can be made at any time through GWeb.  You can use the W4 Address Update Instructions which can be found in Employee Self Service. 

State Withholding

  • In addition to Form W4, all employees are required to complete the appropriate state tax withholding form at the time of hire.  
    • Please remember, if you terminate one state tax withholding, you must activate another state.  
    • A new withholding form must also be completed when an employee’s state of residency changes or there is a change in their personal information affecting withholding.  
    • If a state withholding form isn’t submitted, the university will withhold taxes at the maximum allowable rate. 
  • The levy of income tax in the tri-state area is based on the location of residence rather than on place (or source) of income received. For example residents of Maryland (MD) and Virginia (VA) who work in DC need to pay only taxes to MD and VA, respectively.  Please visit the State Income Tax section of the Tax Department website for more information.  You can also contact state taxpayer assistance help lines for more detailed information.
    • Complete the appropriate State Withholding Certificate for Virginia, Maryland, and DC in GWeb by visiting the Employee Self-Service Page and using the VA-MD-DC Initial State Withholding set up Instructions. 
    • For other states, complete the appropriate state tax withholding form at the time of hire which can be found in Payroll Forms.  Email the completed form to [email protected] using your GWU email address.   
    • Those residing in states with no withholding should complete Form D4A- DC non residency in Payroll Forms.