Year-end bonuses are coming: Don’t be surprised how they’re taxed (2024)

FAQs

Year-end bonuses are coming: Don’t be surprised how they’re taxed? ›

The IRS considers bonuses to be supplemental income and taxes them at a flat withholding rate of 22% (a higher rate applies to bonuses over $1 million). Your employer can tax your bonus in one of two ways — the percentage method or the aggregate method.

Why is tax withholding on bonuses so high? Since bonuses are paid in addition to your normal paycheck, taxes are withheld at a higher rate than your regular wages.

There are some strategies that can help manage or reduce the taxes owed on a year-end bonus, however. Some of these require donating to charity or making a contribution to a retirement or health savings account. Others, such as deferring compensation, will call for some coordination with your employer.

Key takeaways. The federal bonus tax rate is typically 22%. However, employers could instead combine a bonus with your regular wages as though it's one of your usual paychecks—with your usual tax amount withheld.

Why is the Sales Commission Taxed like this? Since sales commission is a supplemental wage, the IRS taxes it on top of your regular earnings. Your employer also withholds Eliminate taxes for Social Security and Medicare, just like any other form of income.

Your bonus will be taxed, but you can lower the amount of your taxable income by depositing some or all of it in a tax-deferred retirement account such as a 401(k) or IRA. However, this does not mean you will avoid paying taxes completely.

You can not give an employee a bonus without taxes.

The IRS specifically states that taxes must be withheld from all employee bonus payments at the standard federal withholding rate if the bonus is paid along with the employee's regular wages or at the supplemental rate of 22%.

There are several ways to save for retirement

Even though about 75% of financial professionals say workers should invest bonuses in their 401(k) plans, only 17% of employees do so, according to a recent survey by Empower. But even a small amount can go a long way, a financial expert said.

An easy way to even out the amount you have withheld is to file a new Form W-4. Adjusting your withholdings can reduce the amount of tax withheld from your pay for the rest of the year. Be sure to file another Form W-4 next year or whenever you need to adjust it again.

Are bonuses taxed twice? ›

Like regular pay, bonuses are subject to both federal and state tax.

“If they just raise our salary, we're not going to be taxed so heavily on that. Plus there's no guarantee year-to-year what they're going to do,” she said. Bonuses can be taxed at a higher rate than normal wages, though there are some ways to mitigate that, and you might wind up getting a refund.

The withholding rate for supplemental wages is 22 percent. That rate will be applied to any supplemental wages like bonuses up to $1 million during the tax year. If your bonus totals more than $1 million, the withholding rate for any amount above $1 million increases to 37 percent.

Your bonus is considered "supplemental income" by the IRS, and treated differently at tax time. Taxes will be withheld from your bonus according to the percentage method or the aggregate method. You may be able to offset some of the taxes with deductions. See Personal Finance Insider's picks for the best tax software.

Because the IRS considers company bonuses “supplemental income,” they are taxed just like any other income you make.

A bonus may be subject to other withholding, too, such as state and local income taxes. Employers in California, for example, withhold supplemental wages at a 10.2% state rate — meaning residents' bonuses would likely be withheld at a combined 32.2% state and federal rate, Barlow said.

Federal tax withholding

If you earn more than usual during a pay period (such as work overtime or receive a bonus), the FITW will increase. If you earn less (such as work fewer hours or increase contributions to your 401k), the FITW will decrease.

The amount of tax withheld from your pay depends on what you earn each pay period. It also depends on what information you gave your employer on Form W-4 when you started working. This information, like your filing status, can affect the tax rate used to calculate your withholding.

An easy way to even out the amount you have withheld is to file a new Form W-4. Adjusting your withholdings can reduce the amount of tax withheld from your pay for the rest of the year. Be sure to file another Form W-4 next year or whenever you need to adjust it again.