<prompt> Human: I just started a new job where we get paid monthly, and noticed that i had like 400 taken out for fed tax, 155 for state tax. Seemed like kind of a lot-- im basically taking home what i did at my last job where i made a little less. Noticed my W4 status was S-02, wondering what this means andor what the implications are of being single with 2 exemptions. Should I change it? Would I be able to change it? i have no idea what im doing when it comes to W4 forms. edit: Salary before taxes: 45,500 First full paycheck: 2910 i forgot exact numbers Pre-tax earnings: 3800Health insurance med, vision, dental only costs me 37 a month, no HSA, and the only other things being taken out are social security type of stuff. i havent filled out paperwork for 403b yet.  <response>: The numbers you pick on the HR forms dont have anything to do with the amount of money you ultimately end up with.You cant get something for nothing by changing to single 3 exemptions or whatever.If you change to single and 0 exemptions, you should expect to receive even less in your paychecks.No matter what number of exemptions you have, everything will be sorted out at tax time.If you take too much out of your check now, it will result in you getting a larger amount back after filing your taxes.If you take too little out of your check now, it will result in you getting less back when filing taxes, owing when you file taxes, or possibly both owing AND the government says you should have known better and makes you pay a penalty.The safest bet is to err on the side of paying too much over the year and getting the overage back at tax time. 