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M
mmalvin
March 9, 2020
Question

Louisiana Payroll Withholding

  • March 9, 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 0 views

I am struggling with entering the Louisiana state withholding information for my employees. The Louisiana L-4 provides boxes for exemptions and dependents. There is no way of using these two boxes to calculate "allowances" like Quickbooks asks for. In doing some research, I came across the Louisiana Withholding Tables and Instructions for Employers, which provides a chart for calculating withholding. Based on this chart, I do not believe Quickbooks can properly calculate state withholding. The field for state withholding asks for "allowances" and valid entries range from 0-2. As such, the field cannot be asking for dependents. However, if the field is only asking for exemptions, Quickbooks would be overpaying the state to the degree that the employee has any dependents. 

 

Any guidance?? To me, this looks like an error in the quickbooks platform. 

3 replies

Tori B
Tori B
March 9, 2020

Thanks for reaching out to the Community, @mmalvin. 

 

 I recommend contacting our support team as they have the tools available that can help set this up for you. Below I've included the steps to contacting support.

 

  1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online company.
  2. Click Help (?) at the top right.
  3. Select Contact Us to connect with a live support agent.

In the meantime, you can check out Louisiana Payroll Tax Compliance for more details about state withholding. 

 

Please let me know if there's anything else that I could assist you with. You can always reach out to the Community or me anytime you need help. Take care! 

 

M
mmalvinAuthor
March 9, 2020

Tori, 

 

I appreciate the quick reply. I reached out to Quickbooks support twice. Once they instructed me to call the state. When I explained it doesn't make any sense to call the state about a field on the Quickbooks website, she then told me to enter the number of dependents. The second person I contacted also said enter the number of dependents (which isn't possible if the person has more than 2 kids because the QB field is capped at a max of 2). Based on the link in my initial post, I don't think QB can accurately calculate the proper amount of withholding without both dependents and exemptions. 

MarsStephanieL
MarsStephanieL
March 9, 2020

Hi there, mmalvin.

 

As per checking on the Payroll Compliance waved by the IRS, it is a must to follow the Updated form starting January 1, 2020. The withholding amount should be calculated manually, and should base it on Page 3 of Form W-4.

 

For more information about the Payroll compliance and Calculations of withholding, please refer to: About Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Certificate, click on the Form W-4 (PDF) and for the calculations check out Page 3.

 

Let me know if you have questions in mind. I'd ready to back you up. Have a good one.

E
EmilyPentek
April 23, 2021

Did you ever get this figured out? I am having the exact same issue!

L
LeizylM
April 23, 2021

Thanks for connecting with us here in the Community, EmilyPentek. 

 

If the issue persists right after following the shared resolution by my colleague. I'd suggest contacting our customer support team. This way, they can check what's causing the issue. 

 

Here's how:

 

  1. Click the Help menu in the upper-right hand corner.
  2. Type in "Talk to a human", then press Enter.
  3. Look for I still need a human and click on it.
  4. Click Get help from a human or Contact Support Team.
  5. Select between Send a message, Schedule an appointment, or Get a callback.

 

In the meantime, you can check out Louisiana Payroll Tax Compliance for more details about state withholding. 

 

The Community is always here if you need anything else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

B
billjQC
January 5, 2023

So... looking at this thread-- seems like no one ever actually answered the question.

I'm in the same boat and will post maybe more detailed so we get a response?

 

In QB Payroll they give the option to enter Louisiana Withholding data from the Louisiana Employee Withholding Exemption Certificate (L-4).

 

QB:

LA state taxes

You can find the information for this section on ______'s state tax form.
Filing status
 
Withholding allowances
 
Additional amount to withhold
 

 

The problem here is that a Louisiana L-4 has two separate boxes to be filled.

What we have is:

6. Total number of exemptions claimed

7. Total number of dependents claimed

8. Increase or decrease in the amount to be withheld each pay period.

 

So the question is...

Is the withholding allowance number 6, number 7, or 6+7?

 

For reference:

Louisiana L-4

https://revenue.louisiana.gov/taxforms/1300(4_11)f.pdf

 

Thanks!

K
kelliek1
October 10, 2023

Did anyone ever figure this out, pertaining directly to the L4 Form not W4???

JenoP
JenoP
October 10, 2023

I have details to share to answer your question about the allowances for state withholding, kelliek1.

 

The Withholding allowances field in QBO refers to Block A of the Employee Withholding Exemption Certificate (L-4). 

 

 

 

It follows the instructions provided in the Louisiana withholding tables and formulas, specifically on Page 6. Under the WITHHOLDING EXEMPTIONS AND CREDITS FOR DEPENDENTS section, it states that "A withholding exemption is the exemption an employee may claim for himself or his spouse and exempts $4,500 of annual wages from withholding income tax for each exemption claimed. The maximum number of exemptions that can be claimed is two."

 

Here's the link for more info: https://www.revenue.louisiana.gov/taxforms/1306(7_09)w.pdf.

 

I would also recommend reaching out to our Payroll Support Team in case there are discrepancies with the calculation state withholding.Go to this article to get their contact details: Contact Payroll Support.

 

For additional resources when it comes to state taxes calculations, I also have these articles to share with you:

 

 

Please be aware that you can always return here if you have any follow-up questions. The QuickBooks Team is always available to provide assistance whenever you need it.

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