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Internal Revenue Service (IRS) · United States (federal)

Form W-4P: Withholding Certificate for Periodic Pension or Annuity Payments

Current revision: Tax year 2026 (checked on irs.gov, Oct 15, 2026)

Fill out the IRS Form W-4P to set federal tax withholding on pension or annuity payments. Step-by-step help, then sign and give it to your plan payer.

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Form

W-4P

Issued by
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Applies in
United States (federal)
Edition
Tax year 2026

Official source

PDFBetter is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for Internal Revenue Service (IRS). We open the form from irs.gov, and you fill it in our editor. Check the issuer's instructions before you file.

What it is

What Form W-4P is for

Form W-4P tells a pension plan, annuity provider or IRA custodian how much federal income tax to withhold from periodic (recurring) payments. You give it to the payer, not the IRS. It is laid out like the employee W-4, with steps for other income, dependents and adjustments.

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From irs.gov to your filled copy

  1. 1

    Fetched from irs.gov

    The agency's own, current PDF — not a retyped copy.

  2. 2

    Opens in the editor

    Fillable fields work as they are; on a flat page you type with text boxes.

  3. 3

    Your filled copy

    Download, print, sign or send it — the original stays untouched.

Who files it

  • Retirees receiving monthly pension payments
  • People receiving periodic annuity payments or other recurring retirement payments
  • Retirees who also work or have a spouse who works
  • Anyone who wants more or less tax withheld from retirement income

What you need

  • Name, address and Social Security number
  • Expected filing status
  • Amounts of other pensions, annuities and job income for you and your spouse
  • Number of qualifying children and other dependents, if any
  • Expected other income and deductions

Line by line

How to fill out Form W-4P

  1. 1

    Step 1 — Personal information

    Enter your name, address and SSN and choose your filing status.

  2. 2

    Step 2 — Income from a job or more than one pension

    Complete this step if you also have job income, more than one pension or annuity, or a spouse who works or receives a pension. Use the estimator or the worksheet in the form's instructions.

  3. 3

    Step 3 — Dependents and credits

    Enter the credit amounts for qualifying children and other dependents if your income is under the limits printed on the form.

  4. 4

    Step 4 — Other adjustments

    Enter other income not from jobs or pensions, deductions beyond the standard deduction, and any extra amount to withhold per payment.

  5. 5

    No withholding (optional)

    Check the no-withholding box only if you want no federal tax withheld, then complete Steps 1(a), 1(b) and 5. U.S. citizens and resident aliens generally can't choose this for payments delivered outside the United States.

  6. 6

    Step 5 — Sign

    Sign and date. Submit a separate W-4P for each pension or annuity you receive.

Where to send it

Give it to the payer of the pension or annuity — your plan administrator, insurance company or IRA custodian — using the method they specify. Do not send it to the IRS. Many payers have their own online withholding election; check whether they also accept the PDF.

Filing rules change. Confirm the address or portal on irs.gov before you send.

Form W-4P: questions people ask

Is W-4P the right form for an IRA withdrawal?

Usually not. The instructions say IRA distributions payable on demand are nonperiodic, and nonperiodic payments and eligible rollover distributions (including lump sums) use Form W-4R instead.

What happens if I don't submit a W-4P?

The payer withholds using default rules described in the form's instructions, which may not match what you owe. Submitting a W-4P lets you set it.

Can I stop withholding entirely?

Yes, by checking the no-withholding box, except that U.S. citizens and resident aliens generally can't elect it for payments delivered outside the United States and its territories.

How is this different from Form W-4?

W-4 is for wages from an employer. W-4P covers pension and annuity payments, and its Step 2 accounts for multiple pensions as well as jobs.

How do I send it securely?

Use the payer's secure message center or upload tool if they have one. If you share the PDF from PDFBetter, add a password and an expiry date to the link.