Payroll had an incorrect number of dependents on my check for two months. Will I ever get that money back?

I've had my current job for two months. When looking at my check stub yesterday I discovered I was incorrectly identified as single and with zero dependents. The payroll dept corrected this error today, however, I am wondering what will happen to all the money that was withheld from my check so far. Is it a loss? Will I get the money back when I file my taxes? I live in California, if that makes a difference.

Did you submit a Form W-4 to your payroll department? Single with no exemptions is the withholding status required if you don't submit a W-4 or the company believes the one you submitted is wrong. (Usually occurs if you are working full time and claiming you are exempt or you list 25 exemptions.)

The extra money that was withheld is paid on account for you. When you file your tax return next year, you will list the total amount withheld. If you had more withheld than needed to pay your taxes, you can have the money refunded then. A quicker way for you to even out things would be for you to file a W-4 as Single and add enough exemptions to lower your withholding by the amount you say was over-withheld. (This is a risky strategy for anybody who doesn't understand taxes.) To check on the withholding amounts, you can use a free paycheck calculator at http://www.paycheckcity.com (Registration is free and the calculator is accurate enough for me to use on behalf of my clients.)

I hope this helps.
Gary

If you owe taxes it will go toward making that smaller, or if you overpaid in taxes you will get a refund. Let's hope you dont owe taxes.

Sure, if you overpaid, the extra will be refunded when you file your return next year.

When you file.