Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations permit employees who anticipate no federal tax liability for 2021 to claim total exemption from federal tax withholding if they owed no federal taxes for 2020. These regulations also require that employees submit a new Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate, every calendar year if they claim an exempt status. However, employees can use PostalEASE to file their Form W-4 instead of filing a hard copy Form W-4.
Employees may meet IRS filing requirements for exempt Forms W-4 using the following methods:
n Log on to PostalEASE at liteblue.usps.gov, or
n Call PostalEASE toll-free at 877-477-3273, option 1.
To update your Form W-4 for calendar year 2021, follow the Form W-4 instructions provided by PostalEASE. If you need to contact the HR Shared Service Center (HRSSC) in Greensboro, NC, for more information, call 877-477-3273, menu option 5, and then request “Benefits” when prompted. If you have a hearing disability and you need to contact the HRSSC, call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
Any employee currently in an exempt status who does not submit a new Form W-4 claiming a continuation of the exempt status will be converted to a taxable status, effective Pay Period (PP) 04-2021. For the exempt status to remain effective into 2021, the employee must enter updated Form W-4 information into PostalEASE no later than Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 3:00 P.M. CST. However, to ensure a seamless continuation of the exempt status for 2021, the Postal Service™ encourages employees to update their W-4 information no later than a day or two in advance of the February 10 cut-off date.
Note: An employee currently in an exempt status may use PostalEASE to file for exemption after the February 10 cut-off date; however, in that instance, the employee’s exempt status will not be continuous from 2020 to 2021. Depending on the day of the pay period in which the employee enters his or her W-4 information into PostalEASE, the 2021 exempt status is effective the pay period of entry or the pay period following entry.
Any employee who claimed exempt status for 2020 and does not submit a new Form W-4 will have federal taxes withheld at the rate normally applicable to an employee claiming “Single” with no other deductions. Employees with an exempt status (as of PP 26-2020) will receive printed messages on their earnings statements during PP 02-2021, PP 03-2021, and PP 04-2021 reminding them of the requirement to file a new Form W-4.
n The Postal Service prohibits all administrative and managerial employees from providing any tax advice to employees about the completion of Form W-4.
n The Postal Service no longer requires employees to send information about exempt Form W-4 to Eagan Accounting Services.
— Payroll,
Controller, 12-31-20
