Can an employer change your tax status without asking you?

Answer 1

Typically not, unless they were ordered to do so. If you claim more than 10 exemptions or claim "exempt" on your withholdings, your employer is required to notify the IRS. If you owe taxes, or the IRS receives this notification, they can send your employer an order to change your withholding to Single 0. This is really the only time an employer should change your withholding without your permission.

ANSWER: The only way your employer could ever do such a thing is by you first signing a Form W-4 authorizing that employer to withhold income taxes on your behalf. Your employer can not make you sign this form as a term of employment. No one, at any time can make you sign something against your will. Do you understand the income tax laws? If the answer is no then the next questions becomes why would you sign something like a Form W-4 if you don't even understand the laws involved. If you don't understand the tax laws then why would you sign your income tax return under penalty of perjury that all the above is true and correct? How would you know all the above is true and correct. I have no doubt our resident tax expert here will tell you that you are swearing under penalty of perjury that you have reported your income truthfully but if you ever come to the conclusion that you were never liable for a tax or subject to the "Personal Income Tax Law" to begin with and you try to extricate yourself from this statutory scheme you will most likely meet a prosecutor who will show a jury all the signatures you made under penalty of perjury that clearly showed you accepted liability and clearly believed you were subject to this law. You want your employer to keep his busybody notions out of your private life? When he requests of you a social security number and to sign a Form W-4 and you refuse and he then, being required by law to do so, informs you that this is the law, then ask him right then and there, what makes him think your tax liability is any of his business. Then refer him to the Code and show him how his is not required to secure your signature and social security number but merely required to request it of you.