> The default is something like 25% Default withholding has been 22% now for a few years. I bring this up because the gap between default withholding and the h

> The default is something like 25% Default withholding has been 22% now for a few years. I bring this up because the gap between default withholding and the higher marginal rates has widened compared to the years it was at 25%. > Yet, base comp tends to be withheld at marginal rates To clarify, default withholding on base pay uses your bottom tax rates. It assumes you have no other income, so it will calculate based on standard deduction, 10%, 12%, then working upwards. So I wouldn't use the word "marginal" to refer to base pay because most people understand that as their top tax rates. This means that for bonus, stock, and other compensation, it's reasonable to increase withholding to reflect the top tax rates. > most folks’ effective tax rates A bit of an aside, but I'm not a big fan of the idea of "effective tax rates". It's not a term the IRS uses, but something that tax software companies like to push for whatever reason. You also can't do much with it in practice: regarding withholding, it's not useful and potentially confusing.