Taxes on internship help please

Hi guys , so I need help , currently interning in ST and saw that I got taxed 26% on my recent check , I was wondering is that normal or wtf is going on , I worked about 98.5 hours for that period and 8 hours overtime . Idk if I should send in a new w4 or what how does it work it seems the tax is a lot for a intern

37 Comments
 

Did you make sure to say you were exempt for state and federal withholding taxes? You should only pay social security/medicare. I was initially also getting 26% out of my paycheck for the first two but then it dropped to 7.65% after I appropriately indicated no withholding taxes.

 

If your parents claim you as a dependent do not file separately. Also you can only be exempt from NYC tax if you are working from outside the city so you have to pay that.

Array 8.5.2
 

That is correct but also what OP is being paid. Sophomore internship rn getting paid 25 hr so I'm exempt from state and federal withholding

 

Honestly, just wait until tax season to find out. Thought I lost $4k from my internship but then got $2.5k back in April. Feel even better than had I just get the $2.5k outright

 

should probably ask my dad but he prob doesn't even know, should i file separately for taxes? or do i do it with my parents how does that work. I know these are really stupid questions

 
Most Helpful

Nah, like people have said before continue to let them withhold some of your taxes. You will receive a fat paycheck during your tax refund. Its always better to be over-taxed instead of finding yourself in a pickle when tax season comes around and you owe 2.5k to the govt. Just my .02 cents tho.

 

To find out how much tax you should pay overall just use a tax calculator and input the total you expect to be paid for the summer. The rate (and amount) that calculator gives you should be pretty close to what you should be paying for the year. You are probably being taxed as if your current pay is for the full year, so I would guess you are going to get a refund (as your rate will be lower since you are only working a few months so are in a different tax bracket). 

 

Yeah man, nothing against you specifically just see it a ton on the forums. Can find all the info on withholdings, tax rates, etc. on google/YouTube. Would try that, likely better info than a forum. 

 

They will withhold on you as if you were earning that money consistently throughout the year, so say you have an $80k annualized rate they'll withhold at around 25% for Fed (assuming you only did 0 or 1 exemption). Then come tax time you'll have say 1/3 of that, so that proportion of incremental pay in the higher bracket will come back to you roughly at the delta between your top two tax brackets for withholding and your top bracket at the end of the year.

State and city are trickier, but if you're in NY you'll probably get a refund, albeit much smaller relative to the tax you paid in than you'll get back for Fed. Also if NYC as a part-year resident you'll pay 2-3.5% on that earned income, which sucks but you can't avoid.

Signing bonuses are at 22% for Fed and usually top bracket for NY/NYC (assuming they're decent sized a la $5k+) which can be 9% + 3.5%ish. A greater proportion of the state/city will come back to you at tax time

 

Repellendus velit numquam dolorem qui accusamus. Ipsam temporibus omnis minus aut repudiandae sit. Est quibusdam minima cum aut adipisci.

Non ut ad deleniti perspiciatis. Velit perspiciatis nam rerum excepturi. Recusandae quisquam nobis id quos reiciendis dolores temporibus. Ut dolore nam ea id consequuntur.

 

Dolorem id dolor ut perspiciatis. Itaque velit eius ipsum dolorum quasi a suscipit.

Accusantium impedit dolores rerum. Aut alias laudantium sit esse. Aut voluptas quidem repellendus. Rerum odit omnis saepe nostrum aliquam a. Id exercitationem non velit vel mollitia aspernatur maxime. Suscipit fuga dolores nihil sapiente dolores.

Nam commodi non est et impedit. Harum quos veniam sint ut et. Ea et nulla deleniti rerum aut recusandae assumenda nam. Facere aut ratione consequatur. Ea fugiat unde non accusamus tenetur fugiat iure.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”