Will I break even claiming 1 when 9% of my paycheck comes out for retirement?

Question

I claim 1 on my taxes for federal and 9% of my paycheck goes to my retirement fund? Will I be safe with two or three deductions?

Answer 1

Unless you are a dependent, you should be fine.  If you are single with no dpendents, and no extra deductions or credits, and are not a dependent, then you'll come close to even with 2, and will almost surely owe with 3.

Answer 2

They automatically calculate the withholdings based on the amount that does NOT go to retirement.  You should not change the number of exemptions on your W-4.

Answer 3

If you want to tweak your w-4, the IRS has a withholding calculator that makes recommendations for the rest of the year.

Clearly you goal is to reduce, but not eliminate, your refund.