(c) Wage bracket withholding(1) At the election of the employer with respect to any employee, the employer shall deduct and withhold upon the wages paid to such employee a tax (in lieu of the tax required to be deducted and withheld under subsection (a)) determined in accordance with tables prescribed by the Secretary in accordance with paragraph (6).
(2) If wages are paid with respect to a period which is not a payroll period, the amount to be deducted and withheld shall be that applicable in the case of a miscellaneous payroll period containing a number of days (including Sundays and holidays) equal to the number of days in the period with respect to which such wages are paid.
(3) In any case in which wages are paid by an employer without regard to any payroll period or other period, the amount to be deducted and withheld shall be that applicable in the case of a miscellaneous payroll period containing a number of days equal to the number of days (including Sundays and holidays) which have elapsed since the date of the last payment of such wages by such employer during the calendar year, or the date of commencement of employment with such employer during such year, or January 1 of such year, whichever is the later.
(4) In any case in which the period, or the time described in paragraph (3), in respect of any wages is less than one week, the Secretary, under regulations prescribed by him, may authorize an employer to determine the amount to be deducted and withheld under the tables applicable in the case of a weekly payroll period, in which case the aggregate of the wages paid to the employee during the calendar week shall be considered the weekly wages.
(5) If the wages exceed the highest wage bracket, in determining the amount to be deducted and withheld under this subsection, the wages may, at the election of the employer, be computed to the nearest dollar.
(6) In the case of wages paid after December 31, 1969, the amount deducted and withheld under paragraph (1) shall be determined in accordance with tables prescribed by the Secretary. In the tables so prescribed, the amounts set forth as amounts of wages and amounts of income tax to be deducted and withheld shall be computed on the basis of the table for an annual payroll period prescribed pursuant to subsection (a).
(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 457; Aug. 9, 1955, ch. 666, § 2, 69 Stat. 605; Pub. L. 87–256, § 110(g)(2), Sept. 21, 1961, 75 Stat. 537; Pub. L. 88–272, title III, § 302(a), (b), Feb. 26, 1964, 78 Stat. 140; Pub. L. 89–97, title III, § 313(d)(3)–(5), July 30, 1965, 79 Stat. 384; Pub. L. 89–212, § 2(c), Sept. 29, 1965, 79 Stat. 859; Pub. L. 89–368, title I, § 101(a)–(e)(3), Mar. 15, 1966, 80 Stat. 38–61; Pub. L. 90–364, title I, § 102(c), June 28, 1968, 82 Stat. 256; Pub. L. 91–36, § 2(a), June 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 42; Pub. L. 91–53, § 6(a), Aug. 7, 1969, 83 Stat. 96; Pub. L. 91–172, title VIII, § 805(a)–(e), (f)(1), (g), Dec. 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 686, 704–708; Pub. L. 92–178, title II, § 208(a), (b)(1), (c)–(h)(1), Dec. 10, 1971, 85 Stat. 512–517; Pub. L. 94–12, title II, §§ 202(b), 205, Mar. 29, 1975, 89 Stat. 29, 32; Pub. L. 94–164, §§ 2(b)(2), 5(a)(1), Dec. 23, 1975, 89 Stat. 971, 975; Pub. L. 94–331, § 3(a)(1), June 30, 1976, 90 Stat. 782; Pub. L. 94–396, § 2(a)(1), Sept. 3, 1976, 90 Stat. 1201; Pub. L. 94–414, § 3(a)(1), Sept. 17, 1976, 90 Stat. 1273; Pub. L. 94–455, title IV, § 401(d), title V, §§ 502(b), 504(c)(3), title XII, § 1207(d), title XIX, §§ 1903(a)(17), 1906(b)(13)(A), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1557, 1559, 1566, 1705, 1810, 1834; Pub. L. 95–30, title I, § 105, title IV, § 405(a), May 23, 1977, 91 Stat. 140, 156; Pub. L. 95–600, title I, §§ 101(e), 102(c), title VI, § 601(b)(2), Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2770, 2771, 2896; Pub. L. 96–601, § 4(a)–(d), Dec. 24, 1980, 94 Stat. 3496, 3497; Pub. L. 97–34, title I, § 101(e), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 184; Pub. L. 97–248, title III, §§ 317(a), 334(d), Sept. 3, 1982, 96 Stat. 607, 627; Pub. L. 98–67, title I, § 104(d)(3), Aug. 5, 1983, 97 Stat. 380; Pub. L. 99–44, § 3, May 24, 1985, 99 Stat. 77; Pub. L. 99–514, title I, § 104(b)(15), title XIII, §§ 1301(j)(8), 1303(b)(4), title XV, § 1581(b), Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2106, 2658, 2766; Pub. L. 100–203, title X, § 10302(a), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1330–429; Pub. L. 100–647, title I, § 1003(a)(2), Nov. 10, 1988, 102 Stat. 3382; Pub. L. 101–508, title XI, § 11801(a)(41), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1388–521; Pub. L. 102–318, title V, § 522(b)(2)(D), July 3, 1992, 106 Stat. 314; Pub. L. 102–486, title XIX, §§ 1934(a), 1942(a), Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3031, 3036; Pub. L. 103–465, title VII, §§ 701(a), 702(a), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4995, 4996; Pub. L. 107–16, title I, § 101(c)(6)–(9), June 7, 2001, 115 Stat. 43, 44; Pub. L. 109–222, title V, § 511(a), May 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 364; Pub. L. 112–56, title I, § 102(a), Nov. 21, 2011, 125 Stat. 712; Pub. L. 115–97, title I, §§ 11011(b)(4), 11041(c)(1), (2)(B)–(E), 11051(b)(2)(B), 13603(b)(2), Dec. 22, 2017, 131 Stat. 2070, 2082–2084, 2089, 2163; Pub. L. 117–2, title IX, § 9611(b)(3), Mar. 11, 2021, 135 Stat. 149.)