It's time to check your tax withholding. Here's how.

If you haven't already, you should be getting a fatter paycheck soon. That is if you're among the 110 million families to benefit from the government's economic stimulus plan.

The way the benefit works is that the Internal Revenue Service has issued new tax tables to employers, effective April 1. The tax tables reduce the amount of taxes withdrawn from your check, giving you a little more money to spend.

However a few groups of people may get caught up in having too much money given back and find themselves owing the government when they do their taxes next April.

Probably the best approach is to use a withholding calculator that will figure out for you how much money you should be taking out of each check. The IRS offers one that includes the new tax break.

To get an accurate picture, you'll need a recent pay stub and you'll need to know how much money you expect to contribute this year to your 401(k) or other retirement accounts.

If needed, you can adjust your withholding by filing a W-4 form with the IRS. The form allows you to adjust the amount of money withheld from your paychecks to match closely what you owe in taxes.

You can get a W-4 form from your employer or on the IRS Web site.

Always check your withholding if there are personal or financial changes in your life, or changes in the law that might change your tax liability. They include:
Lifestyle changes. Marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of child, loss of an exemption, purchase of a new home, retirement.
Wage income. You or your spouse start or stop working, or start or stop a second job.
Increased or decreased income not subject to withholding. Interest income, dividends, capital gains, self-employment income, IRA (including Roth IRA) distributions.
Increased or decreased adjustments to income. IRA deduction, student loan interest deduction, alimony expense.
Increased or decreased itemized deductions or tax credits. Medical expenses, taxes, interest expense, gifts to charity, job expenses, education credit, child tax credit.

-- The Associated Press