Are withholding allowances also know as personal exemptions?

Withholding allowances and personal exemptions are related but not the same. Withholding allowances are used to determine the amount of federal income tax an employer should withhold from an employee's paycheck, while personal exemptions were specific amounts taxpayers could deduct from their taxable income for themselves and their dependents. However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated personal exemptions for tax years 2018 through 2025, although withholding allowances still exist for tax withholding purposes.