Do I need to file an amended return?

[hdulc]

My employer sent me a corrected W2 because they made an error in Box 16 as described in this discussion. Essentially, some income that should have been reported as earnings in both Minnesota and Wisconsin was only reported as Minnesota earnings.

The correction does not change anything in terms of what I owe or will be refunded. Do I still need to file an amended return? If so, do I need to amend all three returns (Federal, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) or just Wisconsin?

[MayaD]

Yes, if you received a corrected W-2 you need to amend your state and federal returns.

If your return is accepted, wait until your return has been fully processes and you received your refund ( if you are expecting a refund ), then amend your return. 

Here's how you amend your return:

1. Sign in to your account.
2. Scroll down to Your tax return & documents , select 2019 and then Amend (change) return. 
3. Select Amend using TurboTax Online.
4. Follow the instructions, your refund or tax due will change to 0. This is normal on amended returns.

Amended return can't be e-file, you need to print it and mail it in.

[hdulc]

Thank you. Now a question about what to file for the federal amended return. Since the only thing that changed was the W2 and it didn't affect my federal income or tax liability, do I need to mail anything besides the 2-page 1040X and the corrected W2, or do I need to mail the original return along with it? (Turbotax printed the whole thing.)

[LinaJ2020]

If the W-2 information does not change your total refund or tax due, you do not need to amend your tax return.

[hdulc]

That would be nice. Employee Tax Expert @MayaD and @LinaJ2020 seem to disagree with each other. Who should I believe?

[DanielV01 · Accepted solution]

@hdulc  Both MayaD and LinaJ2020 are correct from a certain standpoint.  Since in this public forum we do not know the exact changes that your corrected W-2 contains, and you may or may not know either, it is recommended to prepare an amended return to be sure, following the instructions provided by MayaD.  However, if there is no information that changes the income and does not require filing an additional form (such as reporting HSA activity on a Form 8889, for examble), then LinaJ2020 is also correct that you won't need to send the amendment in.  From a tax standpoint, nothing has changed, even though your tax document did change.

[hdulc]

Thank you. In this case, I know exactly what changed, because the corrected W2 only had one box with a different number: Box 16 - State wages, tips, etc., for Wisconsin (my state of residence). 

The total wages on the W2 didn't change, and the Minnesota wages didn't change, so there's no change in tax for Federal and Minnesota. The change to Wisconsin income didn't affect the taxable amount because it was already included in the federal adjusted gross income on line 1 of the WI return.

Bottom line is that I don't need to file the amended return.