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Level 2
posted Jan 23, 2021 8:09:42 PM

Unable to E-file my Indiana state return: two of the four withholding and wage amounts on w-2 statement have same dollar amount

I receive the following message when reviewing my returns:

"We won't be able to E-file your return."

"At least two of the four withholding and wage amounts (Federal Income Tax Withholding, State Wages, State Income Tax Withholding, and Local Income Tax Withholding) on W-2 statement have same dollar amount."  

This is technically true, but this is on a W-2 form with a small value in box 1, and this boxes 2, 17, and 19 are blank.  

Are there any workarounds to this issue, or do I simply need to print and mail in my Indiana state return?

1 32 3801
24 Replies
New Member
Feb 11, 2021 12:48:29 PM

I have the same problem, though with 1099-R forms and no W-2s. Ridiculous! TurboTax is poised to quickly lose this customer! AND how about that 60 day "satisfaction guarantee?" What a joke. They charged my credit card in November, so 60 days was long gone before I even tried to use the product in early February. H&R Block, here I come.

Intuit Alumni
Feb 11, 2021 2:03:28 PM

Thank you for providing feedback.  This information will assist us in improving the customer experience. As of yet, this issue has not been reported, however, if you have any additional information on the specific error you are receiving, we'd like to assist you with a resolution. 

New Member
Feb 11, 2021 2:07:42 PM

Well, I just tried to e-file IN return with H&R Block and I received the same error message. So it is not an issue unique to TurboTax.

Intuit Alumni
Feb 11, 2021 7:40:23 PM

@philiplsmithbrown Thank you very much for this update. We are going to escalate this and someone may be in contact in this thread.

 

In the meantime, if you have further questions, please feel free to reach out to us.

Expert Alumni
Feb 12, 2021 12:18:32 PM

@philliplsmithbrown  If you'd like, you can provide us with a diagnostic copy of your return.  Your personal information will be protected, but it will allow us an opportunity to see what might be causing the reject you are seeing.  Even though you stated that using other software produced the same error, we'd like to see what might be holding up your return with Indiana.

 

To provide us with a diagnostic copy, please follow the instructions below:  

1. Sign in to your tax return in TurboTax Online.

 

2. Go back into your return.

3. Find My Tax Tools in the left menu Select Tools.

4. In the Tools Center, select the Share my file with Agent link toward the bottom of the list.

5. You’ll see a message about creating a diagnostic copy of your tax file. Select OK

6. After you click ok you’ll see that A protected copy of your return has been sent along with your 6 digit token number.

 

Once you have that token number, please post it here in this thread, and we'll be able to take it from here and get back with you once we've investigated further.  Thank you for your patience.

 

New Member
Feb 12, 2021 4:41:45 PM

token number 736224

Expert Alumni
Feb 12, 2021 5:07:22 PM

@philliplsmithbrown  Thank you.  We will try to investigate this and provide you at least some answer as to what might be going on.

 

Expert Alumni
Feb 13, 2021 7:20:11 PM

@phillipsmithbrown.  I got a chance to look at your diagnostic file.  For the larger of the two 1099-R forms you received, I did see that you have entered the same figure both for the amount of Federal and State Tax withheld.  I'm quite certain that the entry is in error and that the state tax withheld is a lower amount; however, if you double-check the entry and it is correct, then what you might want to do is e-file the Federal Return and mail-in the state return.  Please post a response here if that does not resolve your issue.

New Member
Feb 14, 2021 11:27:03 AM

Try again, please. Yes, I know the federal and state withholding amounts are the same on the larger 1099-R AND they are not an entry error. The withholding amounts are percentages of the gross distribution. In 2019 the amounts were also the same and I had no e-file problems with the Indiana return then.

Expert Alumni
Feb 14, 2021 12:45:50 PM

@philiplsmithbrown  I am personally familiar with Indiana returns, and have noticed that they have increased some diagnostic checks in their e-filing procedures since last year.  For instance, if someone needed to file an Indiana return and an out-of-state employer withheld only Indiana local taxes, Indiana in 2019 would accept the e-filed return even if the W2 did not have the Indiana state EIN, but this year it's not the same.  That could be the same here also, that Indiana is just simply rejecting a return for 2020 because it is causing a diagnostic error on their end.  I can't verify this with 100% certainty, but the fact that you attempted to e-file through other software and got the same result definitely suggests this.  And we can certainly understand that you are undergoing a frustration, but I'm hoping that this explanation helps.

 

In any case, it seems like this year you should mail in your Indiana return.  You may want to contact the Indiana DOR to mention your experience as something that perhaps they can improve on their end or what you might need to do so that you don't get the diagnostic rejection you are getting.

New Member
Apr 20, 2021 7:58:55 AM

How do I print and send my Indiana tax since I get this message? I see where it says to delete my completed state tax return and only e-file federal. However, I want to keep the state and mail it in. Can I do this?

Expert Alumni
Apr 20, 2021 10:06:35 AM

Have you tried to manually enter each W-2 to see if that clears the efile error? 

 

If you wish to efile your federal and print/mail your state you can do so. Just revisit the File section to indicate that is what you would like to do. 

New Member
Feb 7, 2022 6:20:27 PM

915876

Level 2
Feb 7, 2022 6:31:53 PM

Very disappointed this year again as I am still having this issue, and nobody from Intuit has been able to reach out to me and fix this.  I am switching to a different tax preparation service.  

Expert Alumni
Feb 7, 2022 7:41:33 PM

You have 2 w2s with the same EIN. You have two forms so they each have their own control number. The control number is not necessary. You have the same local code on each w2.  Here is what you need to do:

  1. Delete one of the w2 forms
  2. Grab a calculator
  3. Add the wages for both w2 forms and put the answer in box 1, 3, 5, 16, 18
  4. Add the box 4 numbers and put the total in box 4
  5. Box 6- add and enter in box 6
  6. Box 17 -  add and enter in box 17
  7. Box 19 - add and enter in box 19

@Wendymichelle87

 

 

 

Level 1
Feb 8, 2022 9:33:14 AM

I have entered the W-2s manually.  There are no duplicate numbers anywhere.  How can this be fixed?

Level 2
Feb 8, 2022 10:01:23 AM

I do not have 2 w2s with the same EIN, so this does not seem to be the issue.

Expert Alumni
Feb 8, 2022 2:29:08 PM

@tgilleland1 To clarify, do you have W2's that are issued by the same company with the same EIN? If so, does one W2 say corrected? If this is the case, then you will only entered the corrected W2.

 

Also some companies may have issued several W2's because there were amounts missing in previous W2's.  If this is the case, you can combine all W2's into one W2. You will do this if there is no indication that any of the W2's are corrected W2's.

 

I admit this is confusing and may not apply in your case. I am only offering suggestions that only apply if there are multiple W2's issued by the same company.

 

If your situation does not fit this scenario, check the data on all your W2's and see if there are numbers that match in boxes 15-20 in each W2.

 

 

Level 1
Feb 8, 2022 3:51:18 PM

I have checked all of the items you listed. I have 4 different W-2s  from 4 different companies. There are no duplicate numbers in any box. I have been doing taxes for 30 years and this is the stupidest thing I have ever seen. 

Expert Alumni
Feb 8, 2022 8:48:15 PM

@tgilleland1  is your federal withholding $0 for all 4 of them? That would be the same number on all 4 w2s.

Level 2
Feb 9, 2022 5:43:55 AM

2 of my 3 w2s have $0 withholding since they are relatively small.  Would this cause an error for some reason?  If so, why?

Level 2
Feb 9, 2022 5:56:30 AM

No I do not have any corrected w2s and only one from each company.  I have $0 withholding for two w2s, which would mean that boxes 15-20 have duplicate numbers.  Why would this cause an issue?

Expert Alumni
Feb 10, 2022 4:52:29 PM

 

If you had different employers (and only one W-2 from each of them), you shouldn't have 'duplicate numbers' in Boxes 15-17.  If you can clarify what you mean by this, we'll try to help you.

 

You are correct that having $0 withholding on a W-2 should not cause an Efile error (only $0 in Box 1, Wages). 

 

If you uploaded/imported your W-2s, you may want to try deleting them and re-entering them manually. 

 

Click this link for instructions on How to Manually Enter a W-2

Level 2
Feb 10, 2022 7:13:14 PM

DaveF1006 mentioned duplicate numbers in boxes 15-20.  My state income and local income are identical and my withholding for each rounds to zero.  

 

I manually input each w2 and triple checked them for accuracy.  No luck.