@Alshan
As TerryA noted above, the box 16 amount on your W-2 for state wages is not used anywhere on your California return; instead, the state return starts with your federal numbers and then adds and subtracts items that are taxed differently from the federal return.
If the employer included any "real" PFL payments in your federal income, then it would be included in box 1 on the W-2 because it is taxable on the federal return.
I say "real" because PFL is normally paid in California in one of two ways: on a 1099-G from the CA EDD, or on a W-2 from your employer's insurance company.
It is not normal for your employer to pay you PFL as part of your salary. Only if the employer included money from their voluntary plan (VPDI) would it be PFL that is excludable from state income tax.
It seems that employers talk about "PFL" when in fact it doesn't meet the definition of PFL under state law, which causes a great deal of confusion for California taxpayers.
So don't "calculate" the PFL amount; instead, directly ask your employer who paid the PFL that appears in box 1 on your regular W-2 (i.e., not a W-2 from the insurance company, if you received one). Get it in writing, because the State of California is very aggressive about auditing taxpayers who claim PFL on their state return.
Enter on that PFL screen in the California interview ONLY the amount of PFL that appeared in Box 1 that was paid from the employer's VPDI insurance. Otherwise, enter zero. Don't just hit and continue.
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