You will be unable to withdraw the $180 excess contribution from 2018 - that needed to have been done before April 15, 2019. The HSA custodian should not distribute that amount to you as a withdrawal of excess contribution (if they do, it's a mistake, and tell them so).
Note that this means that the $180 is part of the excess contribution for 2019, but that it can no longer be withdrawn as an excess. Only the amount you contributed in 2019 can be withdrawn as excess contributions.
You can withdraw any of the excess attributable to 2019 so long as you do it before April 15, 2020. When you contact your HSA again, make sure they understand that it is a "withdrawal of excess contributions" (use this phrase). I think this is what you are doing (good).
After you do this, the HSA custodian will send you a 1099-SA in early 2021. This 1099-SA (for your 2020 tax return) will have a distribution code of '2' and have an entry for earnings on your excess contributions in box 2 (yes, you don't declare the earnings as taxable income until next year, because by the end of 2019, you don't know the total of these earning yet as they are still running in early 2020).
Now, that $180 that you can't withdraw will be carried over again to tax year 2020. You will have to tell TurboTax in 2021 (for tax year 2020) that you have an HSA and enter the carryover. Since you will also state on your 2020 return that you don't have any HDHP coverage, this will create another excess contribution carryover situation, and you will be penalized again (and again and again).
The way to cut this off is to take a $180 distribution from your HSA (if you have the funds), then tell TurboTax that the distribution was NOT for qualified medical expenses. This will add the $180 to Other Income as well as ding you a 20% penalty - but at least the excess contribution from 2018 will be "cured", and you won't have to report it any longer.
As for "What remains is the $246 of my direct from paycheck pre tax employee contribution", the $150 from the employer and the $246 from you are both called the "employer contribution" (because they are both sent to the IRS from the employer). Your employer could have requested that the entire $396 be returned to them (and if they were proper, they would have cut you a check for your $246), but if they didn't, then you will need to do (right now) report the $246 as a "mistaken contribution" and ask the HSA custodian to send the money back to you. If they will do this (they don't have to) so be nice, then your HSA troubles for 2020 will be over, although you will get a 1099-SA in early 2021 showing the earnings on those contributions.
Does this make sense?
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