Correct, NY in particular is touchy about that...you cannot have NY withholding (box 14) if nothing was distributed (box 16).
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For my own state (NC), the software automatically back-fills box 16 with the value of box 2a...and box 2a is the proper value that needs to be in box 16 for me, since 2a is somewhat lower than box 1 due to some after-tax contributions to my 401k.
____________*Answers are correct to the best of my knowledge when posted, but should not be considered to be legal or official tax advice.*
