i called the turbo tax help center and they could not/would not assist me. they told me to try calling back and maybe i could get someone that could help me. i have already consulted with irs and even the person at turbotax told me it should be entered as is and not changed. no clue what to do.
dashes should be OK.
Spaces would be a problem.
"no clue what to do"
remove them.
Have you received a Federal rejection code? What is the rejection code? Or are you trying to clear a Review issue? Please clarify.
IRS Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 page 22 states:
Boxes 15 through 20
Use these boxes to report state and local income tax information. Enter the two-letter abbreviation for the name of the state. The employer's state ID numbers are assigned by the individual states.
This TurboTax Best Answer states:
However, with respect to the Box 15 state number ID issue, it won't really matter what you input in Box 15 Employer ID, as long as the software will accept it (explained below). Make sure that the state where you work is correctly selected from the Box 15 drop-down menu, if it has not already been pre-populated by the TurboTax program.
Then, simply try leaving the number space entirely blank at first. If there is any issue with Box 15 that prevents e-filing your return with a blank Box 15, and it absolutely requires some value in the software, then either try using your Federal EIN again here, or enter a "nonsense" value such as 12345 67890 (with a space in the middle, or not).
If the TurboTax program asks you for a state ID number in a specific format, such as needing exactly 9-digits and ending in XYZ, for instance, then enter a just enter a value that conforms to that format . . . such as 123456XYZ. This will enable you to bypass the issue and file your return. In other words, try to be a little creative here, and just give the software some value (even gibberish) that it will accept.
In fact, the IRS computers and your state department of revenue really won't care, as, they're really just looking for the federal EIN, SSN, and relevant wage data. The State ID is simply a bureaucratic convention for your state; the state can and will still be able to easily and uniquely identify your employer by their federal EIN, even if they have to cross-reference the Federal / State ID numbers in their database. In other words, this single issue should not affect the processing of your tax return, as long as you can satisfy the software with some acceptable input (or none at all).