Would line 12a state how much I put into my 401k to open it or just how much my employer removed from my paycheck?

[SteamTrain · Accepted solution]

It will just list the contribution amounts they removed from your paycheck..

The $$ rolled in from another retirement account are not really a "contribution" and don't get entered there.  IF you get a 1099-R for that "rollover" or transfer, from another retirement account, you will enter that 1099-R ,and carefully answer the followup pages about with you did with the distribution  (there are a couple of transfer/rollover selections on the pages that follow the main 1099-R form entries in the software)