topic Social Security Wage Discrepancy in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Social Security Wage Discrepancy

cm1salminen — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 04:56:42 GMT

Once finished entering my W2s, I got a message that reads as follows, "Congrats! Looks like you're getting some cash back. Double-check the amount of Social Security tax to make sure we've got the right amounts. Select Back to make any changes to your forms. If these amounts are correct, you're getting back $XXXX.XX as a credit on your return." It then summarizes our W2s and shows our employer names and the amounts from Boxes 3 and 4 on our W2s.

The issue is that the amount shown in Box 3 in the summary of my husband's W2 is his total wages from Box 1, not what is actually in Box 3. When I go into his actual W2 to edit it, everything looks correct and the figure in Box 3 is accurate. It just appears to be pulling the wrong value into the summary page.

Can I just proceed, or do I need to do something to resolve this discrepancy?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Re: Social Security Wage Discrepancy

DianeW777 — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 23:17:04 GMT

One thing to double check is to be sure the each W-2 is recorded as owned by the correct spouse. It's very unusual for TurboTax to create a credit when there isn't one.

Search (upper right) > Type w2 > Click the Jump to... link >
Edit beside each W-2 to check the owner
See the image below.

If you know you did not pay excess social security tax, then the return should reflect that appropriately. There should be nothing on line 11, Schedule 3.

@cm1salminen

[Edited: 03/30/2024 | 4:16 PM PST[

Re: Social Security Wage Discrepancy

cm1salminen — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 23:22:07 GMT

I have followed your instructions. All W2s are appropriately allocated to the correct spouse. Anything else I need to do?

Thanks, Candace

Re: Social Security Wage Discrepancy

VolvoGirl — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 23:25:36 GMT

You need to fix it. Delete the W2 and enter it again Manually. That usually clears something out.

Re: Social Security Wage Discrepancy

cm1salminen — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 23:54:44 GMT

Deleted the imported W2, manually entered the new W2 and got the same result.

Re: Social Security Wage Discrepancy

MonikaK1 — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 00:32:34 GMT

In order for us to troubleshoot this issue, you can send us a “diagnostic” file that has your “numbers” but not your personal information. If you would like to do this, here are the instructions for TurboTax Desktop users:

From the black bar at the top of your screen, select Online
Click Send Tax File to Agent
Click Send on the message that pops up
TurboTax will create a "sanitized" copy of your return information with no personal info
Post the 7-digit token number here in this thread

Here are the instructions for TurboTax Online users:

Go to the black panel on the left side of your program and select Tax Tools.

Then select Tools below Tax Tools.
A window will pop up that says Tools Center.
On this screen, select Share my file with Agent.
You will see a message explaining what the diagnostic copy is. Click okay through this screen and then you will get a Token number.
Reply to this thread with your Token number. This will allow us to open a copy of your return without seeing any personal information.

We will then be able to review your file to see what you are seeing, and we can determine what is going on in your return and provide you with a suggested resolution here in this discussion thread.

Re: Social Security Wage Discrepancy

cm1salminen — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 21:33:57 GMT

Thank you, @MonikaK1 and @DianeW777. My code is 1223691.

Regards,

Candace

Re: Social Security Wage Discrepancy

MonikaK1 — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 23:10:44 GMT

I have reviewed your diagnostic file. TurboTax is not calculating any excess Social Security credit. The W-2 that has Box 1 less than Box 3 is because of 401k deferrals shown in Box 12. One W-2 is attributed to Taxpayer and one to Spouse.

I did not find any summary screen displaying incorrect amounts. The correct amounts from boxes 1 and 3 appear on the applicable forms and worksheets including the W2/W2G Summary. We need to use a Desktop version of TurboTax with the diagnostic files, so the format of the displays is different than with the Online versions, but I confirmed the information is correct.

You can check to see if you're running the latest version of TurboTax. If you're on a PC using TurboTax Online, open TurboTax and select Check for Updates from the Online menu near the top. If there are any updates, you'll be prompted to download them.

Tips:

It's best to use a wired, high-speed connection when updating, both to save time and minimize data corruption.
If your connection drops in the middle of the update, try again; it should pick up where it left off.
If you're having trouble updating on your PC, try a manual update.

You can try manually updating TurboTax Online as explained in this help article.

Re: Social Security Wage Discrepancy

cm1salminen — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 03:04:24 GMT

Thank you. I checked for updates, but my software is already up to date - no updates available. That being said and what you've already shared upon completing your review, it sounds like I am clear to proceed, if I understood correctly.