topic I've entered my employers state ID number (KY) from box 15 on my W2 and it's saying that my ID number is incorrect. However, it was the same as last year's, which worked. in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

I've entered my employers state ID number (KY) from box 15 on my W2 and it's saying that my ID number is incorrect. However, it was the same as last year's, which worked.

austin-neal — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:31:12 GMT

Hello,

I'm trying to file my tax returns but it is saying that my EIN for Kentucky is invalid for electronic filing. I used the same EIN to file last years returns, but it's not working now. Thank you.

Did you get that from the 2017 form W-2 ? Or off the las...

Critter — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:31:13 GMT

Did you get that from the 2017 form W-2 ? Or off the last year's form ?

Off of the W2, I have 3 family members who work for The...

ofmu222 — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:31:15 GMT

Off of the W2, I have 3 family members who work for The Christ Hospital and they all have 63813 as the KY Employer's State ID???

Make it 063813 and you'll pass the diagnostic. KY will a...

DanielV01 — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:31:16 GMT

Make it 063813 and you'll pass the diagnostic. KY will accept it this way.

If it has 8 numbers, can I remove the first 2 zeros

adamnixon7028 — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:31:18 GMT

If it has 8 numbers, can I remove the first 2 zeros

Yes. KY does not recognize the first two zeroes that are...

DanielV01 — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:31:19 GMT

Yes. KY does not recognize the first two zeroes that are entered anyways.

It depends. The KY ID in box 15 where it states State em...

DanielV01 — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 19:31:21 GMT

It depends. The KY ID in box 15 where it states State employer ID is 6 digits for KY. But, there are KY companies that only print out five digits on the W-2. Check to see if your entry is 5 digits instead of 6. If on the W-2 you only see five digits, then add a zero in front of the number in TurboTax. KY will recognize the number, and you'll get through the TT diagnostic.

Re: Make it 063813 and you'll pass the diagnostic. KY will a...

weslee2310 — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 08:18:22 GMT

Im having a similar problem but my employer's id is nine numbers instead of six any suggestions??

Re: Make it 063813 and you'll pass the diagnostic. KY will a...

blagg — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 16:46:09 GMT

and mine is 11 digits long.

Re: It depends. The KY ID in box 15 where it states State em...

biloska — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 04:44:59 GMT

Mine is 6 digits, the same as last year. It tells you to put 3 zeros in front of 6 digit number. It’s rejecting state form says Schedule Ky -2 employer state ID number wrong Please help me.
[email address removed]

Re: It depends. The KY ID in box 15 where it states State em...

RogerD1 — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:34:38 GMT

Go back to your W-2 information to edit the KY employer number. Here are the steps to take:

In TurboTax online, go to the left menu under Federal and click Wages and Income
Click on Add/Edit for Wages and Salaries (W2)
Click Edit by your W-2 on the W-2 Summary Screen.
Click Continue on the screen "OK, let's update the info we have for you and your employer"
Scroll down to the State taxes area. For the Employer's state ID number enter three zeros in front of the six digit KY employer state ID number.
Click Continue.

If you have other W-2's from KY affected by this error, go back and repeat the steps above for each affected W-2.

Re: I've entered my employers state ID number (KY) from box 15 on my W2 and it's saying that my ID number is incorrect. However, it was the same as last year's, which worked.

wbrummer — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 23:56:32 GMT

trying to E-File my KY taxes but the software doesn't accept the 6 digit ID from the W2. It forces adding 000 to the front of the id but then says it is not valid when trying to E-File.

HELP!!!!

Re: I've entered my employers state ID number (KY) from box 15 on my W2 and it's saying that my I...

JamesG1 — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:23:07 GMT

Have you received a rejection code? What is the rejection code? Please clarify.

IRS Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 page 24 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).

@wbrummer

Re: I've entered my employers state ID number (KY) from box 15 on my W2 and it's saying that my I...

wbrummer — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 01:11:52 GMT

Nope, The software forces me to enter 9 digits on the W-2 entry screen but no matter what I enter I still get the must be 9 digits error when I try to E-File. Seems to me there is a problem in the software.

Re: I've entered my employers state ID number (KY) from box 15 on my W2 and it's saying that my I...

MarilynG1 — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 01:25:43 GMT

If your State Employer ID is not accepted, you can use the Federal ID number instead. The State ID number is not required to file, but since TurboTax insists on a number, you can use the Federal ID number.

If you're using TurboTax Online, clear your Cache and Cookies and return to the entry. If you imported your W-2, you could also delete it and re-enter it manually.

@wbrummer

Re: I've entered my employers state ID number (KY) from box 15 on my W2 and it's saying that my I...

wbrummer — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 01:59:10 GMT

Problem solved. While the error message kept referring to the W-2 EIN it turns out to be on a 1099R. I finally found the problem by reading every form looking for a 6 digit EIN.

the error messages need to be more specific when the submission s rejected.

Re: I've entered my employers state ID number (KY) from box 15 on my W2 and it's saying that my I...

user17707563299 — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 20:46:37 GMT

How did you resolved it I had the same issue they asked me 9 digits but I only have 6 digits on my w2 can you help me please

Re: I've entered my employers state ID number (KY) from box 15 on my W2 and it's saying that my I...

DoninGA — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 20:49:02 GMT

@user17707563299 wrote:

How did you resolved it I had the same issue they asked me 9 digits but I only have 6 digits on my w2 can you help me please

Add 3 zero's to the 6 digit employer ID.

Re: It depends. The KY ID in box 15 where it states State em...

user17745411035 — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:08:08 GMT

I can't file because of my KY ID. It says it must be 9 digits, not 6. It won't let me edit, says to go back to federal and change it. However when I go to federal, it shows the 9 digit number. What can I do about this?

Re: It depends. The KY ID in box 15 where it states State em...

RogerD1 — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:14:44 GMT

When I went to enter a new W-2 in a mock return, I got an alert on the W-2 screen that the KY state ID needed to be 9 digits and I added 3 leading zeros to that ID # to get it to 9 digits. I got no errors on the Smart Review when I did that.

You may want to delete and re-enter the W-2 again to see if you get that error message for the state ID being only 6 digits, then add the 3 leading zeros to it - that should correct it. If you are still having errors on the KY return because of that, you may want to delete the KY return and start it over again. You can delete a state in the online version by following these steps:

Click State on the left side menu, then Go to state return on the bottom of the screen that shows up
Click the trash can icon by the Edit button for the State that needs deletion.
Click Delete on the pop-up asking if you want to delete this return.
Then you can click Add Another State to get restarted on that return.

If you are using the Desktop version of TurboTax:

Click File in the upper left corner then Remove State Return.
This will bring up a pop-up asking what state you want to remove.
Click on the state in the menu and then click Remove.
You can then go back to the State Taxes tab and pick out a state you want to work on.