topic Box 15 in my w-2 does not showing any state marked, What should I put? in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Box 15 in my w-2 does not showing any state marked, What should I put?

alopezvazquez18 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 04:54:20 GMT

The lack of data showing in Box 15 of your W-2 really sho...

GeoffreyG — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 04:54:21 GMT

The lack of data showing in Box 15 of your W-2 really shouldn't pose a problem; or at least not one that will prevent you from accurately filing your tax return. Please allow me to explain that.

The only truly meaningful elements on a W-2 for income tax filing purposes are your employer's federal EIN (Employer's ID number), your own Social Security Number (SSN), and your actual wage data. If there was a mistake made with any of these items, then that would definitely be something that requires attention.

However, with respect to the Box 15 state issue, it won't really matter what you input in Box 15 Employer ID, as long as the software will accept it (explained below). Just make sure that the state where you actually worked (i.e., in which you earned the wage income) is correctly selected from the Box 15 drop-down menu. You may need to do this manually, if the two-letter state value has not already been pre-populated by the TurboTax program (for example, "AZ" for Arizona; "NY" for New York, etc.).

Then, simply try leaving the Box 15 number space next to it 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).

Once again, your state should still be able to understand and process your tax return. As a very last resort, if nothing else works, you attempt to e-file and your state return is still rejected, then you can always ask your employer payroll office or human resources department for the actual number, during the work week. If your employer has employees in your state (they must, because they employ you), then they will have a state tax ID number somewhere in their files, even if it's not printed on your W-2.

Thank you for asking this important question.

The lack of data showing in Box 15 of your W-2 really sho...

GeoffreyG — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 04:54:23 GMT

The lack of data showing in Box 15 of your W-2 really shouldn't pose a problem; or at least not one that will prevent you from accurately filing your tax return. Please allow me to explain that.

However, with respect to the Box 15 state issue, it won't really matter what you input in Box 15 Employer ID, as long as the software will accept it (explained below). Just make sure that the state where you work (i.e., earned the wage income) is correctly selected from the Box 15 drop-down menu. You may need to do this manually, if the two-letter state value has not already been pre-populated by the TurboTax program (for example, "AZ" for Arizona; "NY" for New York, etc.).