topic BOX 14 DESCRIPTION ON my W2 says RETIR: what category is that? in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

BOX 14 DESCRIPTION ON my W2 says RETIR: what category is that?

jscornaienchi — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 01:42:05 GMT

Box 14 - Amount

Box 14 - Category

if I have RETIR in Box 14 what Category is this?

Re: BOX 14 DESCRIPTION ON my W2 says RETIR: what category is that?

rjs — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 01:49:48 GMT

There are no standard rules for what goes in box 14, and no standard codes or abbreviations. The employer can put pretty much whatever they want in that box. I would assume that RETIR has something to do with retirement, but it is not a common entry for box 14. You have to ask your employer what it is. When you know exactly what it is, we will be able to tell you what category to select.

Re: BOX 14 DESCRIPTION ON my W2 says RETIR: what category is that?

DavidD66 — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 01:54:39 GMT

Employers can put just about anything in box 14; it's a catch-all for items that don't have their own dedicated box on the W-2.

In TurboTax, enter the description from your W-2's box 14 on the first field in the row. Enter the dollar amount and select the correct tax category that goes with that description.

If none of the categories apply, scroll to the bottom of the list and choose Other–not on above list. Don’t worry. We'll figure out if it impacts your return or not. If we need more information, we'll ask you.

In your case, it sounds like your employer listed the amount either they or you contributed to a retirement plan.

Re: BOX 14 DESCRIPTION ON my W2 says RETIR: what category is that?

rperrien — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:03:17 GMT

It says Retirement ER, will this be the match the Employer pays? What code will I be using?

Re: BOX 14 DESCRIPTION ON my W2 says RETIR: what category is that?

rjs — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:42:08 GMT

@rperrien wrote:

It says Retirement ER, will this be the match the Employer pays? What code will I be using?

@rperrien

You have posted to a thread that is 4 years old. Like the original question from 4 years ago, "Retirement ER" is not a common entry in box 14 of a W-2. You have to ask your employer to explain what it means. See the old posts above yours in the thread for more information about entries in box 14.