CA Form 540NR Line 12 vs. Schedule A (540NR) Part II, Line 1, Column E

[W799pscmah]

I'm an NJ full year resident working primarily in NY. I had a one day business trip to CA in 2020. I understand that I'll need to file full year resident for NJ, non-resident for NY and non-resident for CA.

My employer withheld CA income taxes. However, the CA state wages on my W-2 were much higher than if I allocated my total federal wages (adjusted for CA additions / subtractions such as adding back HSA contributions) by number of days I was in CA for business. 

Does CA Form 540NR Line 12 (Total California wages from W-2) need to match up with Schedule A (540NR) Part II, Line 1, Column E (CA wages earned from CA sources as a nonresident)? 

Thank you for your time.

[BillM223]

"Does CA Form 540NR Line 12 (Total California wages from W-2) need to match up with Schedule A (540NR) Part II, Line 1, Column E (CA wages earned from CA sources as a nonresident)? "

No.

I don't know where the employer got the state wages from - it should have been your pay for one day plus the HSA contributions made WHILE YOU WERE IN CA ON BUSINESS (i.e. one day's worth).

Your employer doesn't actually know all the facets of your return - you are responsible for making the return(s) correct. So if your employer put a funny number in the state Wages box, don't worry about it so long as you can justify the state income that you do end up with.

I assume that this means that your employer over withheld your state tax, so it is important that you file that return.

[W799pscmah]

Thank you for your response. I don’t know how exactly they reached that number either, but certainly can support the allocation by number of days.

Thank you again for taking the time to respond to my question.