Can the state of California tax me on wages if I lived in Nevada all year?

[maryk3]

I live in Nevada all year long. I work for a military defense company. My W2 shows my total wages in box 1 but in the state area it shows California and a VERY small amount for wages, nothing near what box 1 shows.  Do I have to file a CA return even though my residency is Nevada?

[DanO]

Yes, you need to file a non-resident state return for the California income.

You will want to file the non-resident first, and then your Nevada state return so that your state return can be calculated correctly against any credit from the non-resident CA state return.

Follow this TurboTax FAQ to file the non-resident return.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3302052

[maryk3]

I don't file a state return for my home residence of Nevada, we don't have state taxes. The amount of CA wages on my W2 is $302 - which is nowhere near my actual wages in box 1 of my W2. I thought there might be a minimum amount of wages before I have to file for CA.

[DanO]

No need to file with that small amount.  It would need to be $17,029.