Do I need to enter in compensation earned in Ohio? Worked in Ohio for the full year while living in KY where do I find the answer?

[melissa_garmon]

I didn't have to figure this out last year.  There is no helpful information on where to find this on the W2

[Hal_Al · Accepted solution]

In the personal info section of Turbotax (TT), when it asks if you made money in another state, answer no, per the reciprocal state instructions, on that page. That way you will not be asked to fill out an Ohio return.

Ohio has a reciprocal agreement, on wages, with all neighboring states. No Ohio state taxes are withheld or due and you do not need to file an OH return. But your home state will tax you on your Ohio income.

If your employer did it correctly,  there should be no Ohio withholding on your W-2 (box 17). If you're stuck just ignore the Ohio return. For how to delete a state return see https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3515336-delete-state-return

If Ohio taxes are mistakenly withheld, you have to file an Ohio return to get a refund. You should ask your employer to stop withholding so you don't have to file an Ohio return every year.

However the reciprocity agreement does not apply to local city taxes. You are not required to file a local city return, but you are also not entitled to a refund of the city withholding (box19 on your W-2), unless there was an error in the amount. If you are subject to a KY county or city tax, you should check to see if the KY city will give you a credit for the OH city tax withheld. 

[melissa_garmon]

Thank you so much!  I couldn't figure out why I owed Ohio money.  This helps me so much.

[Anonymous]

I live in KY but work in OH. OH state taxes were withheld from a single paystub, box 17 has ~$30.

It will cost me more to file my OH state return than what was withheld. Do I need to file my OH state return?

I attempted to validate the amount I would be refunded by creating an OH state return in TurboTax and entering the amount in box 16 of my OH W2 under the compensation section. Upon completion, it says that I owe OH $5. I feel that I am doing something incorrectly. Can someone help in pointing me in the right direction? 

[Hal_Al]

Q. It will cost me more to file my OH state return than what was withheld. Do I need to file my OH state return?

A. No. It is not required.  They'll be glad to keep your $30. 

Yes, you've done something wrong, but the interview is complicated.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your rapid response!

I'll continue to review the filing process, however, it appears to be more of a hassle than it is worth. 

https://tax.ohio.gov/help-center/faqs/employer-withholding-reciprocity/employer-withholding-reciproc...

[Hal_Al]

If you indicated you were a KY resident in the personal info section and an Ohio non resident, at the Ohio residency screen in the state section; you’ll get “Neighboring State Compensation” (or similar wording) screen early in the Ohio program. There you enter the box 16 amount from your W-2 that Ohio taxed.  It's important that you make that entry.