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New Member
posted Mar 16, 2025 2:25:16 PM

Do I need to file a state tax return in Illinois as a non-resident?

I work in Tennessee, but had to travel to Illinois for a few days for a work training. My W-2 shows the income earned for Illinois and the taxes withheld for that (around $720 earned and $35 withheld). Do I have to file a state tax return? 

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1 Replies
Expert Alumni
Mar 16, 2025 2:39:49 PM

According to Illinois Department of Revenue, you must file Form IL-1040 and Schedule NR if:

 

  • you earned enough taxable income from Illinois sources to have a tax liability ( i.e., your Illinois base income from Schedule NR, Step 5, Line 46, is greater than your Illinois exemption allowance on Schedule NR, Step 5, Line 50), or
  • you want a refund of any Illinois Income Tax withheld in error. You must attach a letter of explanation from your employer.

If you are not required to file an Illinois tax return, you may want to do so in order to get a refund of the tax withheld. 

 

You can start your Illinois non-resident return in TurboTax, and if you don't have a tax liability and don't want to file you can just delete the state return and not file.