How do I resolve "Return cannot be e-filed when the sum of Illinois wages plus out of state wages on all W-2s does not equal total wages reported on IL Schedule CR"?

[eynjzfjrc]

I'm filing an IL resident return and a VT nonresident return. I checked over all of my W-2s, and as far as I can tell, the total wages match on all of them. I've read suggestions on how to resolve this issue on TurboTax and tax support forums, but none of the solutions they propose work for me (like deleting and re-entering the IL return). It seems like this problem can be solved, though, which is why I'm asking here.

[Vanessa A]

It sounds like there is an entry error ( or numbers that are on your forms don't add up) of some sort on your IL return. Did you work in VT is that why you are filing a VT return?  When you enter your W-2, does it have VT as one number and IL as another number, then when you add up both  numbers it equals the federal number or else the number in box 3 of your return if you have deductions from box 1?

Your IL return should include your TOTAL income.  This means, the amount on your IL 1040 box 9 should be equal to both your state wages total.  If you made any subtractions to your IL income in the adjustment center, this would be wrong.  You would not adjust the income, you would take a credit instead. 

The error is coming from you taking the tax credit for taxes paid to VT.  So, this is where your numbers are not adding up and will need to be changed. 

Example, you earned $100,000 total, $25,000 in VT and $75,000 in IL, your Schedule CR must have income of $100,000, it should not say $25,000 or $75,000. 

[eynjzfjrc]

I checked over my federal returns and all my state returns, and it looks like my total income is the same for all returns. The amount on my IL 1040 box 9 is equal to both my state wages total plus income from interest. It also looks like the portion that I designated as VT income is the same for the IL and VT returns. 

Could you please clarify what you mean by "the error is coming from you taking the tax credit for taxes paid to VT"? It looks like the tax credit is recorded on my IL return, and all the numbers match the federal return and the VT return before the tax credit is applied.

I do have a bit of a unique situation though. I have 4 W-2's. One is from a Vermont company that I worked for in Vermont. One is from an Illinois company that I worked for in Illinois. The other two are from a Vermont company that I worked for remotely out of Illinois. One of these W-2's from this company is for Vermont, and it has nothing in boxes 1-6. The other W-2 is for Illinois and boxes 1-6 are filled out with all my income for this company. I think I filled everything out correctly despite this odd situation, but it might be the cause of my issue.

[AmyC]

The error is coming from the IL credit form not matching state wages. You need to go back to the federal income section and select the W2  that has two copies. Edit and correct that problem.

Example:

w2 for VT work. Federal wages reported and VT wages reported

w2 for IL work - Federal wages and IL wages reported

w2 for VT company but worked in IL - Federal wages and VT wages reported. You do not report the IL wages here since all state wages go to your IL return. The company issued the forms to the states so they know how much money you got. You are entering the state section to show the reality of your situation.  The program picks up these numbers and this is causing the issue with extra IL income input.

Once you remove the extra IL wages from the  w2, then the numbers can add up properly for IL CR and to efile. 

[Zagg1]

So... I was able to resolve this by changing the amount of wages to non-Illinois (Line 1,column B) down by $1. This is a rounding error on the part of Turbo Tax somewhere in the process. I see it was reported to TurboTax in 2021, if not earlier, so I wish they would fix it. Caused me a couple of hours of wasted time and angst.

[JGood82]

I experienced the same issue this year with my IL return.  I file in IL and MO.  It turned out to be a rounding error.  I removed the cents from all my W-2s and adjusted the IL amount on one of the W-2s down by $1.  This fixed the error for me.  Good luck!

[anthonyp16]

I am having the same issue. I've rounded the figures. Tied them off. Tried adding an subtracting $1-$2 to fix any rounding in the Turbo  Tax check. Nothing seems to resolve this issue. Thanks

[HollyP]

There's a workaround that you can try @anthonyp16 

First, revisit your non-Illinois state return "Income Allocations" screen, and round down by $1 for the "Income From [other state] Sources" and continue through state return. 

Next, revisit your Illinois state return "Wage income from outside Illinois" screen, and round down by $1 for the "Other State Amount" and continue through state return. 

This should clear the unable to e-file error. However, if this doesn't work, then feel free to either print and mail your state returns, or call support for more assistance.