Union Dues in California are deductible on CA tax form, correct. Where do I place that info?

[VWguy]

Please Respond: For state of California taxes, where do I enter Union Dues?

[KittyM]

It may seem counter-intuitive, but you should enter your Union Dues in the Federal interview, even though it will only benefit you on your state return.

To get to the correct location to enter your union dues, in your Federal return, type "union dues" in the Search box in the upper right of your TurboTax window, then click the "Jump to" link at the top of the search results.

[randsom]

This solution needs to be updated for the CD version of TT Premier 2021.......the original solution is old and the steps don't work today.  Thank you. 

[LenaH]

To enter your union dues, please follow the instructions below:

1. Open your return.
2. Click on the Federal Taxes tab.
3. Go to Deductions & Credits.
4. Click I'll Choose What to Work on.
5. Scroll down to Job-Related Expenses under Employment Expenses.
6. Click Start.
7. Answer yes for the question Do you have any employment expenses for W-2 work?
8. Follow the on-screen instructions.
9. Enter Union Dues on the page Any Other Expenses? 

@randsom

[musician98]

I followed those steps to add union dues (~$350), but it didn't change my CA tax refund. Shouldn't it have made a difference? 

[MonikaK1]

It depends. Union Dues fall under the category of Miscellaneous Itemized Deductions. In order to get an itemized deduction for Union Dues, your total California Miscellaneous Itemized Deductions would need to exceed 2% of your Adjusted Gross Income, and then all of your itemized deductions together would need to exceed your standard deduction.

Enter all of your Miscellaneous Itemized Deductions in the Federal return. The information will flow through to the California return and any that exceed the AGI threshold will show as adjustments on Schedule CA. 

See the Instructions for California Schedule CA for more information about the differences.

@musician98