We moved to a different state mid-year with the same company. Shoulder state wages for one state (box 16) + states wages from other state = total wages (box 1)?

[MiriamF · Accepted solution]

That's correct. the total in Box 1 of your W-2 should equal the sum of the amounts in Boxes 16.

There is a catch, though. If you hadn't formally moved before you started working in the other state, there could be some overlap. Let's say your family continued living in State A while you were working in State B, and you came home on weekends. Your legal residence continued in State A until you moved. During that overlap period, you could end up paying taxes to two states.

The dividing line between which state you should pay income tax to is the date you moved. You owe tax to a state if you were physically in that state while you were working, but your place of residence is where your primary home is, and you pay tax to that state, too. People who live in one state but work in another owe taxes to both.