Why does TT fill in income Col D "Total amounts using CA Law as if you were a CA Resident", when I was not a resident, and not Col E CA amounts?

[Sedes Gobhani]

We have a rental in CA and TT fills in our loss in Sch CA(540NR) Col D as if I were a CA resident.  It leaves blank Col E so I have no clue how to calculate "CA amts (... income earned or received from CA sources as a non-resident)"  Why didn't TT fill that in from my rental income / losses that I entered while doing the federal return?  

[AmyC · Accepted solution]

CA amts from CA sources would be your rental income. It is subject to Passive Activity Losses so the program needs you to fill in the correct amounts. See Rental for the CA rules.

CA tax computation

1. CA looks at all of your income and determines what the tax would be, if you lived in CA
2. Then it looks at your CA income and divides it by your total income to get the CA percentage. 
3. Next, it multiplies that percentage by the tax that would be if you lived in CA.