Form 8889 Line 2 has an amount that I must have put in and it is incorrect for 2016. We did not make excess contributions.How do I correct this problem?

[jamagraff]

I have updated Turbo Tax.  And marked that contributions were for spouse as well.  I think that I overrode the amount because I didn't realize that the W2 amount was both the employer and employee contribution.

[BMcCalpin · Accepted solution]

If you accidentally entered your payroll deductions as a "personal" contribution on the "Let's enter your HSA contributions" screen (see screenshot below), then go back through the HSA interview and navigate your way back to that screen and enter zero for the personal contributions (if you made no contributions outside your employer). This is probably how the amount got on line 2 of the HSA.

Occasionally, though, TurboTax retains data that you entered previously and it's sometimes hard to get rid of.

The safest - although brute force - way to address the issue of undesired HSA entries is to do the following:

1. make a copy of your W-2(s) (if you don't have the paper copies)

2. delete your W-2(s) (use the garbage can icon next to the W-2(s) on the Income screen

*** Desktop***

3. go to View (at the top), choose Forms, and select the desired form. Note the Delete Form button at the bottom of the screen.

*** Online ***

3. go to Tax Tools (on the left), and navigate to Tools->Delete a form

4. delete form(s) 8889-T, 8889-S (if one), and 1099-SA (if one)

5. go back and re-add your W-2(s), preferably adding them manually

6. go back and redo the entire HSA interview.