Box 11 on W2 - no idea what this is

[EagleSongs]

My W2 includes an amount of $16.00 in Box 11 - Nonqualified plans.

TurboTax is asking me to answer one of these options:

• Yes, I took this money out of my nonqualified or Section 457 plan.
• No, this is money I contributed to my nonqualified or Section 457 plan.

I have no idea what this amount is. I don't have any nonqualified plans (that I'm aware of). So I don't know how to answer this question. 

What do I do? 

[Opus 17]

This represents money paid to you (or accrued to your benefit even if not paid directly) as a result of participation in a "non-qualified" retirement plan.  Certain retirement benefits may be non-qualified for a variety of reasons -- I can't guess what the reason might be in your case.   The most common reason to have a box 11 amount is that you participated in a deferred compensation plan--once you retire, your payout under such a plan is taxed as wages rather than retirement benefits because it was not taxed as wages while you were working.   Box 11 can also have an amount if you vest in the plan (money is credited to you) even if it is not paid directly to you.

The effect in Turbotax is to adjust your social security tax, since the amount is only $16, the tax adjustment should be at most +/- $1.20.  If you did not "buy in" to your retirement plan to buy extra credits so you can retire early, the more correct choice would be "I took money out" -- even if it was only a benefit that vested to you but you did not cash it out.

You can also ask your employer for an explanation, it is possible that they put something in the wrong box. 

[EagleSongs]

Thank you for your response, but none of these situations applies to me. I have certainly not withdrawn any funds, and the only plan I've contributed to is a 401k (which has been vested for years). 
My searches have led me to advice just to delete the box 11 amount in TurboTax, which I am considering, because otherwise, TT won't let me move forward without answering this question.

[Opus 17]

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@EagleSongs wrote:

Thank you for your response, but none of these situations applies to me. I have certainly not withdrawn any funds, and the only plan I've contributed to is a 401k (which has been vested for years). 
My searches have led me to advice just to delete the box 11 amount in TurboTax, which I am considering, because otherwise, TT won't let me move forward without answering this question.

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If you report a W-2 that is different than what the employer sends to the IRS, you are very likely to get at least a letter from the IRS asking you to explain the discrepancy and assessing tax and a penalty.  In some cases, filing a W-2 that does not match what the IRS has on file can delay your refund significantly.  It would be better to ask your employer what this entry represents, and get a corrected W-2 if the employer made a mistake. 

[EagleSongs]

Thanks, I sent a message to my payroll department. They responded:

I have pushed your inquiry to ADP for verification as to where they came up with the amount for Box 11.

I agree with you, I don’t see any nonqualified plans set up for you. I am not sure what ADP will do in this case.

I will let you know what they say once they reply.

Guess I will wait for a reply.