My W-2 box 1 has nothing in it. Turbo Tax is asking me to put down the amount of box 1 dto download the W-2, do I just put down 0.00 ?

[Anonymous]

To follow up on this, has anyone done the delete or $1 method to efile successfully? Any issues with the IRS?

[macuser_22]

@captaindon40 - The IRS does not want a "do nothing" W-2 with zero in box 1 which is why they do not allow such a W-2 to be e-filed.   Simply ignore it and keep it for your information.

[Anonymous]

Great, thanks for the reply.  Now that I think about it, failing to file a W2 with no income in box 1 would be a very tiny sin, if at all, while they might take a dim view of "falsifying" it by putting in $1.

[macuser_22]

There is no penalty for failing to file a W-2.   There IS a penalty for failing to report income but you cannot fail to report zero income.   There is nothing to penalize.     However, you sign a tax return that the return is complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge under penalty of perjury.   I would not include income that I did not earn.  Doing that "could" under some circumstances inflate the Earned Income Credit illegally - even if "only" by a dollar.  Many tax "tables" have brackets that "jump" from one bracket to another.  A $1.00 change in income that does not exist "can" under some circumstances to have a several dollar change in the final tax owed or refunded.  I would never add income that was not on the W-2 itself.

[Anonymous]

Makes sense.  It's just strange that it has figures for SS and Medicare wages, but nothing in Box 1 wages (and nothing withheld for SS or Medicare).   If they come after me for the Medicare tax, so be it.  Thanks again.

[VolvoGirl]

I would ask the employer why you got it.  Did you get another W2 from the same employer?  Only boxes 3&5 filled out?

[macuser_22]

It sounds like it might be a corrected W-2 that they only changed the boxes that changed from the original W-2.   If that is the case and the SS and Medicare are different from the original W-2 then you would enter the information from the original W-2 and replace the SS & MC with the new updated information.   

The employer should have issued a total new W-2C (corrected) to totally replace the original but some employers only send the boxes that changed and expect you to update only those boxes.   Check with your employer.

[Anonymous]

Here's some additional detail that may help explain what is going on.  I left Intel in 2016 with an early retirement buyout. There was all kinds of activity and various payments from deferred compensation, stock options, etc. that flew in and was hard to follow.  I didn't earn any wages or get any other W2 from them in 2017, but received this one with nothing in box 1 and $250 in boxes 3 and 5. In box d, "Control Number" it shows " Intel 150".  I just spoke with the HR help desk, and the nice fellow with the thick accent really didn't have a clue, but he sent me a document that shows "SPD-ERNQ Contrib" as the "Pay Component", and "Yes" in the column labeled "Adjustment".  So it seems like some kind of reconciliation of a retirement account or program, that has implications for SS and Medicare wages but not actual cash wages.  <edit> The document also says "Non-Cash Taxable Benefits"

 He said he will escalate it up the chain and see if he can find a definitive answer about it.  In the meantime, my taxes are due so I'll delete the thing so I can efile.

[ChristinaS]

You may be better off just deleting the W2.

-Is the $0 due to nontaxable code J in Box 12? (Nontaxable sick pay)?

-Are the state wages (Box 16) also blank or zero?

-Are your total Social Security wages for the year (W2s, Box 3) under $118,500?

If you answered Yes to all 3 questions, delete this w2.

If you answered No to one of them, put $1 in Box 1 so you can efile.

[r4christ]

I called my HR... They are looking into it. They said it should have been in box 14? I have a 2014-7 D.O.C.

[ChristinaS]

What should be in Box 14?

[r4christ]

My gross pay? because of the 2014-7 maybe? In the summary, it has my gross pay but then under that it says "less Misc. Taxable Comp." and the amount is the same as my Gross... All of that is under the heading "box 1 of W-2"

[ChristinaS]

So, this is a Medicaid waiver?

[ChristinaS]

Medicaid waiver income is not taxable. The comments above still apply. Do not enter the W2  at all unless you made over $118,500 and hence may have overpaid Social Security. You don't enter the income anywhere.