Box 20, 19, 18 mix up? Can't file electronically!

[writermom3]

Box 19 states 54.10 (my employer says it's for CASDI.) Box 18 says ZERO, and TurboTax then posts an error message; saying my forms cannot be filed electronically because "local withholding cannot be more than half of local wages." To further complicate things, there is no locality name in Box 20.

This has happened several years in a row with this employer causing me to mail my return in. Is there any way that I can fix it so that I can file electronically? My employer is no help!

[EbonyA]

Please contact support via phone for further assistance; contact details can be found here.

[writermom3]

Thank you for responding but I'm confused....do I need to contact support b/c my problem may be a TurboTax glitch?

[KathrynG3 · Accepted solution]

This is not a glitch, it has to do with no local wages being listed in Box 18.

You have two options:

• Adjust Box 18 to reflect your gross wages so that Box 19 is not greater than 50% of the local wages reported.
• Move the Box 19 amount to Box 14. Highlight and delete any amounts listed in Box 18 and Box 19.
  • While Box 19 is preferred, it is acceptable to move the amount in Box 19 to Box 14. Use Other from the dropdown in Box 14 to report this amount. You can enter CA SDI as the description. See page 74 of the 2021 California Employer's Guide.

CA SDI should never be more than 1.00% of your gross wages.

• If it is, the employer owes you a refund. Claiming the wrong amount of SDI will cause processing delays. For more information, see: 2020 California Form 540 Booklet which is currently only available online. Do a search for Excess SDI (or VPDI) Worksheet by holding down Ctrl + F to generate a search on the site and entering that exact phrase. It is a simple worksheet.