That shouldn't really pose a problem; or at least not one that will
prevent you from filing your tax return. Please allow me to explain.
The only truly meaningful elements on a W-2 for income tax filing
purposes are your employer's federal EIN (Employer's ID number),
your own Social Security Number (SSN), and your actual wage data. If
there was a mistake made with any of these items, then that would
definitely be something that requires attention.
However, with
respect to the Box 15 state number ID issue, it won't really matter
what you
input in Box 15 Employer ID, as long as the software will accept it
(explained below). Make sure that the state where you work is correctly
selected from the Box 15 drop-down menu (in your case WA), if it has not already been
pre-populated by the TurboTax program.
Then, simply try leaving the Box 15 number space entirely blank at first. If there is any issue with Box 15 that prevents
e-filing your return with a blank Box 15,
and it absolutely requires some value in the software, then either try
using your
Federal EIN again here, or enter a "nonsense" value such as 12345 67890 (with a
space in the middle, or not).
If the TurboTax program asks you for
a
state ID number in a specific format, such as needing exactly 9-digits
and ending in XYZ, for instance, then enter a just enter a value that
conforms to that format . . .
such as 123456XYZ. This will enable you to bypass the issue and file
your return. In other words, try to be a little creative here, and just give
the software some value (even a made-up number) that it will accept. You can try multiple variations and see what works.
In
fact, the IRS computers really
won't care, as, they're really just looking for the federal EIN, SSN, and
relevant wage data. Washington state certainly will not care what you enter, because you are not filing a tax return with them, and the state doesn't tax personal income. In
other words, this single issue should not affect the processing of your
tax return, as long as you can satisfy the software with some acceptable input (or none at all).
As a very last resort, if nothing else works, and your attempt
to e-file is still rejected, then you can always
ask your employer payroll office or human resources department for their
actual Washington number. If your employer has employees in your state (they must,
because they employ you), then they will have a state tax ID number
somewhere in their files, even if it's not printed on your W-2.
Thank you for asking this important question.
