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 necessary
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.
With respect to the employer state
number ID, it won't really matter what you input in Box 15 Employer ID,
as long as the software will accept it (explained below). Simply enter as many digits as you can, from the number you have, as printed on your W-2, starting from the beginning (left-side). If there are any "leading" zeros, or other figures like AA or something, then you can leave those off as well.
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 just enter a value that conforms to
that format . . . such as 123456XYZ. These methods will enable you to bypass the
issue and file your return. In other words, try to be a little creative
here, and just provide as much of the state-specific identifier as you can, subject to the data entry space allowed by the program (which must conform to federal e-file rules by limiting space).
In fact, the IRS computers and
your state department of revenue really won't care what you input here, as, they're really just
looking for the federal EIN, SSN, and relevant wage data. The State
ID is simply a bureaucratic convention for your state; the state can and
will still be able to easily and uniquely identify your employer by their
federal EIN, even if they have to cross-reference the Federal / State ID
numbers in their database. 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).
Once again, your state should still
be able to understand and process your tax return, no matter what you enter in Box 15 for an employer identifier.
Thank you for asking this question.
