Why does Turbo Tax require a state be chosen when Box 15 of my Form 1099-INT is empty and instructions say "State taxes: Leave blank if empty on your form”?

[Kewpie60]

Hopefully I'm not blocked from filing my tax forms because of this Turbo Tax issue. If I can't get an answer, I'll just ignore and try to power through.

[rjs]

It is telling you to leave the whole state taxes section blank, boxes 15, 16, and 17, if they are empty on your form. If box 17 on your 1099-INT is zero or blank, leave boxes 15, 16, and 17 blank in TurboTax. Do not enter anything. Do not enter zero in box 17. Leave it empty.

If you have state tax withheld in box 17, then you must select the state in box 15. Box 15 should not be blank on the form if there is an amount (other than zero) in box 17.