Why is it asking for the state refund amount for the previous tax year? Do I need to include it or can I delete it? I don't even know if the amount is right.

It depends.

 

Your state refund will either be fully taxable or even partially taxable depending upon how much the deduction affected your refund or tax liability.  Typically, you will receive a Form 1099-G from the state letting you know the amount of your refund from your prior year tax return.

 

To determine how much is taxable, all 3 of the following must be true: 

• You itemized deductions last year 
• You claimed state and local income taxes 
• Claiming the deduction helped you increase your federal refund or lower your tax bill 

If all of the above applies for you, review your input to ensure the refund is entered in the correct place in the program: 

1. Select Federal 
2. Select Income & Expenses 
3. Select Other Common Income 
4. Select Refunds Received for State/Local Tax Returns 
5. Proceed to enter the information and answer all of the questions 
6. Enter through until you see the following screen.  Select Done. 

Your next screens will ask you for information regarding your 2019 return.  Based upon your entries, the program will determine if any of your state refunds are taxable. 

 

Information to find last year's state refund