W2:Box 15 is empty but Box 17 has an amount

Jason3213

Hi,

The W-2 from my employer does not have any state abbreviation in Box 15. For the employer's state ID portion, it says "TOTAL STATE." There is an amount in Box 17. This is for the federal filing copy. For my state filing copy, there is content within Box 15 and Box 17. How should I file box 15-17 on my federal filing W-2 copy? The software neither allows me to leave box 15 blank nor enter "TOTAL STATE."

Thank you

Jason

kiarab

Hello JAson3213,

You said that you received two copies of your W-2, a federal copy and a state copy? And that the state copy has information for boxes 15-17?

If so, then you will want to enter the information from the state copy into boxes 15-17. Sometimes, employers will do several copies of the W-2 when multiple states are involved and then have one W-2 that adds it all up into one (the total state one). And while it doesn't sound like you have multiple states, it could be that the program your employer uses just does it for everyone, even when it isn't required.