Make sure you don't ignore the California W-2 even if it's wrong! California is super aggressive about collecting taxes and will automatically assume you owe them if they get a W-2 showing income there. I learned this the hard way when I moved from California to Texas and my employer messed up my final W-2. I had to file a non-resident California return showing zero California source income and include a written explanation. Such a pain!

This is definitely a frustrating situation, but you're right to be suspicious - this sounds like a clear payroll error. Since you worked entirely in New York during 2024, all your wages and withholdings should be reported on a single W-2 showing New York as your work state. The split you're seeing (federal withholdings on the CA form, state withholdings on the NY form) suggests their payroll system might still have outdated location codes from your 2022 internship. This is more common than you'd think, especially with companies that have offices in multiple states. I'd recommend calling your HR/payroll department first thing Monday morning. Be specific about what you need: a corrected W-2c that consolidates all your 2024 wages and withholdings under New York, since that's where you physically performed all work during the tax year. Don't file your return until this is fixed - it'll save you major headaches with both state tax agencies later. If HR gives you pushback or delays, you can always contact the IRS directly, but most employers will fix this pretty quickly once they understand the issue. Keep documentation of all your communications in case you need to reference them later.

Just to add one more data point - I'm from Austria and was in the US on a J1 last year. I initially had the same problem with Shutterstock and Adobe Stock. After several rejections, I finally just used my Austrian address on Line 3 (my parents' house) and Austria on Line 9, and both were immediately accepted. Is it technically correct? Maybe not 100%, but multiple agency compliance departments told me this was their preferred approach for nonresident aliens temporarily in the US. The reality is these companies just want the form to be processable in their automated systems so they can pay you without IRS issues.

As someone who went through this exact situation with multiple stock agencies last year while on a J1 visa, I can confirm what others have said about using your home country address on both Line 3 and Line 9. The key insight that finally resolved my issues was understanding that "permanent residence address" for tax purposes isn't about where you're currently sleeping - it's about your established tax residence. Since you're in the US on a temporary visa and remain a tax resident of Germany under the treaty, your permanent residence address should reflect that. I ended up using my family's address in my home country for Line 3, which matched the country I claimed treaty benefits for in Line 9. Every agency accepted this approach immediately. The automated systems these companies use are looking for consistency between your claimed tax residence and the country you're seeking treaty benefits from. One practical tip: if you don't currently maintain your own residence back home, using a family member's address where you could realistically receive mail is generally acceptable. The IRS guidance focuses on having a legitimate address in your country of tax residence, not requiring you to personally lease property there while temporarily abroad.

Lol am I the only one who's been manually rounding all my numbers before entering them into FreeTaxUSA all these years? 🤦‍♂️

Hey Sean! I totally get why you'd be worried about this - I was in the exact same boat when I first started doing my own taxes. The rounding is completely normal and actually required by the IRS, so FreeTaxUSA is doing exactly what it should be doing. One thing that helped me feel more confident was keeping a simple spreadsheet with my original exact amounts alongside what appeared on the final forms, just for my own peace of mind. That way I could see that everything was accounted for properly even after rounding. Since you're filing for the first time, I'd also suggest double-checking that you didn't miss any tax documents (like a second W-2 if you had multiple jobs, or any 1099s from banks/investments). Those are way more likely to cause issues than the rounding. You've got this!

I made $9,400 last year and didn't file. Now I regret it because I checked my W-2 and saw they withheld like $500 in federal taxes that I could've gotten back. Is it too late to file for last year?

For someone in your exact situation (single, 24, $9,200 income, not a dependent), you should definitely file! Even though you're under the $12,950 threshold that requires filing, you'll likely get back every penny of federal income tax that was withheld from your paychecks. Check box 2 on your W-2 - if there's any amount there, that's money the government owes you. Plus, you might qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which could actually give you more back than what was withheld. The 1040 form is straightforward for your situation. You can use the IRS Free File program since your income is well under $73,000, or any free tax software. Don't leave money on the table - file that return!

Has anyone used the new state reciprocity feature in TurboTax for handling W2G forms? I can't figure out if I'm supposed to report my out-of-state lottery winnings as "gambling winnings" or as "other income" when it asks about sources of income from other states.

Great question about multi-state lottery winnings! I went through something similar last year with winnings from Ohio and Kentucky. One thing I learned the hard way - make sure to keep detailed records of exactly where each winning ticket was purchased, not just where you claimed the prize. I had a situation where I bought a ticket in Kentucky but claimed it at an Ohio retailer near the border, and initially reported it to the wrong state. Also, double-check that the state withholding amounts on your W2Gs match what was actually deducted. I found discrepancies on two of my forms where the withholding was calculated incorrectly by the lottery commission. Getting corrected W2Gs before filing saved me from having to amend my returns later. The good news is that Ohio's tax credit system works really well for preventing double taxation on out-of-state gambling winnings. Just make sure you file your Pennsylvania non-resident return first, then use those results when completing your Ohio resident return to claim the proper credit.