Box 19 on W2 - What value goes where when filing taxes?

That's a common source of confusion for first-time filers! Box 19 on your W-2 shows your state income tax that was withheld during the year, not state disability insurance. The state code next to it indicates which state received those withholdings. State Disability Insurance (SDI) or Family Leave Insurance (FLI) contributions would typically be shown in Box 14, which is used for various state-specific deductions or contributions. Since your Box 14 is empty, it likely means you didn't have any SDI or FLI contributions withheld, or your employer reports them differently. When filing your taxes, you'll use the amount in Box 19 when you complete your state tax return section - it's essentially a credit for state taxes you've already paid through withholdings.

After struggling with the same W-2 box confusion last year, I discovered https://taxr.ai which literally saved my sanity. I uploaded my W-2 and it automatically identified all the boxes and explained what each one meant for my specific state (I'm in NY). The system pointed out that my Box 19 was state withholding while Box 14 showed my state disability contribution with a weird abbreviation I wouldn't have recognized. It also flagged that my employer had miscoded one of my benefits which would have caused issues.

Just wanted to update - I tried https://taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it totally cleared up my Box 19 confusion! Uploaded my W-2 and it immediately showed that my Box 19 amount was just state income tax withholding (not disability insurance). It also explained that my employer had put my disability insurance contributions in Box 14 with the code "CASDI" which I completely missed. Would have answered that question wrong without realizing it. The breakdown of each box's purpose with state-specific explanations made everything so much clearer!

If you're having trouble getting direct answers about your W-2 boxes, you might want to try https://claimyr.com. I was confused about similar box issues last year and spent hours trying to get through to someone at the IRS who could explain it. After getting nowhere with busy signals and disconnections, I used Claimyr and got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent walked me through exactly what each box on my W-2 meant and how to report it correctly. Especially helpful for state-specific questions since the federal IRS form instructions don't always explain state differences clearly.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment yesterday, I decided to try it since I was desperate to talk to someone about my W-2 Box 19 issue (mine had two different state codes with different amounts). Within 17 minutes, my phone rang and I was talking to an actual IRS representative. She confirmed that Box 19 is strictly for state income tax withholding and that the disability insurance I was looking for would be in Box 14 with a state-specific code. She even explained that my employer had likely combined certain withholdings which is why some boxes looked different than expected. Completely worth it just for the time saved and stress reduction. I was preparing to spend my entire Saturday on hold.

Just FYI - the Box 19 question is a common issue because the labeling can be confusing. The important thing to remember is: Box 19 = State income taxes withheld Box 17 = State wages Box 18 = Local income taxes withheld Box 20 = Locality name Box 14 is for "other" deductions that don't fit elsewhere, which often includes state disability programs. If yours is empty and you're wondering about SDI/FLI, you could check your final paystub of the year, which might show the breakdown more clearly.

I work in payroll and just want to add some clarity to this Box 19 discussion. Box 19 is ONLY for state income tax withholding. The state code next to it (like CA, NY, etc.) tells you which state received those tax payments. If you paid into a state disability program, it should be in Box 14 with a label like "CA SDI" or "NJ FLI" - different states use different codes. If Box 14 is empty and you're in a state with mandatory disability programs, check with your payroll department because there might be an error.

Jumping in late but this thread helped me figure out my own Box 19 question! For anyone else confused, here's what I learned: - Box 19 = State income tax withholding only - State disability usually appears in Box 14 - If Box 14 is empty but you had SDI withheld (check paystubs), your employer may have reported it differently - Different states have different disability programs (CA, NY, NJ, RI, HI have state programs) - Some tax software will auto-calculate state disability based on your wages if you live in these states The IRS instructions aren't super clear about state-specific items, which is why this stuff gets so confusing!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with the exact same confusion as a first-time filer. My Box 19 shows $1,234 with "TX" next to it, but Texas doesn't have state income tax, so I was completely baffled about what this amount could be for. After reading through all these responses, I'm realizing this might be an error on my W-2. Has anyone else encountered a situation where Box 19 shows withholding for a state that doesn't collect income tax? Should I contact my employer's payroll department about this, or could this be some other type of withholding that I'm not understanding? I'm using TurboTax and it keeps asking me about the Box 19 amount, but when I enter Texas as my state, it says there should be no state tax withholding. Really don't want to mess this up!