First time filing taxes - Why don't my state W-2s match my federal wages? Is this normal?

This is actually pretty common for people who work in multiple states during a tax year. Your federal wages should indeed be the total of what you earned across all states, but the W-2 format doesn't always make this clear. What's likely happening is that your employer issued a single W-2 that shows your total federal wages ($70,000) on the Connecticut form, but only listed the Connecticut state wages portion ($50,000) in the state section. Then they issued a separate W-2 for Delaware that only shows state information for the $20,000 earned there. To verify this, check Box 1 (Federal wages) on your Connecticut W-2 - if it shows $70,000 rather than $50,000, then everything is correct. If it truly shows only $50,000 federal wages, then you should contact your employer's payroll department as there might be an error. Either way, when filing your federal return, you'll report the total of all your wages regardless of which state they were earned in.

I ran into a similar situation last year when I worked remotely across multiple states. I spent HOURS trying to figure out why my W-2s looked weird before discovering taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). Their document analyzer was able to explain exactly what was happening with my multi-state W-2s and guided me through how to properly report everything. The tool basically analyzed my forms, explained why my federal wages appeared on only one W-2, and walked me through the proper filing process for both states. It saved me from making a costly mistake and having to file an amended return later. Might be worth checking out if you're concerned about your situation.

I tried taxr.ai after seeing this post and it literally saved my sanity! I uploaded my multi-state W-2s (had a similar situation working in NY and NJ) and it immediately explained exactly what was happening with my forms. The analysis showed that my employer had properly recorded everything - they just put all my federal wages on one W-2 and separated the state portions accordingly. The tool walked me through exactly how to report everything correctly and even pointed out a deduction I would have missed related to working in multiple states. Super grateful I found this before submitting my return with mistakes. Would have definitely triggered a letter from the IRS!

If you're still confused after getting advice here, you might want to try calling the IRS directly. I know it sounds awful, but I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an actual human at the IRS in about 15 minutes when I had a similar W-2 issue. Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c to see how it works. Basically, it navigates the phone tree for you and calls you back when an agent is available. I was shocked that it actually worked - I was expecting to spend hours on hold like I did last year. The IRS agent I spoke with explained exactly how to handle my multi-state W-2 situation and confirmed everything was filed correctly. Gave me way more peace of mind than just guessing or relying on online advice.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but that Claimyr service actually works! After posting my skeptical reply, I decided to try it because I was desperate to resolve a similar multi-state W-2 issue. The system called me back in about 20 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. I explained my situation with working in multiple states and having weird W-2s. The agent confirmed that employers typically put the full federal wages on just one W-2 form and that I needed to report my total income on the federal return while filing separate state returns for each state I worked in. This saved me from making a mistake on my return and possibly dealing with amended returns later. Never thought I'd actually get through to the IRS during peak filing season!

Just went through this exact same situation with working in NH and MA. As long as the total federal wages on your W-2s matches what you actually earned for the year, you're fine. The state breakdown is separate. When you file your taxes, you'll need to file: 1. Federal return with your TOTAL income 2. Connecticut state return for income earned in CT 3. Delaware state return for income earned in DE Most tax software handles this pretty well. Just enter both W-2s exactly as they appear and the software will sort it out. I use FreeTaxUSA and it handled my multi-state situation perfectly.

One thing to keep in mind - Delaware has pretty generous tax laws. If you only worked there temporarily and aren't a resident, you might qualify for some special treatment on that income. Make sure whatever tax software you're using asks about your residency status for each state!

This is totally normal for multi-state employment situations! Your employer handled this correctly. The key thing to understand is that federal wages and state wages are reported differently on W-2s. What happened is your employer consolidated all your federal wage information ($70,000 total) onto your Connecticut W-2 in Box 1, while separately reporting the state-specific portions on each respective W-2. So your Connecticut W-2 shows the full $70,000 federal wages but only $50,000 Connecticut state wages, and your Delaware W-2 shows $0 federal wages (since it was already reported on the CT form) but $20,000 Delaware state wages. This is actually the standard way employers handle multi-state situations to avoid duplicate federal reporting while ensuring proper state tax allocation. When you file, you'll use the total federal wages from your Connecticut W-2 for your federal return, then file separate state returns for each state based on the income earned there. Don't stress - your employer did everything right! Just make sure when you're filing to enter both W-2s exactly as they appear, and your tax software will handle the rest.