My wife got 2 W2s - one with (20) Locality name TOTAL, one with different values. How do I enter this in FreeTaxUSA?
Title: My wife got 2 W2s - one with (20) Locality name TOTAL, one with different values. How do I enter this in FreeTaxUSA? 1 My wife's employer gave her two W2 forms this year and I'm confused about how to enter them correctly in FreeTaxUSA. The first W2 has "TOTAL" written in box 20 (Locality name) and contains values in boxes 16, 17, and 19. The second W2 has different values in boxes 18 and 19, but interestingly, if I add up the values in box 19 from both forms, they match the value in box 19 on the "TOTAL" version. I've spent hours searching through FreeTaxUSA's help documentation trying to figure out the proper way to handle this situation, but I'm still getting warnings when I try to file. The system is telling me I might need to file manually instead. Has anyone dealt with multiple W2s where one is labeled as "TOTAL" before? How should I correctly enter these in FreeTaxUSA without triggering errors? I really want to avoid filing a paper return if possible.
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Jasmine Hancock
14 What you're seeing is actually pretty common. When your wife's employer is reporting wages earned in multiple localities (like different cities or counties), they'll often provide a W2 for each locality plus a "TOTAL" W2 that summarizes everything. The correct approach in FreeTaxUSA is to enter ONLY the W2 marked "TOTAL" - this contains all the information the IRS needs. The other W2 is essentially just a breakdown showing how the total was calculated across different localities, which might be needed for local tax filing but not for your federal return. If you're still getting warnings after only entering the "TOTAL" W2, double-check that you've entered all fields correctly. Sometimes the warning is just FreeTaxUSA's way of ensuring you haven't accidentally entered the same W2 twice or missed something.
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Jasmine Hancock
•5 But what if the non-TOTAL W2 has values that aren't on the TOTAL one? Like box 18 has state income tax withheld on the second form but nothing in that box on the TOTAL form. Wouldn't I be missing information if I only enter the TOTAL one?
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Jasmine Hancock
•14 That's a great question and an important exception to what I mentioned. If the detailed W2 contains information in fields that are blank on the "TOTAL" W2, then you should enter both forms separately in FreeTaxUSA. For state tax purposes, it's particularly important to capture all the state withholding information. In this case, enter both W2s completely, but make sure you're not duplicating information that appears on both. FreeTaxUSA should be able to handle this situation once all information is properly entered.
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Jasmine Hancock
8 I ran into this exact issue last year! Tax software isn't great at handling this somewhat unusual W2 situation. After struggling with the same warnings in FreeTaxUSA, I found that taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) was really helpful. I uploaded both W2s and their system analyzed them to tell me exactly how to enter them properly. Basically, what I learned is that you need to enter both W2s separately but be careful about how you handle the "TOTAL" one. The AI clarified which boxes should be used from which form to avoid duplication. Saved me a ton of frustration and my return was accepted without issues.
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Jasmine Hancock
•11 How does taxr.ai work exactly? Does it just give you advice or does it actually file for you? I'm having similar issues with multiple W2s from different states.
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Jasmine Hancock
•3 I'm skeptical that an AI tool would know better than a dedicated tax software. Did you have to pay for this? Seems like there should be a straightforward way to handle this in FreeTaxUSA without needing yet another service.
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Jasmine Hancock
•8 It doesn't file for you - it analyzes your tax documents and gives specific guidance on how to enter them correctly in whatever software you're using. It helped me understand which values to use from each W2 and which ones to leave out to avoid double-counting. No, you don't actually need it if you already know exactly how to handle multiple W2s with locality breakdowns. But for someone like me who was confused about box 20 showing "TOTAL" on one form while other boxes had different values across forms, the clear explanations were worth it.
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Jasmine Hancock
3 Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. I was initially skeptical, but it actually made sense of my wife's complicated W2 situation. I uploaded both forms, and it clearly explained that I needed to enter the TOTAL W2 for federal purposes but also needed to capture the state withholding from the detailed W2. The system identified that box 18 (state income tax withheld) was only on the second W2 but not on the TOTAL form, which was exactly what was confusing me. Following their guidance, I entered everything correctly in FreeTaxUSA and the warnings disappeared. Return accepted without issues!
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Jasmine Hancock
7 After spending 3 hours on hold trying to get someone at the IRS to explain how to handle these weird W2s, I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes who explained exactly how to handle this situation. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent confirmed that when you have a W2 marked "TOTAL" in box 20, it contains the cumulative information for federal tax purposes, but you need to carefully review both forms to ensure you're not missing state or local tax withholding information that might only appear on the detailed W2.
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Jasmine Hancock
•16 Wait, you can actually get through to the IRS? I thought that was just a myth lol. How does this service work? Do they just keep calling for you or something?
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Jasmine Hancock
•22 Sounds like a scam. Why would I pay someone to call the IRS for me when I can just keep trying myself? And how do I know they're actually connecting to real IRS agents and not just making up answers?
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Jasmine Hancock
•7 They use a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When an agent picks up, you get a call connecting you directly to that agent. No more spending hours listening to that awful hold music! They're definitely connecting to real IRS agents - it's the actual IRS phone line, they just handle the waiting part. I was skeptical too, but having wasted entire afternoons trying to get through myself, having someone else handle the hold time was a game-changer. The IRS agent I spoke with gave me official guidance that I was able to follow.
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Jasmine Hancock
22 Just wanted to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After getting disconnected THREE TIMES trying to reach the IRS myself about my W2 situation, I decided to try it out of desperation. Got connected to an actual IRS representative in about 25 minutes while I just went about my day. The agent explained that when you have multiple W2s with one marked as "TOTAL," you should enter the TOTAL W2 for federal purposes, but you must also capture any additional state/local tax information from the detailed W2s. This cleared up my FreeTaxUSA errors immediately. Worth every penny just for the time saved and stress reduction.
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Jasmine Hancock
9 My husband has the same issue with his W2s every year because he works in multiple school districts. We just enter ALL the W2s separately in FreeTaxUSA including the TOTAL one. The software adds everything up correctly and we've never had any issues with our returns being accepted. I think the warnings are just FreeTaxUSA being extra cautious.
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Jasmine Hancock
•4 But won't that double-count some of the income? If you enter the TOTAL W2 and then also enter the individual ones, wouldn't that make it look like your husband earned more than he actually did?
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Jasmine Hancock
•9 No, it doesn't double-count if you enter them correctly. FreeTaxUSA is smart enough to recognize that these are separate W2s from the same employer. The software looks at the EIN (Employer Identification Number) and other identifying information to understand the relationship between the forms. When you enter all of them, the software will know to report the correct totals on your tax return. We've been doing it this way for 5 years with no issues. Just make sure everything is entered exactly as it appears on each W2.
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Jasmine Hancock
18 I'm a bit confused - why would an employer even issue multiple W2s like this? Seems like it just creates confusion. Is this some kind of weird tax optimization strategy or just an accounting quirk?
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Jasmine Hancock
•12 It's usually because the person worked in multiple localities (cities, counties, etc.) that have different local tax rates. Some states require employers to break down exactly how much was earned in each locality for local tax purposes. The "TOTAL" W2 is supposed to make federal filing easier by summarizing everything in one place.
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Ravi Malhotra
I had a similar situation last year and found the FreeTaxUSA help chat to be really useful for this exact scenario. When I explained that I had multiple W2s with one marked "TOTAL," the support agent walked me through it step by step. The key is to look at each box individually across both forms. If a box appears on both the TOTAL W2 and the detailed W2 with the same value, only enter it once (from the TOTAL). But if a box only appears on one form or has different values, you need to enter both W2s separately to capture all the information. In your case, since box 18 (state income tax withheld) only appears on the second W2, you definitely need to enter both forms. The warnings in FreeTaxUSA should clear up once you have all the information entered correctly. Don't worry about the system thinking you're double-counting - it's designed to handle these multi-locality situations.
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