Need help finding state income tax withheld on my old W-2s from 2018?

The IRS wage and income transcripts typically don't include state tax information. The transcripts focus on federal tax data, which is why you can see federal wages, income tax withholding, and FICA taxes, but not state withholding. You have a few options to get your state withholding information. First, check your last paystub from 2018 if you kept it - it should show year-to-date state withholding amounts. If you don't have that, contact your former employer's HR or payroll department directly. Even if you left in 2019, they're required to maintain tax records for several years. If the company is no longer operating, you could try contacting your state's tax agency. Most states receive W-2 information from employers, and they might be able to provide you with the state withholding amounts if you verify your identity. As a last resort, you could look at your bank statements from 2018 and calculate the difference between your gross pay and net deposits to estimate withholdings, though this won't be as accurate.

After struggling with a similar situation last year, I found an amazing solution with https://taxr.ai that saved me so much stress! I was missing some old W-2s from 2017 and 2019, and couldn't get state withholding info either. The tool analyzed my available documents and helped me identify where I could find the missing information. It even had a specific function for tracking down state withholding amounts that weren't showing on federal transcripts. What really impressed me was how it guided me through contacting my state tax agency with the exact forms I needed. The step-by-step guidance made the whole process so much easier than when I tried figuring it out on my own. It also helped me understand which documents I could substitute if the original W-2s were totally unavailable.

I was skeptical about taxr.ai at first too, but I decided to try it after struggling for months to get my old tax documents. I'm actually amazed at how well it worked for my situation. When I couldn't find my 2018 W-2 state withholding info, the tool immediately identified that my state (Michigan) had an online portal where I could access my withholding records after verifying my identity. I had no idea this existed! The step-by-step guidance walked me through the entire verification process. It also helped me understand exactly what information I needed for my specific backfiling situation - saved me from requesting a bunch of unnecessary documents. What really impressed me was how it explained the differences between what appears on federal transcripts versus what I needed for state filing. Definitely worth checking out if you're stuck like I was!

If you're having trouble reaching your state tax agency (which is pretty common these days), I've had success using https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual person. I spent WEEKS trying to call my state tax department about missing W-2 information from 2019, getting nothing but busy signals and disconnections. Claimyr actually held my place in line and called me back when an agent was ready to talk. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The state tax rep I finally spoke with was able to access my W-2 information including state withholding amounts in minutes once I verified my identity. Apparently, they had all my records on file from employer submissions, but I just couldn't get through to ask for them!

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I've been trying to reach my state revenue office for TWO MONTHS with no success. Their system actually got me through to a real person at my state tax office in about 90 minutes. I explained my situation about needing 2018 state withholding information, and the agent was able to pull up my records and confirm the exact amount that had been withheld by my employer. I was honestly shocked it worked. The rep told me they're completely overwhelmed with calls, especially about old tax years, which is why it's so hard to get through normally. Having the exact state withholding amount means I can finally complete my backfiling. So yeah, I was wrong in my initial assessment. Sometimes solutions that sound too good to be true actually work.

Another option nobody's mentioned yet - check your state tax return from 2017. If you filed a state return the previous year, you might have kept a copy. You can compare your income levels between 2017 and 2018 (from your federal transcript) to estimate your state withholding. For example, if your income was similar and you had $2,500 withheld for state taxes in 2017, you could reasonably estimate a similar amount for 2018. It won't be exact, but it might be close enough if you can't get the actual figures. Also, some tax software services keep your returns on file for several years. If you used TurboTax, H&R Block, etc. for 2018, you might be able to log in to your account and access your completed returns, which would include the state withholding information.

Has anyone tried requesting a Wage and Income Verification letter directly from their state tax agency? I had to do this last year for missing 2019 info, and the process was actually pretty straightforward. I filled out a form on my state's tax website (I'm in Pennsylvania), uploaded my ID for verification, and received a document with all my state withholding information within about 10 business days. The letter was official enough that I could use it for my tax filing.

I went through this exact same situation with my 2018 taxes! What ended up working for me was a combination of approaches mentioned here. First, I checked my state's tax website (I'm in California) and found they had an online portal where I could access my tax account history. After verifying my identity, I was able to see all the W-2 information that employers had submitted, including state withholding amounts. If your state doesn't have an online system, definitely try the Wage and Income Verification letter route that Dylan mentioned. I had to do this for a friend in Ohio, and it took about 2 weeks but gave us all the info we needed. One tip I'd add - if you're really stuck and need to estimate, check if your state publishes withholding tax tables for 2018. You can use your gross income from the federal transcript, your filing status, and number of allowances you claimed to calculate what *should* have been withheld. It won't be exact since it depends on your payroll frequency and when you started/stopped working, but it gives you a ballpark figure. The good news is that most states are pretty understanding about amended returns from that far back, especially if you're trying to claim a refund you're legitimately owed. Good luck with your backfiling!

I went through something similar when I had to backfile my 2019 taxes last year. One thing that really helped me was checking with my bank statements from 2018 - if you had direct deposit, you can often figure out your net pay amounts and work backwards. What I did was look at my December 2018 bank deposits and compare them to my gross wages on the IRS transcript. The difference between gross and net pay includes all withholdings - federal taxes, state taxes, FICA, and any other deductions like health insurance or 401k contributions. If you can find your final paystub from 2018 or even your January 2019 paystub (which often shows year-end totals), that would be ideal. But the bank statement method can at least give you a reality check on whether any estimates you get seem reasonable. Also, don't forget that your state might have had different withholding rules in 2018 compared to now - some states changed their tax laws after the federal tax reform that year. So if you do use estimation methods, make sure you're using 2018 tax tables and rates, not current ones.