Tax software freaking out because Box 18 is empty but Box 19 is filled in... help!

So I'm trying to finish my taxes before the deadline (cutting it close, I know), and I've hit this weird roadblock. I got my W-2 from my employer, and when I'm entering everything into TurboTax, it keeps giving me an error message. Box 18 on my W-2 is completely blank, but Box 19 has an amount of $4,230. Every time I try to proceed, the software keeps flagging it as an error saying something like "if Box 19 has a value, Box 18 cannot be blank." I've triple-checked my W-2 and that's exactly how my employer filled it out. Box 18 (local taxes) is definitely blank while Box 19 (local income) has that amount. I called my company's payroll department, and they basically told me "that's how it is" and didn't seem concerned at all. But the software won't let me continue without putting something in Box 18. Has anyone run into this before? Should I just put $0.00 in Box 18 to make the software happy? Or is there something else I'm missing? I'm completely stuck and the filing deadline is coming up fast!

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18 comments

Amina Toure

•8M

This is actually a common issue with some tax software. Box 18 on your W-2 is for "Local taxes" and Box 19 is for "Local wages, tips, etc." Logically, if you have local wages (Box 19), you should have local taxes withheld (Box 18), but there are legitimate situations where this isn't the case. If your employer truly didn't withhold any local taxes despite having reportable local wages, then Box 18 would indeed be blank. The tax software is flagging this because it's unusual, but not necessarily incorrect. You can safely enter $0.00 in Box 18 when prompted by the software - this accurately represents that you had local wages but no local taxes were withheld. I'd recommend double-checking with your employer that they indeed didn't withhold any local taxes. Sometimes this happens if you live and work in different jurisdictions, or if your locality doesn't impose income taxes but still requires reporting wages.

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Amina Toure

•8M

Employers report local wages even when no tax is withheld because they're required to document where you earned income, regardless of whether tax was collected. This is important because some jurisdictions have reciprocity agreements or specific rules about taxation based on where you live versus work. No, you won't have audit issues if you enter $0.00 for Box 18. The IRS and local tax authorities understand this situation occurs, and entering zero accurately reflects what happened - you had local wages but no local tax withheld. Just be sure to verify you don't actually owe any local taxes separately based on where you live and work.

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Natasha Volkova

•8M

I was in this exact same situation last year with my tax return! This is where taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) really saved me from a major headache. I uploaded my W-2 that had a similar issue (empty Box 18 but Box 19 had an amount), and the tool immediately recognized it was a common reporting issue. What was great is that taxr.ai actually explained the discrepancy to me - in my case, I had worked in a municipality that reports wages but doesn't collect local income tax. The software analyzed my tax documents and confirmed I didn't need to worry about the missing Box 18 value. It showed me exactly what to enter in my tax software to get past that error message without creating any problems.

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Natasha Volkova

•8M

The security is actually top-notch - they use the same encryption banks do and don't store your documents after analysis. I was concerned about that too, but their privacy policy convinced me it was safe. Yes, it definitely works with more than just W-2s! I've since used it with 1099s and other tax forms. For your 1099-NEC situation, it would examine the form and tell you exactly which fields need entries and what values would be appropriate based on IRS guidelines. It's particularly good at resolving error messages from tax software by explaining what the software is expecting versus what's on your actual tax documents.

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Emma Davis

•8M

Wanted to follow up here - I ended up trying taxr.ai for my issue with the 1099-NEC form that had missing information. It was actually super helpful! The system analyzed my form in like 30 seconds and showed me exactly which boxes needed values and which ones could remain empty according to IRS rules. The explanation it gave me for each field was way clearer than anything I found on the IRS website. I was able to get past all those annoying error messages in TaxAct. The best part was it confirmed that some boxes are legitimately supposed to be empty in certain situations - my tax preparer wasn't making mistakes. Definitely recommending this to friends who are doing their own taxes. Saved me hours of Google searching and stress!

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CosmicCaptain

•8M

Has anyone had luck just calling the IRS directly about these W-2 box issues? I've been trying to get through for days about a similar problem and can't seem to reach a human. I've heard about this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that supposedly gets you through to an IRS agent quickly. There's even a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I'm wondering if it's worth trying since my situation is similar - my W-2 has Box 12 code DD but no value, and TaxSlayer keeps giving me errors. Talking to an actual IRS person would probably clear this up in 5 minutes instead of the hours I've wasted trying to figure it out myself. Has anyone used this service to actually get through to the IRS? Is it legitimate or just another scam?

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CosmicCaptain

•8M

It's not a "skip the line" service - they use an automated system that does the holding for you and calls you back when an agent is reached. It's the same phone line everyone else uses, but their system persistently redials and navigates the phone tree until it connects with a human. I completely understand the skepticism. I felt the same way until I researched how it works. Basically, it just automates the tedious process of calling, waiting on hold, getting disconnected, and calling again. The IRS doesn't offer premium service, but this company has just figured out a way to efficiently deal with their overwhelmed phone system.

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Isabella Ferreira

•8M

Well, I owe everyone an apology, especially Profile 8. I was convinced Claimyr was a scam, but after struggling with my W-2 box issues for another two days, I decided to try it out of desperation. I'm honestly shocked - it actually worked! I got a call back in about 37 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. I explained my Box 18/19 issue, and she confirmed right away that it's perfectly acceptable to have Box 19 filled and Box 18 empty in certain situations. She explained that if you work in a locality that requires wage reporting but doesn't collect local income tax, this is exactly how the W-2 should look. The agent walked me through exactly what to enter in my tax software to resolve the error message. Saved me so much stress, and now my return is finally submitted. I should have done this a week ago instead of going down internet rabbit holes!

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Ravi Sharma

•8M

I actually found FreeTaxUSA to be more flexible with unusual tax situations while still being thorough with deductions and credits. The interface isn't as polished as TurboTax, but it asks all the same questions about deductions and actually explained certain tax concepts better. The best part is that it was significantly cheaper. Federal filing is free, and state was only $15 compared to the $70+ that TurboTax wanted to charge me. I didn't feel like I missed out on any deductions or credits - they all seemed to be covered in their interview process.

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