What do all these items in Box 14 of my W2 mean?

Box 14 on your W2 is actually an "other" box where employers can list additional information they want to provide. The good news is that most items in Box 14 don't need to be reported separately on your tax return! These are usually things your employer is tracking for their own purposes or state-specific items. The fact that 4 of the 5 items appear similar but with different amounts likely means they're tracking different types of the same category (like different types of retirement contributions, union dues paid across quarters, or employer benefits). When you input your W2 into TurboTax, it will prompt you to enter what's in Box 14, but many of these items don't affect your federal taxes. If TurboTax recognizes the codes, it will handle them appropriately. For healthcare workers, common Box 14 items include health benefits, retirement plan contributions, uniform allowances, and continuing education.

After getting completely confused by all the random codes in Box 14 on my W2 last year, I found this incredible tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that actually explained what each of those weird codes meant! I uploaded my W2 and it broke down every single item - even identified that my "HSA EE" entries were just quarterly contributions to my Health Savings Account. The tool even explained which ones actually mattered for my federal return vs. state-only items. Saved me hours of frantic googling and worrying I was missing something important.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai that someone recommended earlier. I decided to try it with my W2 that had all these mysterious Box 14 codes, and it actually worked really well! It identified that my "LTD" code was for Long Term Disability premiums (which aren't tax deductible) and my "SEC125" codes were pre-tax health insurance premiums broken down by quarter. The explanations were super clear about which ones affected my taxes and which ones were just informational. Definitely worth using if you're confused by all the random stuff employers throw in Box 14.

If you're really concerned about understanding your W2 Box 14 items correctly, you might want to call the IRS directly to get official clarification. BUT - good luck actually reaching a human! I spent 4+ hours on hold last year trying to ask about some weird Box 14 codes. Eventually discovered a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that somehow got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. They have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed that most Box 14 items are just informational and explained exactly which ones I needed to worry about.

I need to eat my words about that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. After struggling to get answers about my Box 14 items for weeks, I finally tried it yesterday out of desperation. I was connected to an IRS representative in about 35 minutes (not instantaneous but WAY better than the 3+ hours I wasted trying on my own). The agent explained that my "Sec 457" entries in Box 14 were for my deferred compensation plan and confirmed they don't require separate reporting. Honestly shocked that it actually worked - saved me a ton of frustration.

For Box 14 stuff, you should also check your employer's internal HR portal or payroll system. My company has a whole explanation document for what all our Box 14 codes mean. I had like 7 different things in Box 14 and was freaking out until I found their explanation sheet. Worth asking your HR department if they have something similar!

Has anyone actually gotten in trouble with the IRS for incorrectly reporting Box 14 stuff? I've been ignoring most of it for years and just entering the obvious things like union dues. Never had an issue.

I work in tax preparation and can confirm that Box 14 confusion is super common! Your hospital employer is likely using those multiple "HSA EE" entries to track your Health Savings Account contributions by quarter or pay period - this is actually helpful for their recordkeeping. The good news is that HSA employee contributions are pre-tax, so they reduce your taxable income (which is already reflected in your other W2 boxes). When you enter this into TurboTax, it will recognize these codes and handle them appropriately. The software is pretty good at distinguishing between items that need to be reported versus those that are just informational. For healthcare workers, I commonly see Box 14 items like continuing education reimbursements, uniform allowances, parking benefits, and various insurance premiums - most don't require separate reporting on your federal return. Don't stress too much about it - as long as you enter the information accurately as it appears on your W2, you'll be fine!