What does 14X on Box 14 of my W2 mean when filing taxes?

Box 14 on your W-2 is a catch-all field that employers use for information that doesn't fit elsewhere on the form. Unlike boxes 1-13, the IRS doesn't standardize what goes in box 14, so the "14X" code is specific to your employer. Common items that appear here include union dues, educational assistance, health insurance premiums paid by the employer, or state disability insurance. Since this code is unique to your employer, the best thing to do is check your company's internal documentation or ask your HR/payroll department directly. They'll be able to tell you exactly what 14X represents in your case. Once you know what it is, you can select the appropriate category in TurboTax or determine if it's even taxable at all.

Had this same issue last year with a weird code in box 14! I spent hours online trying to figure it out until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). It's this AI tool that can look at your W-2 and other tax docs and tell you exactly what everything means. I uploaded my W-2 and it figured out my company's special code was for parking benefits. The nice thing is it showed me exactly what category to select in TurboTax and explained whether it was taxable or not. Saved me from having to wait for HR to respond to my email (which took them like 3 days last time I asked them anything).

Just wanted to update after using taxr.ai that someone recommended earlier. It immediately identified my weird box 14 code (which turned out to be a health savings account contribution). Saved me from calling HR and waiting forever for an answer! The system also explained exactly how it affects my taxes and which category to select in TurboTax. Way easier than I expected. Definitely bookmarking this for next year because my taxes always have something confusing.

If you're still struggling after trying everything else, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I had a similar issue with some weird codes on my W-2 last year and ended up needing to talk to someone at the IRS directly. Used their service and got through to an actual human at the IRS in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. There's a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they wait on hold with the IRS for you and call you back when an agent picks up. I was surprised it actually worked, but talking to the IRS person directly cleared up my confusion right away.

OK I have to eat my words. After seeing the Claimyr recommendation I was super skeptical but decided to try it since I was desperate. I was honestly shocked when I got a call connecting me to an actual IRS person after about 40 minutes. All that time I was just doing other stuff instead of listening to hold music. The IRS agent explained that Box 14 codes are employer-specific and told me exactly who to contact at my company. Turns out my "14X" was for some weird transit benefit program. Would've never figured that out on my own, and saved me hours of frustrating hold time.

Have you tried just calling your payroll department? That's way easier than all these complicated solutions. Box 14 is always company-specific codes. My company uses it for our wellness program reimbursements.

My company puts our health savings account contributions under a similar code in box 14. Could be that? Check if you have an HSA and if the amount matches what you'd expect to have contributed last year.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who dealt with this exact situation last year! The "14X" code is definitely employer-specific, but I've seen a few common things it might represent. At my previous job, they used similar codes for things like commuter benefits, gym membership reimbursements, or educational assistance programs. One quick thing you can try before calling HR - check if your company has an employee portal or intranet site where they might have posted a guide to their W-2 codes. A lot of companies create these reference sheets during tax season but don't always publicize them well. Also, if the amount seems familiar to you (like matches a monthly deduction you remember seeing on your paystubs), that might give you a clue about what it represents. For TurboTax, if you're really unsure, you can often select "other" and add a description - the software is pretty good at handling employer-specific codes that way. Good luck getting it sorted out!