What does box 15 on my W2 mean? Is this a stupid tax filing question?

No such thing as a stupid tax question! Box 15 on your W2 just indicates which state you worked in during the tax year. This is important because you'll need to file a state tax return for any state where you earned income (in addition to your federal return). The information in Box 15 works together with Boxes 16 and 17, which show your state wages and how much state income tax was already withheld from your paychecks. When you enter your W2 information into the tax software, make sure you include all this state information so you get proper credit for taxes you've already paid.

After struggling with W2 boxes myself last year (especially those state-related ones like box 15), I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai at https://taxr.ai that literally saved me hours of confusion. You can upload your W2 and it explains every single box in plain English - way more helpful than those generic explanations on tax sites. I was super confused about boxes 15-17 since I worked remotely for a company in another state, but taxr.ai explained exactly what I needed to do and which state forms I needed to file. The explanations are personalized to your actual tax documents rather than generic info.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai with both my W2 and 1099s and it was incredibly helpful! Not only did it explain what box 15 meant on the W2 (and all the other confusing boxes), but it actually walked me through how my freelance income affects my overall tax situation. It pointed out deductions I had no idea I could take and explained exactly which forms I needed. Saved me from making some pretty costly mistakes before I even started filing!

If you're having trouble understanding your W2 boxes AND you've been trying to call the IRS for help, good luck with that! I tried calling them 23 times over 2 weeks and couldn't get through. Then I found this service called Claimyr at https://claimyr.com that actually gets you through to a real IRS agent. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was skeptical but desperate after hours on hold. They got me connected to an IRS agent in under 45 minutes who explained exactly what I needed to do with my complicated W2 situation (I had 3 employers last year). Completely worth it when you need actual official answers.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr being a scam. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my W2 issues (including that box 15 state question and some other problems). So I tried Claimyr as a last resort, fully expecting to request a refund. I'm shocked to say it actually worked exactly as advertised. After weeks of failed attempts calling the IRS myself, Claimyr got me through to an agent in about 30 minutes. The agent cleared up all my questions about state tax withholding and even helped me identify an error on my W2 that my employer needs to correct. This service is legit and saved me a ton of stress.

Pro tip: if you're confused about box 15 and state taxes, make sure you're using tax software that handles multiple states well. I used TurboTax last year and it made dealing with two states super easy - just entered both W2s and it figured everything out. H&R Block and FreeTaxUSA are good too. Just avoid the super basic free versions if you have anything complicated like working in multiple states.

Can someone explain to me why I have to pay state taxes at all? My box 15 shows California but I barely used any state services last year. Feels like I'm paying for nothing lol. My state withholding was almost $4,000 last year!

Don't feel bad about your question! Box 15 confused me too my first time. Quick tip: if your state abbreviation in box 15 isn't where you actually live, you might need to file a nonresident state return. This happened to me when I worked remotely for a New York company but lived in Florida. Had to file a NY nonresident return to get all my withheld money back since FL has no income tax!

Box 15 is definitely not a stupid question - it's actually one of the more confusing parts of the W2! Box 15 simply shows the state where you earned your income. This connects to boxes 16 and 17, which show how much you earned in that state and how much state tax was withheld. Since you're using free online tax software, when you enter your W2 information, make sure you input all the state information from boxes 15-17. The software will use this to determine if you owe additional state taxes or if you're getting a refund from what was already withheld from your paychecks. Most people have just one state listed, but if you moved or worked in multiple states during the year, you might see multiple entries. The good news is that modern free tax software handles this pretty automatically once you enter the W2 data correctly. You're doing great tackling this yourself!

Box 15 is absolutely not a stupid question! When I first started doing my own taxes, I stared at that box forever too. It's just showing which state you worked in during the tax year - pretty straightforward once you know what it means. The key thing to remember is that Box 15 works together with boxes 16 and 17. Box 16 shows how much you earned in that state, and box 17 shows how much state income tax was already taken out of your paychecks. When you enter your W2 into the tax software, make sure you include all three of these boxes so the system can calculate whether you'll owe more state taxes or get a refund. Since you're using free online tax software, it should walk you through entering this information step by step. The software will automatically use your state info to determine which state tax forms you need to file alongside your federal return. You're doing great tackling this yourself - we all had to learn sometime!

Great question! Box 15 definitely isn't stupid - it's one of those W2 boxes that seems simple but can be confusing when you're new to filing. Box 15 just shows the state where you earned your income during the tax year. This is important because you'll likely need to file a state tax return in addition to your federal return (unless you live in a state with no income tax like Florida, Texas, etc.). The really important thing is that Box 15 connects with boxes 16 and 17 on your W2. Box 16 shows your total state wages, and Box 17 shows how much state income tax was already withheld from your paychecks throughout the year. When you enter your W2 into the tax software, make sure you include all this state information - the software will use it to calculate whether you owe additional state taxes or if you'll get a refund. Most free tax software handles this pretty seamlessly once you input the W2 data correctly. Just follow the prompts and enter everything exactly as it appears on your form. You've got this!