What does it mean when old employer added something to box 14 on W2?

Box 14 on your W-2 is actually a miscellaneous box where employers can put just about any additional information they want to share with you. It's not standardized like the other boxes, so employers use it differently. Common entries include union dues, educational assistance, health insurance premiums paid, or state disability insurance withholdings. The best way to figure out what that code means is to either check if there's a legend/explanation on your W-2 (sometimes at the bottom or on the back), or simply call your former employer's payroll department and ask them. The code is specific to their payroll system. The good news is that most items in Box 14 don't affect your federal tax return at all - they're informational only. However, some items might be deductible depending on what they are, which is why knowing what the code means could be helpful.

Hey there, I ran into the same issue last year with box 14 codes that made zero sense to me! After hours of googling and getting nowhere, I tried taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a game changer. You can literally upload a picture of your W-2 and it explains every box and code specifically for your situation. The explanation I got for my mysterious box 14 entry was super clear and helped me understand that it was actually a non-taxable benefit (employer-paid parking) that I didn't need to report. The site also has this weird ability to translate "tax speak" into normal human language lol. Honestly saved me from making a mistake on my return because I was about to report something I didn't need to.

Just wanted to update - I ended up trying taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here. I was really surprised how well it worked! I uploaded a picture of my W-2 with the weird box 14 code and it immediately told me it was a code for my state disability insurance contributions. Turns out that's actually deductible on my state return even though it doesn't affect my federal taxes. The explanation even included which line to report it on for my state return. Definitely saved me from missing out on a deduction I didn't know I could take. Just wanted to share in case someone else has similar box 14 mysteries!

If you're trying to get clarification from your old employer about that box 14 entry and they're not getting back to you (typical!), you might want to try getting someone at the IRS on the phone with Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I used to spend HOURS trying to get through to the IRS about weird tax form issues, but this service basically waits on hold for you and calls when an actual human picks up. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I used it last month when I had a question about some weird entries on my tax forms from a previous employer who went out of business. The IRS agent was actually super helpful in explaining what I needed to do with those entries.

Ok I have to admit I was wrong. After seeing that last post, I decided to try Claimyr because I've been trying to get an answer about my amended return for MONTHS. Used the service yesterday afternoon, and this morning I got a call connecting me to an actual IRS agent! The woman I spoke with was able to look up my account and tell me exactly what was going on with my amended return (it was being held for review because of a discrepancy with an employer's reporting). She even gave me a direct number to call back if I needed to follow up. I'm actually shocked this worked. I've literally never been able to get through to a human at the IRS before. Wish I'd known about this sooner - would have saved me months of stress.

Box 14 is often used for state-specific items. I had something similar last year and it turned out to be state disability insurance (SDI) withholding. If you live in CA, NJ, NY, RI or a few other states, that's probably what it is. You should see a matching entry on your state W-2 form.

Anyone else had entries in box 14 for "moving expenses"? My company relocated me last year and they put some code in box 14, but part of the moving costs also showed up in box 1 as taxable income. So confused about how to handle this.

Box 14 can definitely be confusing since it's not standardized! Based on what everyone's shared here, it sounds like you have several good options to figure out what that code means. Since you mentioned you're in California (from your response to Nina), there's a good chance it could be SDI (State Disability Insurance) withholding, which is pretty common. If you want a quick answer without having to track down your old employer's HR department, the taxr.ai suggestion seems like it worked well for others here. Otherwise, calling your former restaurant's payroll department would be the most direct route - they should be able to tell you exactly what their internal code means. The good news is that most Box 14 entries don't complicate your federal return at all. TurboTax should handle whatever it is automatically once you enter your W-2 information. But knowing what it is could help you claim any applicable state deductions if it turns out to be something like SDI contributions.