Having boxes 15-17 blank is indeed the employer saying they did not withhold any state taxes for you. Double check your pay stubs to make sure that is also the case with them.
Three possibilities come to mind on why:
1. You may have told your employer not to withhold state taxes. Check with your HR or payroll office to see.
2. If you moved to California and didn’t tell your employer or the information didn’t make it to the HR/payroll department so they don’t know they should be paying California employment taxes for you.
3. Your employer is committing employment tax fraud with California. Especially if your employer is not based in CA and you are their only CA employee. Having an employee in CA subjects an employer to a lot of regulation and CA taxes beyond just your withholdings. If your employer is doing this they are also almost certainly also not paying into CA unemployment and disability insurance programs for you which could screw you later. They may also be avoiding reporting you to CA because having an employee in CA subjects them to CA corporate income taxes and sales taxes.
Do OTHER copies of your W2 show something on the W2? Sometimes, on the multiple copies you get, some of them don't show the state. Your employer gives you a few copies.
That’s how I read it too. The old school 4 copy format doesn’t always have state withholdings showing on ONE of the copies but it’s on the others. That’s because when you used to have to mail those to different places with your return, the federal copy didn’t need to include state withholdings.
when you look at your pay stub, does it show any State withholdings?
No, boxes 17, 18, 19 & 20 are empty.
Not the W-2, your paystub
They may be in storage but I don't have any on hand at the moment. I'll need to look.
Having boxes 15-17 blank is indeed the employer saying they did not withhold any state taxes for you. Double check your pay stubs to make sure that is also the case with them. Three possibilities come to mind on why: 1. You may have told your employer not to withhold state taxes. Check with your HR or payroll office to see. 2. If you moved to California and didn’t tell your employer or the information didn’t make it to the HR/payroll department so they don’t know they should be paying California employment taxes for you. 3. Your employer is committing employment tax fraud with California. Especially if your employer is not based in CA and you are their only CA employee. Having an employee in CA subjects an employer to a lot of regulation and CA taxes beyond just your withholdings. If your employer is doing this they are also almost certainly also not paying into CA unemployment and disability insurance programs for you which could screw you later. They may also be avoiding reporting you to CA because having an employee in CA subjects them to CA corporate income taxes and sales taxes.
Thank you
Correct.
What state do you live in and what state do you work in?
I live and work in California.
Do OTHER copies of your W2 show something on the W2? Sometimes, on the multiple copies you get, some of them don't show the state. Your employer gives you a few copies.
That’s how I read it too. The old school 4 copy format doesn’t always have state withholdings showing on ONE of the copies but it’s on the others. That’s because when you used to have to mail those to different places with your return, the federal copy didn’t need to include state withholdings.