Taxation Without Representation

[Teacher Mark 53]

I have found myself in a situation where my employer has chosen to submit all W-2's to the State of New Jersey, where their HQ is. Since my residence is in Tennessee, which has no State Income Tax, it appears New jersey feels I owe them $300. Anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

Edited February 25, 2009 by Joe Six-Pack

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I have found myself in a situation where my employer has chosen to submit all W-2's to the State of New Jersey, where their HQ is. Since my residence is in Tennessee, which has no State Income Tax, it appears New jersey feels I owe them $300. Anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

Do you live and work in Tennessee? If so, this makes no sense at all.

[Teacher Mark 53]

I have found myself in a situation where my employer has chosen to submit all W-2's to the State of New Jersey, where their HQ is. Since my residence is in Tennessee, which has no State Income Tax, it appears New jersey feels I owe them $300. Anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

Do you live and work in Tennessee? If so, this makes no sense at all.

No. I'm a Trucker, so home is on the road. We're a fairly small company, so it appears to be a matter of convenience for them to submit all of our taxes to NJ. Evidently they've been doing this for 30 years. I'm calling The Dept of Taxation tomorrow to see if I can get clarification. I have heard some drivers say that they just paid it and others who said they didn't have to because they were in States that had income taxes withheld.

Edited February 25, 2009 by Joe Six-Pack

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I never heard of that. Definitely look into it. It may be legit, but you never know.

[NickD 203]

I have found myself in a situation where my employer has chosen to submit all W-2's to the State of New Jersey, where their HQ is. Since my residence is in Tennessee, which has no State Income Tax, it appears New jersey feels I owe them $300. Anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

Feel I would talk to your employer, it's not the W-2 that concerns you, but the fact they are withholding taxes for the State of New Jersey when you are not a resident of that state. Unless NJ has some strange laws. WI has income tax, and if a resident works out of state like in MN, MI, or IL, their employers withhold WI state taxes and send those to WI, after all, WI is providing needed services to their residents even though I am not exactly sure what they are.

Wonder about the use of the word, "United", you know, like in the United States! We actually have 50 different countries in severe competition with each other trying to bring in industry, having the best educational system or whatever, and they certainly are not United. In dealing with a state wide corporation, if one state does not give a tax break, just pull out and move to another state that does. It's crazy and with 50 different sets of laws. If we were truly united, we wouldn't have states.

[Teacher Mark 53]

I have found myself in a situation where my employer has chosen to submit all W-2's to the State of New Jersey, where their HQ is. Since my residence is in Tennessee, which has no State Income Tax, it appears New jersey feels I owe them $300. Anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

Feel I would talk to your employer, it's not the W-2 that concerns you, but the fact they are withholding taxes for the State of New Jersey when you are not a resident of that state. Unless NJ has some strange laws. WI has income tax, and if a resident works out of state like in MN, MI, or IL, their employers withhold WI state taxes and send those to WI, after all, WI is providing needed services to their residents even though I am not exactly sure what they are.

Wonder about the use of the word, "United", you know, like in the United States! We actually have 50 different countries in severe competition with each other trying to bring in industry, having the best educational system or whatever, and they certainly are not United. In dealing with a state wide corporation, if one state does not give a tax break, just pull out and move to another state that does. It's crazy and with 50 different sets of laws. If we were truly united, we wouldn't have states.

I agree with you in toto. Talking to my employer would be a waste of time, trust me. Even the guy at Block was like #######?

Edited February 25, 2009 by Joe Six-Pack

[NickD 203]

I have found myself in a situation where my employer has chosen to submit all W-2's to the State of New Jersey, where their HQ is. Since my residence is in Tennessee, which has no State Income Tax, it appears New jersey feels I owe them $300. Anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

Feel I would talk to your employer, it's not the W-2 that concerns you, but the fact they are withholding taxes for the State of New Jersey when you are not a resident of that state. Unless NJ has some strange laws. WI has income tax, and if a resident works out of state like in MN, MI, or IL, their employers withhold WI state taxes and send those to WI, after all, WI is providing needed services to their residents even though I am not exactly sure what they are.

Wonder about the use of the word, "United", you know, like in the United States! We actually have 50 different countries in severe competition with each other trying to bring in industry, having the best educational system or whatever, and they certainly are not United. In dealing with a state wide corporation, if one state does not give a tax break, just pull out and move to another state that does. It's crazy and with 50 different sets of laws. If we were truly united, we wouldn't have states.

I agree with you in toto. Talking to my employer would be a waste of time, trust me. Even the guy at Block was like #######?

Did your employer withhold taxes from your paycheck and send that money to NJ? If so, feel the only way you are going to get it back is to deal with NJ, but getting their tax forms and instructions to learn if you really have to pay them taxes if you are a non-resident of that state. If you do get it back, will have evidence for your employer, but still may not do any good if their accountant is a hard head. God, I hate dealing with hard heads.

Sales tax us another nightmare, sell something to a guy from another state, if here, have to charge him tax, if you ship it to him, don't, but have to keep proof or otherwise they will take that tax out of your pocket and fine you. All this is done on your own time and you don't even get paid for it.

[Teacher Mark 53]

but still may not do any good if their accountant is a hard head.

BINGO!

[NickD 203]

but still may not do any good if their accountant is a hard head.

BINGO!

It's a can of worms either way, could take him out and buy him a beer, or to the back alley and pound the ####### out of him. In dealing with the State of NJ, it may be extra work for them if they have to refund your money and they will notify him not to take those deductions. Or they may like keeping your money and give you a hard time as well. But it is extra work for you.

I can't even keep track of the hours I have to spend dealing with taxes, and it really pisses me off. Would think the entire nation would be pissed off, but apparently not, the system is just way too complex and getting worse each year.

[MMW 2]

The taxes are based off your residence (of the employee) not the company's. I worked for GM for many years and their headquarters is in Michigan a state that collects state income tax. I lived in Tennessee which has no state income tax so I wasn't required to pay. If you have a legal address in TN. How can NJ. make you pay their state income tax?

[Jasman0717 9]

The state can't charge you income tax if you don't work in that state

[himher 634]

Hey, Louisiana taxes us and we work in Saudi. "Yes we can" is the taxman's new motto.......

[NickD 203]

The state can't charge you income tax if you don't work in that state

Don't you mean, LIVE in that state? Or can mean, the state can't charge you income tax, if you don't work, period. The latter is becoming very tempting.

Yeah, Wisconsin is the same way, don't care where you work, if you live here, pay income taxes here because you are getting services, like supporting Medicaid and education for kids that were born here from illegal parents. But will give you a break if you can prove your owned residence here is secondary to your primary residence in a different state or country. Because they know they can cream you on property taxes as well.

[peejay 327]

I have found myself in a situation where my employer has chosen to submit all W-2's to the State of New Jersey, where their HQ is. Since my residence is in Tennessee, which has no State Income Tax, it appears New jersey feels I owe them $300. Anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

My employer of many years is based in Louisiana and I live in Texas. LA has a state income tax, TX doesn't have a state income tax. Since I live in TX I am exempt from LA income tax withholding from my paycheck. I never had LA taxes taken out of my paycheck during the many, many years I worked for them and one day I noticed a deduction on my paystub for LIT. I had no idea what that was until I called payroll. I was then told that LIT is Louisiana Income Tax. I then asked why they are deducting LIT since I live in Texas and have lived there many, many years while working for them many, many years. I was told that I failed to fill out an L-4 form exempting myself from LIT withholding. Nobody ever told me I needed to fill out that form before, so why now? I never had to do it before. Why pull this ####### without informing me that taxes would be taken out? So this lady in payroll e-mailed me the L-4 exemption form and I had to fill it out after not doing it for umpteen prior years. I was then told that I had to file a return at the end of the year to get a refund of the $410 they scammed off of me. Boy was I pissed off (along with the other out of state employees that got hit up that year without any warning). So I dutifully filled out my L-4 exemption every year thereafter. Then...one year I sent it to payroll and these clowns told me it wasn't necessary since I live out of state. What fvcking morons! So, I haven't filled out their stupid L-4 form for the last 2 tax years and payroll hasn't taken out LIT anymore. Geez! Does this make any sense?

I don't know what is happening in your case, but that is what happened to me.

And to finish the rest of the story. The state of Louisiana lost my tax return twice, so it took me more than a year to even get my $410 refund.

[Teacher Mark 53]

I finally got clarification. I will not be taxed. I was filling out the form wrong. It has a line that days "Income from New Jersey Sources". I put my wages there when I was not supposed to..