Did you purchase desktop software with state software included? They sell Deluxe both with and without state software--so you have to be careful which one you choose. And even if it does have the state software download included, that is forpreparingthe state. There is an extra $25 fee to e-file the state. You can avoid the state e-file fee if you print and mail the state instead of e-filing it.
".....how do they come up with the total amount you earned for the year? "
"They" come up with a total amount of income based on the information the user entered. All of your income has to be entered in the federal return--all W-2's, all 1099's, etc.-- and the information flows from the federal return to the state return. The software then uses your state's tax laws to tax the income that is taxable in PA.
Thank you, but what I'm trying to say is that the gross amount the state came up with was nearly double what my gross income was last year, which I was baffled about. The only other doc I included was a 1098-T with a couple of textbook expenses. I'm trying to figure out how that number could've been so high when that gross figure wasn't included on the federal return. (~15k vs ~29k)
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