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California return rejected with error code 0521

Your 2011 California return is rejected with error 0521, along with the following explanation:

If Withholdings has an amount, Forms W-2, W-2G or 1099R must be present or there must be withholding from Form 1099-G, 1099-MISC, 1099-B, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, or 1099-OID. If there is no California withholding from Form 1099-G, 1099-MISC, 1099-B, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, or 1099-OID then withholdings must equal the total amounts withheld of all W-2 records. Withholdings are determined as following: W-2 - State Name 1 and/or State Name 2 must equal "CA", use State Income Tax 1 and/or State Income Tax 2. W-2G - Use State Income Tax Withheld when Payer state name equals "CA. 1099-R - State Name 1 and/or State Name 2 must equal "CA", use State Income Tax 1 and/or State Income Tax 2. If there is no California withholding from Form 1099-G, 1099-MISC, 1099-B, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, or 1099-OID, then Withholdings must be greater than the total amounts withheld of all W-2 records and Form 1099-R.

Solution

This rejection is usually caused by a Married Filing Separately return that is switched to Married Filing Jointly, without removing the information specific to the original Married Filing Separately return.

To resolve this issue:

  1. Open your return in TurboTax.
  2. Click the Personal Info tab and proceed to the Your Personal Info Summary screen.
  3. Click Edit next to the topic Your Filing Status.
  4. Change your filing status back to Married Filing Separately and proceed until you are back at the Your Personal Info screen.
  5. Now, click the Federal Taxes tab (Personal tab if using Home & Business) and select Other Tax Situations below it.
  6. On the Other Tax Situations screen, scroll all the way down and click the Done With Other button.
  7. Remove your community property adjustments, tax withholding adjustments, and spouse's community income. When finished, click Done.
  8. Repeat Steps 2 - 4, except this time choose Married Filing Jointly.
  9. Proceed through the interview (both federal and California), making sure you've verified existing information and re-entered any missing information.
  10. Re-submit your return by clicking the File tab and going through the e-filing process again.
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