10896: Unnecessary State Return Produced

A state return is automatically generated when there are entries made for that state in either federal or state specific data entry screens. A common scenario is when a taxpayer moved from one state to another, but some data entry is still pointing to the prior state. The following troubleshooting should help you locate and remove the data entry that is causing the additional state to produce.

1. Open the return and select the States tab. Select the state generating the return you do not need. If the link for that particular state is blue (color may vary if you have modified the color scheme at Setup > Colors), entries were made for that state.
   
   Navigate through the tabs for that state and remove all screens (if they are unnecessary). With the screen open, press CTRL + D to remove the screen. The most common screen that shows for a state no longer in use is the COMP - Tax Year Comparison screen. 
   
   
2. If there are no entries under the state tab, walk through the federal forms, checking to make sure information for the unneeded state is not entered elsewhere. The most common screens to check are these (business return screens may differ from those in a 1040 return):
   • Demographics screen (screen 1)
   • W2 screen
   • 1099 screen(s), including the 99M, DIV, INT, etc.
   • Screens A, C, E, and F.

Also review any other screens in your return that may have state information on them, such as the Income screen (screen 3), Adjustments screen (screen 4), or the A screen (Itemized Deductions Schedule).

3. In a 1040 return, another function is available on the PRNT screen to suppress state returns. If you go to Miscellaneous > PRNT - Print Options, in the bottom right of this screen you can select states to suppress in the return without having to search through the entire return. Any state selected from this drop list for Suppress these States is removed from the return.