Hello

During 2009 I lived in 3 states WA, CA and NY. I work in NY but live in NJ.
My W2 mentions the amount in CA. For NY, it shows the same amount as in total amount. For WA, it doesn't say anything.
For NY, my employer says its as per the rules and for WA he says it was not mentioned as it had no state tax.
So, while filing my tax how do I segregate the amounts for three different states.
Please help...

Any income earned while present in a state must be reported to the state. So income earned while present in CA must be reported to CA.

One state is your tax home. In the state that is not your tax home, report income you earned while in that state.

In the state that is your tax home, report your worldwide income for full year. Also in this state claim credit for the taxes paid to the other state. Your U.S. Tax Return: Working or Living in Two or More states (http://taxipay.blogspot.com/2008/06/working-in-two-or-more-states.html)

Please clarify - your post says you work in NY and live in NJ, yet the previous sentence says you lived in NY - which is it? If you do live in NJ and not NY, then you'll file a NY non-resident return, and pay tax on the money you earned while working in NY. Then you complete a part-year resident NJ tax return, to pay tax on the money you earned while living in NJ, but you get a credit for the taxes paid to NY during that time, which should make your NJ tax bill essentially $0. Then you complete a part-year resident return for CA, to pay tax to them on your income while you lived there.

Hello

Thanks for your replies... I live in NJ not NY but work in NY
I think my question was confusing.. let me explain more clearly...
I lived in 3 states.. WA, CA, NJ... At the time of stay in NJ.. I worked in NY...
Say my total income is X. Since I performed my services in NY at some point of year, the wages box for NY in my W2 shows X (total amount). W2 doesn't show any box for WA.
I went to a tax consultant and he says, whatever amount that I earned in NY.. that has to show up on W2..
Now how would I explain him/IRS while filing returns that amount earned in NY is
(X - WA income - CA income)

I think your W2 is in error. The NY State amount should reflect only the income you earned while working in NY. WA being $0 is OK (since WA doesn't have an incom tax, it doesn't matter).

Pehaps your employer is under the impression that you live in NY? Since he's not withholding for NJ, he may be applying rules that are appropriate for NY residents.