NJ 1040 Schedule C 401k deduction, include employer side or just employee deferred amount?

[Nancy9]

NJ allows taxpayers with schedule C income to reduce their taxable schedule C income by 401K contributions.  I am trying to find out if they mean only the employee deferral limit of 19500 plus 6500 catchup or if it means 100% of 401k allowed on the federal 1040?

• Subtract qualified contributions to a self-employed 401(k) plan. Contributions to a plan in excess of the Federal limits, which are not an allowable deduction for Federal tax purposes, are also not deductible for New Jersey purposes.

[Accountant-Man]

It does allow all of the deferral portion only, making it the same as a W2 with the 401k deferral. 

[Nancy9]

The reason this doesn't make sense to me is that a company gets to deduct the 401k employer contribution from the corp taxes.  By letting the schedule c taxpayer deduct it on the personal return it would make it comparable to the employee scenario.....

[qbteachmt]

From Fed Sched C Line 19 instructions: “Enter your deduction for the contributions you made for the benefit of your employees to a pension, profit-sharing, or annuity plan (including SEP, SIMPLE, and SARSEP plans described in Pub. 560). If the plan included you as a self-employed person, enter the contributions made as an employer on your behalf on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 16, not on Schedule C.”

[Nancy9]

Thank you but my problem is not with the federal return.  It is with the NJ 1040 where the adjustment for 401k is deducted directly from the schedule C income.