State tax withholding rules on IRA distributions vary from state to state. State withholding applies (depending on the state) to both distributions and removals of excess contributions. States that have mandatory state tax withholding on distributions include Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Vermont, Washington D.C. While some “mandatory” states may have some special exceptions to withholding, ...