Filed my 2017 returns a year later in 2018. Should the refund be reported on 2018 or 2019 return?

[kmansari]

Hello,

I was very late in filing my 2017 returns (filed in April 2018, a year later). I haven't filed my 2018 returns yet and would like to know whether the refund from 2017 should be reported on my 2018 return (even though the funds were received in 2019), or on 2019 return next year.

Thanks!

[rjs · Accepted solution]

You don't report a federal tax refund at all, so the year doesn't matter. If you are talking about a state income tax refund, you report it on your federal tax return for the year that you received the refund, regardless of what year it is for. So a state refund that you received in 2019 will be reported on your 2019 federal tax return.

[kmansari]

Thank you so much!

[Anonymous]

there are some states that allow an adjustment to state tax liability based on net federal taxes paid.  so in that case the federal refund would be shown on the 2019 state return.  this only applies to the few states that compute the state tax liability that way.  if your's doen't just ignore the federal refund.  note that if the IRS refund included interest that is taxable for both federal and state.