Why sign in to the Community?

  • Submit a question
  • Check your notifications
Sign in to the Community or Sign in to TurboTax and start working on your taxes
Level 2
posted Mar 9, 2025 10:11:54 AM

On federal form, gambling income not showing up if offset by loss. It does show as loss on state, but not income, so an error code comes up.

0 4 856
1 Best answer
Expert Alumni
Mar 9, 2025 12:15:57 PM

On your federal return, look for the gambling winnings on your Schedule 1, Line 8b. This will transfer to the 1040, Line 8.  The gambling losses are not used unless you can itemize your deductions. 

 

Massachusetts (MA) Gambling Losses: For Massachusetts purposes, losses (up to as much as winnings) aren't deductible even if they may be claimed as an itemized deduction on U.S. Form 1040 (Schedule A).

 

Confirm you entered the gambling winnings and losses appropriately in the same location.

Please update here if you need additional assistance and we will help. See the instruction to preview your 1040 below.

From the left rail menu in TurboTax Online, select Tax Tools (You may have to scroll down on the left rail menu.)

  1. Select Tax Tools
  2. On the drop-down select Tools
  3. On the pop-up menu titled “Tools Center”, select View Tax Summary 
  4. On the left sidebar, select Preview my 1040 

For TurboTax Desktop, change to 'Forms' and review the forms 

                       

@PatS16 

4 Replies
Expert Alumni
Mar 9, 2025 11:10:06 AM

Please clarify your question by providing some additional information regarding your gambling winnings and losses. It is not clear from your question how your gambling winnings and losses are reflected on your tax returns.  What state are you filing?  Are you itemizing your deductions for your federal tax return? State? Please clarify what each of your tax returns are showing as gambling winnings and losses and provide what error code you are getting.

Level 2
Mar 9, 2025 12:03:13 PM

I entered $1000 winnings on federal return and then $1000 loss ( losing tickets). The $1000 earnings did not however show on the the summary page of income, deductions, etc. The data did transfer to the MA state form, with winnings on Schedule X and loss and Schedule Y. However an error message ( no code) popped up saying that a loss could not be claimed as their were no winnings. This is despite winnings showing in the correct place. I double checked all my entries on the federal form and all are correct. I cannot file with an error, and I have to claim as I have a W2 G.

Please advise, I appreciate the help. 

Expert Alumni
Mar 9, 2025 12:15:57 PM

On your federal return, look for the gambling winnings on your Schedule 1, Line 8b. This will transfer to the 1040, Line 8.  The gambling losses are not used unless you can itemize your deductions. 

 

Massachusetts (MA) Gambling Losses: For Massachusetts purposes, losses (up to as much as winnings) aren't deductible even if they may be claimed as an itemized deduction on U.S. Form 1040 (Schedule A).

 

Confirm you entered the gambling winnings and losses appropriately in the same location.

Please update here if you need additional assistance and we will help. See the instruction to preview your 1040 below.

From the left rail menu in TurboTax Online, select Tax Tools (You may have to scroll down on the left rail menu.)

  1. Select Tax Tools
  2. On the drop-down select Tools
  3. On the pop-up menu titled “Tools Center”, select View Tax Summary 
  4. On the left sidebar, select Preview my 1040 

For TurboTax Desktop, change to 'Forms' and review the forms 

                       

@PatS16 

Level 2
Mar 9, 2025 1:50:07 PM

I can follow your guidelines. I entered the loss on another page that may be intended for out of state filers? I did see, on second look, that there is a statement that losses cannot be claimed against wins. Once I took out the loss on that page it cleared from the Schedule on the MA form and the error message went away.

Thank you very much.