How/why do I enter Schedule C regarding a 1099-MISC provided to me for MA SMART solar incentive payments, which are not related to a business nor self-employment?

These payments were made to me by the electric company (Massachusetts Electric Company, DBA National Grid) as incentives for generating renewable energy via a photovoltaic installation on my home. I received a 1099-MISC for the total of those payments. I attempted to enter this simply as a 1099-MISC under "other income", but TurboTax seems to be insisting that I fill out all of the details of a Schedule C as if I had a business or was self-employed. Neither of those are true. Certain fields such as "Principal Business Code" are not something that I can enter, so I'm not sure how or why I am being expected to complete a Schedule C nor how to work around this.

439

Expert Alumni

Jan 30, 2021 1:15:22 PM

You do not have to enter Form 1099-MISC as self-employment income on Schedule C. I recommend doing two steps.

First, get rid of the erroneous Schedule C by following these steps:

From the left menu, find Tax Tools
Select Tools
Select Delete a Form and scroll down to each and every Schedule C related sheet and delete them, one at a time.

Second, go back in and follow these steps by entering Form 1099-MISC in a different area that would then not be considered self-employment income.

From the left menu, go to Federal and select the first tab, Wages & Income
Add more income by scrolling down to the last option, Less Common Income, and Show more
Scroll down to the last option, Miscellaneous Income, 1099-A, 1099-C and Start
Choose the last option, Other reportable income and Start and Yes
Enter the applicable description and amount and Continue

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How/why do I enter Schedule C regarding a 1099-MISC provided to me for MA SMART solar incentive payments, which are not related to a business nor self-employment?