Foreign Tax Credit: "Category" vs "Source" vs "Item"

I have two Schwab brokerage accounts.  In both I have dividends on which foreign taxes were paid.  Thus, the dividends are in the category of "passive." 

 

In Account "A," the 1099 shows 8 securities producing dividends on which foreign taxes of $267.14 were paid.  Two of the securities (One is Pembina Pipeline)  earned dividends of  $1137.07 and paid taxes to Canada of $170.56.   Four mutual funds earned $441.36 in dividends and paid foreign taxes of $51.04 to RIC; and two securities earned $287.09 in dividends and paid foreign taxes of $45.48 to Switzerland.

 

In Account "B," the two securities earned $1226.28 in dividends and paid $183.95 in foreign taxes to Canada.  (One of these securities is also Pembina Pipeline.)

 

I have been reviewing TT's "Special instructions when multiple categories of foreign income is present" which provides in pertinent part  as follows:

 

How TurboTax Works Currently....

 

(Form 1116 is what is used to calculate the amount of your foreign tax credit). When different categories of income are present, or there are more than 3 different sources in the same category, multiple Forms 1116 must be generated. We generate those forms in a specific order....

 

When multiple copies of Form 1116 are required, this method will generate multiple copies of Form 1116 in the correct order required by the IRS for the vast majority of taxpayers. You simply report income from forms in the order they're presented in the interview. However, in a small number of cases, this will result in forms that are not in the order required by the IRS, and special instructions must be followed instead of the standard procedure.

 

When Special Procedures Must Be Followed

 

The IRS requires the copy of Form 1116 reporting the largest Foreign Tax Credit to be listed first in the return, and on this copy is a summary of the foreign tax credits claimed on additional copies. Since TurboTax generates the forms in the order in which they're linked, this sometimes results in the first copy NOT being the copy with the largest foreign tax credit. This can result in a return that can't be e-filed. This will usually happen if the foreign income on which you paid the most foreign tax is not the first copy of Form 1116 that you create in TurboTax.

 

How To Create Copies Of Form 1116 In The Right Order

 

In order to make sure TurboTax generates multiple copies of Form 1116 in the correct order, you should first identify which source of foreign income incurred the most taxes. This item will generally result in the largest credit and should be listed first. Once you know which income item to list first, make sure the first copy of Form 1116 includes this item. In the interview, you do this by NOT "reporting" income from any K-1's or 1099's the first time you visit the Foreign Tax Credit interview, except for the income item that generates the largest credit. ("Reporting" income in the Foreign Tax Credit interview creates a copy of a Form 1116 and links the income to the Form 1116). The first time through the interview, only report income from the item with the largest tax paid. After completing the interview the first time for the largest item, then you can revisit the interview and report any other items you have. (Note: "completing the interview" involves answering Yes to question about being done with "all Foreign Tax Credit Computation Worksheets.") This will generate the additional copies of Form 1116 that you need, and they should be in the correct order.

 

My questions:  I have figured out that all of my dividends are categorized as "passive."  However, (1) what is the source of the income.  The  brokerage account?  The security?  The country?

 

For example, I earned the most dividends from Canada, but those dividends came from three different securities, one of which is in both accounts (Pembina Pipeline).

 

(2) Then in midstream, TT switched to the term "item."  It says the during the first interview NOT to report income..."except for the income item that generates the largest credit.... only report income from the item with the largest tax paid." 

What is that "item" in my scenario?  Is that different from the "source"?

 

(3) Further confusion arises from the instruction on what constitutes "completing the interview."  Apparently, that involves only the largest "item."  Then you supposedly revisit the interview and report other "items."  Apparently, even though you have further "items," you are supposed to say "yes" about being done with all foreign tax credit computations worksheets.

 

I've gone through the step-by-step multiple times and so far have been unable to apply the "special instructions" correctly.

 

Has anyone else run into similar problems with the foreign tax credit and how to correctly complete the step-by-step interview?  Is this process easier than I have described it?  Thanks in advance.