a single taxpayer can skip the 1116 if the FTC on passive income is $300 (joint return is $600) or less. if there are other categories an 1116 for each category is required.
there is another issue you may not be aware of. the US has tax treaties with some countries. in such cases a foreign pension might only be taxed in the resident country. if exempt from taxation in the US form 8833 must be included with the 1040. Turbotax does not do this form. to further complicate the matter, if available is it better to exclude the income from US taxation or report it as income and take the foreign tax credit
to give you further guidance, please provide the name of the country in from which you received the pension, and your country of residence.
here's an example of the effect of the treaty with Canada
Canadian pension income is considered taxable income equivalent of US social security benefits for tax purposes. However, the tax treaty between the U.S. and Canada allows these benefits to be taxed only in the country of residence, so a Canadian resident receiving OAS and CPP may not be subject to taxation in the United States.
