Q. Do you know how I can enter my K-12 private school tuition qualified education expenses for a 529 distribution that was reported on a 1099-Q?
A. You don't need to enter it, if none of it is taxable. Otherwise, after entering the 1099-Q, a screen will ask what level of school did the student attend. You must answer high school or elementary (K-12 isn't a choice) to get the screen to enter expenses.
You can just not report the 1099-Q, at all, if your student-beneficiary has sufficient educational expenses, including K-12 to cover the distribution. When the box 1 amount on form 1099-Q is fully covered by expenses, TurboTax will enter nothing about the 1099-Q on the actual tax forms. But, it will prepare a 1099-Q worksheet for your records. Only tuition is an eligible expense for K-12.
References:
- On form 1099-Q, instructions to the recipient reads: "Nontaxable distributions from CESAs and QTPs are not required to be reported on your income tax return. You must determine the taxability of any distribution."
- IRS Pub 970 states: “Generally, distributions are tax free if they aren't more than the beneficiary's AQEE for the year. Don't report tax-free distributions (including qualifying rollovers) on your tax return”.
