DawnC
Expert Alumni

Retirement tax questions

Yes, if the 1099-Q covered qualified educational expenses, it does not need to be reported.  If you know that the distributions from the 529 plan are not taxable because they were used on qualified expenses, do not enter the 1099-Q forms.  For most qualified education program beneficiaries, the amounts reported on the 1099-Q aren’t reported on a tax return. 

 

However, if annual distributions exceed your adjusted qualified education expenses, you may need to report some of the earnings reported in box 2 as income on your tax return and pay an additional 10 percent tax on it as well.    Your adjusted expenses are equal to the total of your qualified education expenses minus other tax-free assistance you receive, such as scholarships and Pell grants.    You can't take an education credit for expenses covered by your 529 distribution.  

 

For example, suppose your qualified education expenses are $10,000, you receive a $2,000 Pell grant and boxes 1 and 2 of your 1099-Q report a gross distribution of $8,000 and earnings of $1,000. Your adjusted expenses are $8,000—which means you don’t have to report any education program distributions on your tax return.  @ND79  

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