Retirement tax questions

Your pension is only fully exempt by New York State when it is paid by:

• New York State or local government
• the federal government, including Social Security benefits
• certain public authorities

If you received your pension from one of these sources, then you must indicate so after you input your 1099-R. Please input your 1099-R as shown on the form and don't type Exempt in any of the fields or change any of the data. Enter the 1099-R as it appears on your form. 

To exempt your pension, please follow the instructions below:

1. Open your return.
2. Navigate to the 1099-R section
   • TurboTax Online/Mobile: Go to 1099-R
   • TurboTax Desktop: Select Search Topics. Search for and select 1099-R
3. Edit your 1099-R.
4. Continue until you reach the screen, Where is this distribution from?  Select the source of the distribution. Click Continue.
5. Open your New York return.
6. On the page, You Just Finished Your New York Return, click Update next to Adjustments to federal income.
7. On the page, Changes to Federal Income, click Start next to Received retirement income.
8. Click Done and then continue through the screens.
9. On the page, Pension Deduction Summary, you should see the full amount of your pension being deducted. Please see screenshots below for additional guidance.

Note: If your pension is taxable and you are over the age of 59 1/2, you may still qualify for an exclusion up to $20,000.