Case 1: If you have a single IRA distribution or a single pension distribution, TT handles it correctly.
Case 2: If you have two or more IRA distributions, or two or more pension distributions, or one or more of each, and all are either fully taxable or all are only partially taxable, TT handles it correctly.
Case 3: If you have two or more IRA distributions, or two or more pension distributions, or one or more of each, and some are fully taxable and others are only partially taxable, TT puts a smaller amount on Line 4a (gross) than on Line 4b (taxable). This is this case where TT obviously creates a nonsense result, and this is the case TT should fix, whether or not the IRS "cares". As of the March 6 update of TT, this Case is still not fixed.
The confusion and controversy around this falls into two categories: 1) Some people are talking about different cases without differentiating in their descriptions. 2) People are reporting different opinions, and apparently different experiences, as to whether the IRS cares about Line 4a on their return.
If the IRS does care about Line 4a, Case 3 is a huge problem for anyone who has it. Even if not, TT could fix this Case 3 in about 10 minutes and stop all the confusion and controversy.
