Ssa windfall ssa benefit answer

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
February 19, 2026
2 replies
1 view

If We fild jointly and I was the one with the Ssa windfall, do I add only my benifit or onclude my husbands?

xmasbaby0

Level 15

ALL of your combined income must be entered on your joint tax return. If you both have a SSA1099, then you enter both of them. The income entry screen will ask which one of you the SSA1099 is for and give you a spot with your name on it.

Go to Federal> Wages & Income>>Retirement Plans and Social Security (SSA1099 and 1099RRB) to enter your SSA1099.

LUMP SUM PAYMENT FOR FAIRNESS ACT

Your 2025 SSA1099 will show the extra payment you received in 2025 as a result of the Fairness Act. Look in the bottom left corner. It will say something like “Includes $XXXX Paid in 2025 for 2024.

When the software asks if you have a lump sum payment say yes. The program will help to determine if is better for you to attribute the sum to 2024 or to 2025, based on your AGI for each of those years. This will all be done within the 2025 program; you do not amend 2024.

https://www.irs.gov/faqs/social-security-income/back-payments/back-payments

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

Rosemaryjean1Author

Level 2

Turbotax is telling me that the amount I entered from my 2024 tax filing is too high. I am getting the figure directly from line 6a on my return.

xmasbaby0

Level 15

@Rosemaryjean1 Are you using the 2024 amount on line 6a of your 2024 return that includes both SSA1099's? Did you look at your own 2024 SSA1099?

Rosemaryjean1Author

Level 2

I believe my error was adding our TOTAL SSA benefits for 2024 instead of adding the TAXABLE amount of SSA. A big difference. Am I correct??

CatinaT1

Level 15

You shouldn't be asked for the total or taxable social security benefits for 2024. When you are entering your 1099-SSA, you will be asked how much of that Box 3 amount was for 2024. You will also be asked for your 2024 filing status, adjusted Gross Income, and any tax-exempt interest.

Answer "Yes" to the question "Did you receive any lump-sum payments?" in TurboTax. Answering "Yes" does not double-count your income; instead, it triggers a special IRS calculation known as the Lump-Sum Election, which can actually reduce your tax bill.

When you receive a lump-sum payment for a prior year (like the 2024 windfall repayment received in 2025), the IRS requires the full amount to be reported in the year you received the check. However, they allow you to use the "lump-sum election" method to prevent that large payment from pushing you into a higher tax bracket.

TurboTax uses the total from Box 3 as your starting point. When you select "Yes," the software will ask you to break down how much of that Box 3 amount was for 2024. It then recalculates your 2025 tax as if that portion had been received back in 2024.

If your income was lower in 2024 than in 2025, or if the lump sum would make more of your Social Security taxable this year, this election ensures you only pay the amount of tax you would have owed if you had received the money on time.

TurboTax will run the numbers both ways—taxing it all in 2025 versus using the lump-sum election—and will automatically apply the method that results in the lowest tax for you.

To complete this section accurately, have your 2024 Tax Return handy. TurboTax will ask for:

The specific portion of the 2025 payment attributed to 2024 (found in the Description of Amount in Box 3 on your SSA-1099).
Your 2024 Filing Status.
Your 2024 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).
Any Tax-Exempt Interest you reported in 2024.

Follow these steps to ensure the election is applied:

In the Social Security (SSA-1099) section, enter the full amounts exactly as they appear on your 2025 form.
On the screen "Did you receive any lump-sum payments for 2024 or earlier?", select Yes.
Enter 2024 as the year the payment was for.
Enter the amount designated for 2024 from your form's description.
Follow the prompts to enter your 2024 return data.
Once finished, you can verify the result by viewing your 1040 (select Tax Tools > Tools > View Tax Summary > Preview my 1040). You will see a checkbox on Line 6c indicating the Lump-Sum Election was used.

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Rosemaryjean1Author

Level 2

This is the page I am referring to. I was putting line 6a of my 2024 tax return instead of 6b which is my taxable income $$ amount. It is a page in the Turbotax return:

”We need a few details about your 2024 income…

“Adjusted gross income of 2024”

XXXXX

Tax exempt interest in 2024

XXXXX

”Taxable Social Security Benefits in 2024”

XXXXX

“Earlier year Taxable Social Security Benefits should not be more than XXXXX 85% of the sum pf line B, earlier year total SSA and RRB benefits for the taxpayer and spouse.