1099-Q Out of Balance Error

[whitehill08]

When entering my 1099-Q, I get an out of balance error saying the sum of boxes 2 and 3 must equal box 1 even though they do add up correctly already. Anyone else had this problem and know how to resolve?

[scottoneil]

I had the same issue and reported it weeks ago, though in my case, they weren't actually adding up after rounding.  They deleted my question without answer, comment, or notification.

You're right that you can't proceed like this.  Since they're deleting questions about the issue and offering you brilliant advice to the effect of "Just falsify your return to make the rounded numbers add up!" I think the only move is to return TurboTax for a refund and use something else. 

They don't seem to be taking this seriously, and you can't make them.

[kagiyama]

I have the same issue.  TurboTax has a bug.  The "suggestion" to adjust the numbers to make the error go away is what the IRS would call FRAUD.  Turbo tax should fix this.

[NM1]

Weeks later and I am seeing the same thing. The problem in my case is that the two partial numbers are rounded down, but their sum is rounded up. For some stupid reason TT is trying to add the rounded numbers together to check the match. It should add the originals. I can't see a way to turn off rounding.

[kagiyama]

Sorry, I should posted a work around I found a few weeks ago.  Go to "Forms" mode and manually enter the data.  If I recall, I then had to click some additional boxes to make sure the the income was properly categorized to get rid of new error flags.  Then go back to "Step by Step" mode.  The error goes away and does not show up as an error in the final review/check.  Not ideal, but it works.  Good luck.

[NM1]

Thank you! I had wondered about doing that. However, while I don't have a problem with it, not everyone will be comfortable editing the forms directly. The bug should be fixed. I posted my own report of it in which I pointed out that IRS instructions state that when numbers are being added together, only the sum should be rounded.

[Anita01]

Sounds like the three numbers when rounded are out of balance.  Try changing the Box 3 number to bring them so that they're all into balance when rounded.

[whitehill08]

No, they are not out of balance even while rounded, they add up precisely, even to the decimal point. It is a bug in the system. Please have someone look into this. I can't complete my return until you fix this.

[whitehill08]

By the way, when I google "1099-Q Out of Balance Error", I see three other posts from this month specifying the same problem, but when I click on the links, it says the post has been deleted or archived. If other people are having this same exact problem, it seems absurd that you guys are deleting the posts instead of fixing the problem and leaving the post up stating that it had been resolved. If you're working on a solution, again the response to the post should say "we're working on it" so other people know.

[kagiyama]

I have the same issue.  TurboTax has a bug.  The "suggestion" to adjust the numbers to make the error go away is what the IRS would call FRAUD.  Turbo tax should fix this.

[Randys]

Still seeing this issue 2 years after the original post. 240.74+233.66=474.40 but turbo tax forces the rounding on each cell and throws an out of balance error with 241+234=274. No way to enter in the actual values and have turbo  tax not see this as an error. I can enter the numbers in form mode but turbo tax still throws an error
Is there something else that should be done?

[FangxiaL]

You can round down 240.77 to 240 and rounding up 233.66 to 234 (distribution 474) OR round up 233.66 to 234 and rounding down 240.77 to 240 (distribution 474) to resolve the error. 

Either way, no harm.

@Randys

[NM1]

There is a *major* problem when the advice from Intuit TurboTax experts is to deliberately do calculations wrong.

As was pointed out when this advice was given in this topic previously, the IRS clearly says numbers should not be rounded prior to calculations, only the final result. So for at least three tax years now, TT has been violating IRS instructions.[See 1]

This is a *bug*. Instead of advising users to "fudge" their returns to work around it, fix the error in the software. Seriously.

[1] IRS instructions: https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1040gi#en_US_2021_publink24811vd0e4579

"If you have to add two or more amounts to figure the amount to enter on a line, include cents when adding the amounts and round off only the total."

[newbss]

It's now 2023 and this bug is still there. This is what happens when the government basically gives you a monopoly.