Do my contributions to my 401A and KPERS3 accounts qualify for the Retirement Credit? They are listed in box 14 on my W-2. If so, where do I input them?

[constancejmt]

Note: These are the contributions that I made, not my employer. Their amount is different.

[dmertz · Accepted solution]

Yes, the total of these should be entered when TurboTax asks if you made any after-tax additional contributions.

[constancejmt]

Even if they are on my W-2? How do I know that they are after-tax?

[dmertz]

If they were pre-tax they would be in box 12, not box 14.

[constancejmt]

Oh, okay. Thank you very much!!! That makes so much sense. You're awesome!!!

[dmertz]

Actually, if KPERS is form a state pickup under section 414(h) of the US Code, that portion should not be included in the after-tax total.  That would be indication for state-tax purposes and would already have been included for federal purposes in box 12.  I'm not familiar enough with KPERS to be sure.

[Edit]  KPERS appears to be 401(a) plan, not a state pickup indication, so it may already be included in the 401(a) amount listed in box 14.

[dmertz]

Note that if you've made other, pre-tax retirement contributions sufficient to max out the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit (codes D, E, F, G, H, S, AA, BB or EE in box 12, or personal IRA contributions), adding after-tax amounts won't make any difference in the amount of the credit.

[constancejmt]

Thank you. The only amount in box 12 is the HSA amount that was made by my employer.

[constancejmt]

This is actually all starting to make sense. I was asked if I wanted to make additional contributions when I first started working for my employer. This is something I chose to do. My employer makes a certain percentage and I match theirs.

[nrpcpd84]

I'm running in to the same issue for a tax return I'm preparing for a friend.  Just because your own contributions show up in box 14 instead of box 12, that doesn't necessarily mean they were after tax contributions.  For example, for my friend, his pre-tax contributions to his KPERs plan on his last pay advice for the year agree to the penny to the amount shown on his W-2 in box 14.  So I know for a fact that his own personal KPERs contributions are pre-tax and are showing up in box 14.  But I'm not sure what to do about it.  Most answers I receive say just to plug that amount into box 12 even though it shows up in box 14.  But I'm afraid that the IRS will kick it back.  So I'm not sure what to do.