Generally, foreign pensions are taxable to US citizens or residents. However, some foreign pensions might not be taxable if it is covered under any tax treaties between the foreign country and the United States. In addition, tax treaty-related matters are complex, I suggest you consult a specialized professional for verification of your specific situation.
Per @leeloo:
If your foreign pension is taxable, you will need to create a substitute form 1099-R.
Here are the steps:
In TurboTax online,
- Sign into your account and select Pick up where you left off
- At the right upper corner, type in 1099r, then Enter
- Select Jump to 1099r
- Follow prompts
- Next screen, choose your bank or brokerage, select I'll type it in myself
- Follow prompts. On the screen "Tell us if any of these uncommon situations apply"
- Check the box I need to prepare a substitute 1099-R and follow the prompts.
As to the Federal ID, most of the foreign pensions often do not have the ID number. Please try entering nine 9s. If electronic errors occur due to 1099-R data entry, enter the pension under Miscellaneous income, see instructions below. As long as the IRS has the pension reported and included in total income, it is not problematic.
- To your left, select Federal
- From the top, select Wages and Income
- Scroll down to last section -Less Common Income -select Miscellaneous Income, 1099-A, 1099-C- Start
- Next screen, scroll down to Other Reportable Income- Start
- Follow prompts
For more information, see http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/The-Taxation-of-Foreign-Pension-and-Annuity-Distributions
If it is not taxable to you,
- report your full amount as instructed above in the 1099R section. Then enter the treaty exempt amount as negative amount (e.g., -5000) under Other Reportable Income as instructed below.
- Download and fill in a Form 8833 from IRS to claim an exception. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8833.pdf
- You cannot e-file. You may still use the TurboTax program to prepare all your tax forms, but you would need to print them out and submit by mail along with form 8833.
In addition to @LeeLoo’s comments, please consider the following complexities regarding your foreign pension:
There are reporting requirements under the Foreign Bank Account (FBAR) requirements if more than $10,000 is deposited in a foreign pension, or FATCHA if certain thresholds are met.
You may consult with your foreign pension administrator as to whether your foreign pension is indeed covered by a tax treaty. If it is, it may not be taxable.
Below is a link to the instructions for this form:
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8621.pdf
Below is a link to Form 3520, which discusses certain transactions they may have to be disclosed.
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i3520.pdf
Another point to remember is that because most foreign pensions are not considered qualified plans by the Internal Revenue Service, they are ineligible to be rolled over to an IRA or other US based retirement plan.
IRS Publication 575 touches briefly on foreign pensions and your basis in them.
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/p575--2021.pdf
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