Form CSA 1099-R

[Greg RZB]

I retired from civil service (FERS) at the end of July 2019. Earlier this year I received a Form CSA 1099-R.  

I am trying to find the correct place in TurboTax (TT) to enter the information from my 1099-R and report my 2019 FERS pension retirement payments from 8/1 to 12/31.  Please note that my pension has nothing to do with retirement account distributions from Roth or Traditional TSP; I have not tapped my TSP yet.  Also, my question has nothing to do with social security either since I am not 62.  Again, I am specifically referring to the monthly checks (pension) that I received in 2019 just for being retired.

It appears to me that TT “thinks” that my 1099-R is is reporting distributions to me from a retirement account.  I say this because of the nature of the subsequent questions that TT asks, which I stopped answering.

Here is where I did:  I went to Federal Taxes > Wages & Income > Retirement Plans & Social Security.  In this section, there are three topics.  I chose the first on the list, “IRA, 401k, Pension Plan Withdrawals (1099-R).”  Out of the listed choices, I don’t know what else to choose to report my pension but when I proceed to entering a 1099-R, I see four choices of 1099-Rs.  I selected “CSA 1099-R, Civil Service Annuity” because this is what’s printed on my 1099-R form.  On the next page in TT, I enter all information that appears on my 1099-R.  Next page, TT asks if this came from employment as a safety officer, to which I select no. Then, TT asks, “what did you do with the money?” The two answer choices are: 1) “moved the money to another retirement account” and 2) “did something else(cashed it out).”  I chose Answer 1, just to see what TT asks next, and the two new questions asked are: did you roll it over into an IRA or other retirement account OR did you convert it into a ROTH IRA? I’m thinking, neither.  So I went back to choose Answer 2, and now it asks, “Was this a Disaster Qualified Distribution”?  Below this question shows a small excerpt explaining what this means in reference to IRAs.  At this point, I stopped running down this rabbit hole because it seems like TT thinks I am reporting distributions from an IRA, and this isn't what I am trying to do.  I then went to the Forms mode, and this is when I see the title of the form that I’ve been working on (in Step-by-Step mode): “Distributions from Pension, IRAs, etc.”  Huh?  First, this is not at all what I am trying to do.  Second, I’ve heard of IRA Distributions, and Pensions, but not “Pension Distributions.”    —Where do I report my retirement pension payments?

Thanks in advance.

[macuser_22]

You were enter it property in the first place.  After the disaster question it should have asked if you received periodic  payments (as in a pension).   Then if this is the first year of the pension, it asks the method you need to use to figure the taxable amount.

The taxable amount in box 2a is usually the box 1 amount unless you have after-tax contributions in the retirement plan and use the simplified method. If this is NOT the first year of receiving payments, then you should use the same method that was used last year - either the box 1 amount or the simplified method, using the carry forward simplified information from last year.

If box 2a is blank or UNKNOWN then there should be amount in box 9b to use with the simplified method. If no amount in 9b then contact OPM to find the account "basis".

Enter a 1099-R here:

Federal Taxes,
Wages & Income
I’ll choose what I work on (if that screen comes up),
Retirement Plans & Social Security,
IRA, 401(k), Pension Plan Withdrawals (1099-R).

OR Use the "Tools" menu (if online version under My Account) and then "Search Topics" for "1099-R" which will take you to the same place.

Be sure to choose which spouse the 1099-R is for if this is a joint tax return.
Be sure to pick the correct 1099-R type: Standard 1099-R, CSA-1099-R, CSF-1099-R, RRB-1099-R.

[NOTE: When you get to the "Your 1099-R Entries" screen where you can add another 1099-R, use "continue" to keep going as there are additional interview questions after that screen in most cases. You can always return as shown above.]

[SteamTrain]

....And the answer " 2) did something else(cashed it out).”  is the correct one  (actually  it's “I did something else(cashed it out, etc."   in my desktop software).   You received money monthly...and cashed...OR...put it in your bank account, and used it as if it was cash for living expenses, and most anything under the sun.

You should NOT select ...1) “moved the money to another retirement account”   That first selection was only for rollovers or transfers into another tax protected/deferred retirement account, like an IRA or 401k or ROTH IRA or ROTH 401k or TSP or Roth TSP.

[Princena]

Where do I put my information from my CSA 1099R in Turbo Tax?

[TiffanyL]

Please see the help article posted below on where to enter your CSA 1099-R:

Where do I enter my CSA 1099-R?