How is the taxable amount on an Office of Personnel Management form CSA 1099R box 2A says 'UNKNOWN'?

[MichaelDC · Accepted solution]

The taxable amount is calculated for you, based on your form's entries and follow up questions.

First, let's make sure that the form is entered correctly, not as a regular pension.

Please follow the steps below to enter CSA 1099-R.

1. Federal Taxes

2. Wages & Income, Jump to Full list

3. Scroll down and select IRA, 401(k), Pension Plans. On the screen Tell Us Which 1099-R you Have please be sure to select  CSA-1099-R Civil Service survivor annuity (if you are survivor, but not the original owner). Select Continue and you will see automatically filled in information on OPM. Select Continue again and you will see Enter Annuity Information screen. You will be prompted to data entry and additional questions about your annuity. 

Second, please be sure that the Form 1099-R is entered into Turbo Tax exactly as it appears (all fields, including the contributions); don't change any boxes, if they are blank or have "zeros" in them, please leave the fields in Turbo Tax blank. Also, leave the field showing Unknown blank. This will ensure proper calculation of the taxable amount.

[violetroses67]

It does NOT calculate it for you!!

[violetroses67]

It doesn’t calculate the taxable amount for you

[macuser_22]

@violetroses67 you are commenting on a 2 year old post.

You must determine the taxable amount on a CSA 1099-R if box 2a does not have a dollar amount.  If this is not the first year year you have received a pension, then you must use the same method that was used in 2017 - otherwise you use the box 2a amount (which makes it all taxable) or the simplified method if you have non-taxable basis in the pension.   If not sure - contact the plan administrator.

[violetroses67]

How do I use the simplified method? What is the simplified method. Turbo tax says I don’t have to calculate that myself but evidently I do.

[macuser_22]

@violetroses67  - You don't calculate is yourself but you do need to know if you are qualified to use it and you can provide the amounts to enter.

See IRS Pub 575 page 12 for the simplified method if you have a cost basis in the retirement plan.   If you are not sure if you have a cost basis, contact the plan administrator.
(Normally the administrator would provide that information).
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p575.pdf">https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p575.pdf</a>

[Stmitchell8]

Sadly, Turbo tax doesn't calculate the taxable amount.  I will have to probably use another tax software or have tax agent do my taxes moving forward.  

[santersix]

Same problem. This sucks!

[DMarkM1]

As noted above above by macuser_22, TurboTax will do the calculations once you enter the information (which you can get from your plan administrator).  You just need to know if you have a non-taxable basis in the plan.  If you do what is it?  

[TruckeeRiverJohn]

It's 2021

I'm using TurboTax Deluxe

I'm in my sixth year of receiving OPM retirement

I know what my Total Employee Contributions are

Last year TurboTax calculated my taxable amount

It's not calculating it now.

It asked for my contributions and I entered it

At the end of INCOME SECTION it questioned a zero taxable amount for OPM!!!

Now what??

[MarilynG1]

@TruckeeRiverJohn  Click this link for info on entering your CSA-1099R. with Box 2a marked 'Unknown'.

You may need to Delete/Re-Enter your CSA-1099R to regenerate the proper follow-up questions. 

[FAA1]

I think Turbo Tax has a real problem with this section.  I retired in 2005.  I used Tax Act since then. 2018, Tax Act screwed me by accepting my money plus my e-file charge and notified me a day later that the e-file was rejected. I missed that notification.  So now the IRS got my check because I owed taxes, but not the Return. That was really fun straightening it out with the IRS--no help from Tax Act..I changed to Turbo Tax this year and have run into this CSA 1099R problem.  I entered Box1 as Gross Distribution and Box 2a as" Taxable Income".  Turbo Tax shows the Gross Amt as my income and will not allow me to correct it..They ask ridiculous question such as "Did you take all of this as an RMD"...This is my pension, NOT an IRA.

[AmyC]

Yes, a pension's RMD is built into the distribution amount, unlike an IRA. However, the RMD was abolished for 2020, so you want to mark that none of it was RMD. In a normal year, you would mark that all of it was RMD.

Return to the 1099R and check your box 2.  Be sure the total distribution box is not checked!! Review your answers. The gross amount would not be coming across without a reason.

@FAA1

[Jen71]

In the area describe the taxable amount - is the taxable annuity equal to the dross distribution and is this the taxable amount?