I made excess contributions to my 2024 401K in the amount of $1144. I have requested a return of excess contributions and received a check for 1343 (1144 excess + 199 in gains) I was told I would not receive a 1099-R for the 2024 tax year to reflect this deferral but would receive it in 2025. Fidelity Net Benefits is the administrator. Under payment activity I see the following
Payment Date: FEB 2025 | Taxable amount: $1343 | Non-Taxable Amount: $0 | distribution code: E
My main questions are:
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Report excess salary deferrals (excess 401k contributions) returned to you after the end of the tax year but by April 15th of the following tax year on your 1040 as Wages. Do not create your own 1099-R for this situation.
Your excess deferral is $1,144. not $1,343. $199 is the amount of earnings.
Page 11 of IRS Pub 525 under Excess deferrals (the IRS term for 401K contribution is deferral) tells us:
If your deferrals exceed the limit, you must notify your plan by the date required by the plan. If the plan permits, the excess amount will be distributed to you. If you participate in more than one plan, you can have the excess paid out of any of the plans that permit these distributions. You must notify each plan by the date required by that plan of the amount to be paid from that particular plan. The plan must then pay you the amount of the excess, along with any income earned on that amount, by April 15 of the following year. You must include the excess deferral in your income for the year of the deferral. File Form 1040 or 1040-SR to add the excess deferral amount to earned income on line 1h.
What you earned will be covered by a 1099-R for the following tax year and will be entered then as a normal 1099-R.
Below is how to do this in TurboTax Online:
In the uncommon income part you are saying I report just the excess not the excess + gains correct?
If I report the excess as income but it wasn't part of my W2, how does the IRS know in 2026 when I file for 2025 taxes that I did pay income tax on the amount reported in the 1099-R I expect to receive from the deferral?
Yes, you will only enter the excess deferral amount of $1,144 on your 2024 return. The earnings will be taxable in the year of the distribution and therefore you will report them on your 2025 return.
Please note for the Tax Year 2025 tax filing due April 15, 2026:
The IRS will get the 2025 Form 1099-R with code P and know that this is reported on your 2024 return. The IRS can see that you reported the excess deferral on line 1h of your 2024 Form 1040.
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