I need help, I have a lot going on last year with retirement, unemployment, Social Security, pension. Can I navigate Turbo Tax on my own or?

[DaveF1006]

It depends on your expertise on navigating the program and experience in operating a Personal Computer. I can give you a primer but it won't be too detailed. 

1. First of all, select this link and create a Turbo Tax account. You will need to establish a username and password.
2. Once established, you will need to create your profile in the information page such as who you are address, married, single, dependents etc.
3. Once your account is established: Here is how you will enter the three things you mentioned above.

For unemployment:

1. Select federal>income and expenses>Unemployment>show more
2. Government benefits on Form 1099-G>start
3. Here the instructions will prompt you to enter your 1099-G

For Social Security:

1. Go to federal>income and expenses
2. Retirement plans and Social Security>show more 
3. Social Security (SSA-1099, RRB-1099) Start
4. Here you will enter your SSA-1099. 

For Retirement Pensions:

1. Go to federal>income and expenses
2. Retirement plans and Social Security>show more 
3. Ira (401K), pension plan Withdrawals(1099R) Start
4. Here you will enter your 1099-R. 

This will get you started entering your information.  If you need additional help, just write back to us. There are also options to speak to Live Experts in the program if you need help.

[bkenn20878]

@DaveF1006 

All the answers I have read here appear to refer to catch up payments being made in the same year as the tax year and reported on Form 1099.  Isn't the term "catch up" intended to refer to payments made now or in the future for a past time period?

In my case, I left Employer A in September 2021, at which time I had an outstanding 401k loan, due to be paid back before I took a lump sum distribution to rollover my funds from Employer A's 401k plan to Employer B's 401k plan. I did so in 2021.  I have been advised by retirement planning professionals that I would have up to October 2022 (or on or before the date I have to pay 2021 tax, if I owe) to make catch up contributions and can only count them toward catch up for 2021, when made on or before filing 2021 taxes (which I am preparing now).  I have not been able to find where to list the catch up payments I have made (in 2022), pre-tax through Employer B to count toward the qualified plan loan offset (noted on my 2021 Form 1099-R box 7 (2M)).

[RobertB4444]

@bkenn20878  Catch Up contributions - in this terminology anyway - refer to catching up for past events in the present.  So, to start with, your advisors are correct about the catch up contributions being only entered in the current year that you are working on.

As far as your qualified plan offset contributions you should receive a 1099-R for the amount of the offset.  You enter it into TurboTax as a taxable distribution with code '2M' in box 7 and then you will receive several options for how that income will be treated.  You will tell the program that the distribution was a qualified plan offset and it will be removed from taxable income.