If I am at full retirement age, do I need to add my SSA-1099 to my tax return?

[PattiF]

It depends, if you have income besides Social Security you will generally need to file a return. If your only income is your Social Security benefits, then you typically don't have to file a federal income tax return.

See this TurboTax Help Article:  "When Does a Senior Citizen on Social Security Stop Filing Taxes?" to determine if you need to file

[wellbucket2005]

Unfortunately, this did not help me. I am at full retirement age, and TurboTax doesn't ask about age or if I'm considered fully retired. That age changes every year. I don't want it to come back and bite me in the butt later, if I don't claim my benefits because I should be able to make what I want (being at full retirement age) without being even more penalized with my benefits.

[xmasbaby0]

Your age has nothing to do with whether you need to file a tax return or pay taxes.   Full retirement age only affects whether your SS benefits are reduced if you continue to work.   If you have over a certain amount of taxable income you file a return even if you are 100 years old.

TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY

Up to 85% of your Social Security benefits can be taxable on your federal tax return.  There is no age limit for having to pay taxes on Social Security benefits if you have other sources of income along with the SS benefits.  When you have other income such as earnings from continuing to work, investment income, pensions, etc. up to 85% of your SS can be taxable. 

 What confuses people about this is that before you reach full retirement age, if you continue working while drawing SS, your benefits can be reduced if you earn over a certain limit. (For 2017 that limit was $16,920 —for 2018 it was $17,040—for 2019 it was $17,640— for 2020 it is $18,240; for 2021 it is $18,960,  (For 2022 it will be $19,560) After full retirement age, no matter how much you continue to earn, your benefits are not reduced by your earnings; your employer will still have to withhold for Social Security and Medicare.

To see how much of your Social Security was taxable, look at lines 6a and 6b of your 2021 Form 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899144-is-my-social-security-income-taxable

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/are-my-social-security-or-railroad-retirement-tier-i-benefits-taxable

You need to file a federal return if half your Social Security plus your other income is $25,000 when filing single or head of household, or $32,000 when filing married filing jointly, $0 if you are filing married filing separately.

Some additional information:  There are 13 states that tax Social Security—Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.  These states offer varying degrees of income exemptions, but four mirror the federal tax schedule: MN, ND,VT, and WV

[xmasbaby0]

Go to Federal> Wages & Income>>Retirement Plans and Social Security  (SSA1099 and 1099RRB) to enter your SSA1099.

[Critter-3]

Bottom line is ... if you are filing a tax return then ALL income from ALL sources must be reported even SS benefits reported on a SSA-1099. 

[TeresaM]

TurboTax will ask your age at the beginning of the return, in the Personal Info section. If you filed with TurboTax last year, it will import that information into the current year and ask you to confirm it, but it won't specifically ask the question again. If you are fully retired or still doing some work, it is dependent on your income whether you are required to file. Many people have a part-time job or small business after they retire from their primary occupation or have additional sources of income to declare on other 1099 forms.

If your only income is social security, you generally do not have to file a return. Critter3, above, is correct. If you do file a return, you should include Form 1099-SSA with the other information. If you have additional sources of income, they may be taxable, or at a certain income level, part of the social security might become taxable. There is more information on how this is calculated in this TurboTax Help article Is my social security taxable

To be sure, you can begin a return in TurboTax Online for free, enter all of your income, and see if there is any liability or any refund due on the federal or state return. If there is not, and you are below the filing limit, you are not required to file a return. The IRS already has a copy of your 1099-SSA, so it is unnecessary to file that form if it is the only one.