TurboTax is not recalculating when I enter my 8915-F information after the 1099R screen. Please help.

[danhilde]

I took a 2020 Coronavirus distribution and I am entering my 8915-F information but when I enter the 1/3 distribution that needs to be covered for 2021, TurboTax does not recalculate my taxes owed (top left of screen) and the section still says 'Needs Review'.  Please help.

[DoninGA · Accepted solution]

Did you enter the amount of the 2nd year of the distribution in both boxes for the type of distribution?

You must go to the Retirement Income section of the program for a Form 1099-R to be able to enter your 2nd year of the 2020 distribution -

Click on Federal

Click on Wages & Income

Scroll down to Retirement Plans and Social Security

On IRA, 401(k), Pension Plan Withdrawals (1099-R), click on the Start or Revisit button

On the screen Did you get a 1099-R in 2021? Click on NO, if you did not receive a 2021 Form 1099-R in 2022

Answer Yes when asked Have you ever taken a disaster distribution before 2021?

Answer Yes when asked if you took a Qualified 2020 Disaster Distribution

Check the box that this was a Coronavirus-related distribution reported in 2020

In the box 2020 Form 8915-E, line 4, column b - Leave blank or enter a 0

This is not required on a Form 8915-F for a Coronavirus-related distribution

If the 2020 distribution was from an account that was Not an IRA

Enter 1/3 of the amount from the 2020 distribution in both boxes for Line 9

2020 Form 8915E, line 9, if you checked the box on that line, enter 0

2020 Form 8915E Line 9 

If the 2020 distribution was from an IRA account

Enter 1/3 of the amount from the 2020 distribution in both boxes for Line 17

2020 Form 8915E, line 17, if you checked the box on that line, enter 0

2020 Form 8915E Line 17 

Do not enter anything in the other boxes, leave them blank (empty)

The 1/3 of the amount from the 2020 distribution will be entered on the 2021 Form 1040 Line 4b if from an IRA or on Line 5b if from a retirement plan other than an IRA

After completing the Wages & Income section you will land on a screen Did you take a disaster distribution at any time between 2018 and 2020?

Answer NO since you have already completed the entering the 1/3 of the 2020 distribution.

You can view your Form 1040 at any time using the online editions. Click on Tax Tools on the left side of the online program screen. Click on Tools. Click on View Tax Summary. Click on Preview my 1040 on the left side of the screen.

Using the desktop editions click on Forms.  Open the Form 1040

NOTE - During Federal Review you may get a notice to check an entry.  Clicking Check Entries takes you to the Check This Entry screen showing a box for entering a FEMA Disaster name.  Put your cursor in the box (click in the box) and then click on the spacebar.  Click on Continue  On the following screen Run Smart Check Again click on Done.

The Form 8915-F you completed already has the box for the Coronavirus checked on Item D of the form.

As stated on the Form 8915-F -

If your disaster is the coronavirus, check this box ▶ Don’t list the coronavirus in item C.

[danhilde]

First, thank you for the detailed answer.  I did exactly as you suggested.  Only two fields entered (both the 1/3 number) and all other fields blank.  When I first entered the information and continued along, I entered 'Coronavirus' as the disaster name and left the FEMA disaster number blank.  Now when I do the Federal Review, I can no longer get to that screen so it seems to have 'taken'.  But the 1099R section still says 'Needs Review'.  Something seems to be wrong with the TurboTax logic for this particular form.

[DoninGA]

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@danhilde wrote:

First, thank you for the detailed answer.  I did exactly as you suggested.  Only two fields entered (both the 1/3 number) and all other fields blank.  When I first entered the information and continued along, I entered 'Coronavirus' as the disaster name and left the FEMA disaster number blank.  Now when I do the Federal Review, I can no longer get to that screen so it seems to have 'taken'.  But the 1099R section still says 'Needs Review'.  Something seems to be wrong with the TurboTax logic for this particular form.

---

If you did not enter a 2021 Form 1099-R then there is nothing for you to "Review".  Ignore this warning and continue your tax return for filing.

[danhilde]

One more point.  I did check the Tools->View suggestion and I do see the 1/3 amount on line 5b.  When I look at the Delete Form option under Tools ... I also see a Form 8915-F-T which might indicate that 8915-F has been processed.  BUT ... again, when I completed the screen after 1099-R just as you suggested, the amount owed at the top left of the screen did not change so this indicates that something is wrong.  The 1/3 amount is just over 25K so there should certainly be an increase in my amount owed.

[fanfare]

Always print a copy of your completed tax return for your records, and review it carefully before e-Filing.
You will need it if you are audited by the IRS, or to amend if a TurboTax update changes your return or for any other reason,

AND, to find your AGI next year.

[paddyt8]

I have this exact same issue. It’s infuriating! Deleting the form does nothing it seems to remember the info previously entered. Did you find a way of removing it?

[danhilde]

paddyt8, I believe that the 8915-F form is working.  I'm going to paste a snippet of text from one of the people that replied to me ... see below.  Note that in my case, it was a 401K withdrawal (for 2020), not an IRA or SEP.

By the way, I don't think you should need to Delete the 8915-F-T form (from the Tools -> Delete From) feature. 

Try this:

Click on Federal

Click on Wages & Income

Scroll down to Retirement Plans and Social Security

On IRA, 401(k), Pension Plan Withdrawals (1099-R), click on the Start or Revisit button

On the screen Did you get a 1099-R in 2021? Click on NO, if you did not receive a 2021 Form 1099-R in 2022

Answer Yes when asked Have you ever taken a disaster distribution before 2021?

Answer Yes when asked if you took a Qualified 2020 Disaster Distribution

Check the box that this was a Coronavirus-related distribution reported in 2020

KEY BELOW:

In the box 2020 Form 8915-E, line 4, column b - Leave blank.

This is not required on a Form 8915-F for a Coronavirus-related distribution

If the 2020 distribution was from an account that was Not an IRA (i.e., a 401K):

Enter 1/3 of the amount from the 2020 distribution in BOTH boxes for Line 9

- 2020 Form 8915E, line 9, if you checked the box on that line, enter 0

- 2020 Form 8915E Line 9 

paddyt8 ... you have to enter your 1/3 amount into BOTH fields (above).  All other fields should be blank if yours was a 401k distribution only.  If you think this is not working ... try removing the amount from the first of two fields (below) and then you should see your amount owed recalculate ... I can't recall if you have to continue past the form to see it recalculate.

- 2020 Form 8915E, line 9, if you checked the box on that line, enter 0

If you see your amount owed did recalculate when you blanked out the first of two entered field values, this is good.  It means that when you re-enter your 1/3 amount owed into that first (of two) field(s) .. you will see it calculate correctly and this will give you the confidence that it is working.

Once you get the thing to (re)calculate, go on to the next screens.  If it asks you again whether you had disaster withdrawal, say YES again ... and it'll 'warn' you that you have to re-visit the 1099-R section.  TurboTax didn't do a great job with all of this ... just work it through.  It'll ask you whether you took a distribution in 2017, 18, 19 ... just say 'No' to each if you hadn't.

At some point you should see a worksheet presented to you for the 2020 distribution.  In my case, I entered 'Coronavirus' into the disaster name and just ignored (left blank) the FEMA disaster number.  This should hopefully work for you as well.

If all else fails, hit the 'Get Tax Advice/Help' button on the top right of your screen.  Someone from Intuit will call you in 5 or so minutes and you can walk it through together.  Those folks are very good ... they didn't actually know the solution out of the gate but they are dedicated to get a solution and you'll get there with them.

Good luck ... and let's hope that in our next life, there will be no complicated tax code and we'll all just pay a simple VAT on our purchases (whether we buy a can of soup or a private airplane) and we'll avoid all this nonsense.

Dan