Unrecovered contributions line 4a i do not know what to enter. it keeps returning me to this line durring review

[AmyC]

Unrecovered contributions is the amount you have contributed over the years and not taken out. You are tracking all your non-deductible contributions each year on the 8606. I suggest you keep a financial notebook with the annual 8606, 5498 and W2s at the minimum.

[fanfare]

If you are involved with line 4a you are probably in NJ state tax return.

You have a basis in your IRA as far as NJ is concerned because you did not deduct IRA contributions from your NJ taxable income in all those past years.

Those are unrecovered.

See Worksheet C in the NJ Resident Return Instructions for how to avoid double taxation on that money (i.e. recover it) when you withdraw from your IRA. There is a first year calculation, and then a calculation for all subsequent years. OR use TurboTax to do it, it is the same thing but in a different presentation.

You will need good records showing what you put in over the years, or some way to reconstruct that information.

However, if the Retirement Income Exclusion eliminates your tax, the unrecovered calculation becomes moot.
You qualify for the pension exclusion if:

• You (and/or your spouse/civil union partner, if filing jointly) were 62 or older or disabled as defined by Social Security guidelines on the last day of the tax year (December 31 for calendar year filers); and
• Your total income for the entire year was $100,000 or less.

NJ rules differ from the rules for Federal Form 8606.

[fanfare]

If you want to skip all this, enter zero  (note: I haven't tried that).

You can start recovering unrecovered contributions in a future year. 

[BobbyGrrr]

Entering zero as per a previous reply doesn't work. I believe there's an issue with the TurboTax program itself as all totals entered in that box are rejected. Thanks New Jersey!

[fanfare]

If TurboTax won't accept zero for unrecovered amount,

enter some small number and enter a humongous value for your IRA like $40,000,000.

your recovered contribution will be zero.

BUT, if you are filing a federal Form 8606 that shows year end value,

this might cause a conflict

"all totals entered in that box are rejected."

In that case,

contact TurboTax Support.

@BobbyGrrr 

[fanfare]

Another NewJerseyan said if you put NJ in box 15 and copy box 1a to box 16 of 1099-R, TurboTax will stop prompting you.

I can't imagine what difference that would make, but you can try it.