topic Why does Turbotax call my $3,000 special 403(b) catch up provision an excess contribution, when it is valid for those >50 and with >15 years of employment? in Retirement tax questions

Why does Turbotax call my $3,000 special 403(b) catch up provision an excess contribution, when it is valid for those >50 and with >15 years of employment?

djbremer — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:50:54 GMT

My institution confirmed it is a legitimate contribution, described under IRC Section 402(g)(1) in IRS code.

Re: Why does Turbotax call my $3,000 special 403(b) catch up provision an excess contribution, when it is valid for those >50 and with >15 years of employment?

Opus 17 — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 19:36:24 GMT

Turbotax doesn't recognize this special situation. As I recall, nothing bad happens if you ignore the warning, so just ignore the warning.

@dmertz ??

Re: Why does Turbotax call my $3,000 special 403(b) catch up provision an excess contribution, when it is valid for those >50 and with >15 years of employment?

djbremer — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 19:48:18 GMT

Thank you!

Re: Why does Turbotax call my $3,000 special 403(b) catch up provision an excess contribution, when it is valid for those >50 and with >15 years of employment?

dmertz — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 03:24:15 GMT

Opus 17 is correct. TurboTax developers failed to program TurboTax to accommodate 403(b) special catch-up contributions, so you'll just have to ignore the warning.

Re: Why does Turbotax call my $3,000 special 403(b) catch up provision an excess contribution, when it is valid for those >50 and with >15 years of employment?

djbremer — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 19:35:04 GMT

Thanks!