topic During entry of my NY state 1099-R pension data, I'm asked for annuity information on the account. Is this an error? in Retirement tax questions

During entry of my NY state 1099-R pension data, I'm asked for annuity information on the account. Is this an error?

lnashett — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:48:56 GMT

Is a request for annuity information a part of completing 1099-R pension information?

Re: During entry of my NY state 1099-R pension data, I'm asked for annuity information on the account. Is this an error?

SteamTrain — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:37:25 GMT

Unfortunately, the question in the interview may be misleading for your situation...

If your box 2a has a non-zero number in it..(not blank, nor marked as undetermined), and that number is somewhat lower than the box 1 number, due to an after-tax contribution amount that is noted in box 5...then edit that retirement form again, and when you get to the following page (below), answer it as-if the displayed edits were present (i.e. you needed to answer YES).

Answering YES will use the box 2a $$ amount on your for 1040. Check lines 5a and 5b before and after entering that 1099-R.

(But if you answered No, and already entered some $$ in the "General" or "Simplified" calculation area ,you might need to delete your 1099-R first and re-enter it from scratch...not sure of that though)

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Re: During entry of my NY state 1099-R pension data, I'm asked for annuity information on the account. Is this an error?

lnashett — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 18:19:35 GMT

Thanks for your response, @SteamTrain.

When I viewed your reply, there was nothing present after the following three sentences:

"...and when you get to the following page (below), answer it as-if the displayed edits were present (i.e. you needed to answer YES)."

"Answering YES will use the box 2a $$ amount on your for 1040. Check lines 5a and 5b before and after entering that 1099-R."

"(But if you answered No, and already entered some $$ in the "General" or "Simplified" calculation area, you might need to delete your 1099-R first and re-enter it from scratch...not sure of that though)".

Now, for the first time, in this request asking if my question was answered, I see that you had inserted an image of a TurboTax interview page with red arrows, etc. intended to clarify what you were saying above.

So, unfortunately, I didn't know what "following page" you were referring to.

After trying many different answers to the TurboTax interview questions that suddenly started referring to my pension as an annuity which it is not (and deleting and re-entering my 1099-R form as many times as I tried different answers), I solved myproblem by simply ignoring the questions and pressing forward without answering them. To my surprise, this worked and resulted in tax returns that treated my pension exactly as it has in previous years' returns. Not only did I find this exasperating and very time consuming, I paid $138 dollars to TurboTax for this "service".

Turbo Tax should fix this problem and they should be offering me free future tax filing for pointing this out.

lnashett

Re: During entry of my NY state 1099-R pension data, I'm asked for annuity information on the account. Is this an error?

irismr11 — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:40:12 GMT

I'm still having issues with my 1099R pension - turbo tax won't let me continue by bypassing & keeps seeing it as annuity???? I'm stuck on whether it's a 403 b or another qualifying account????? can someone help me - I've deleted and entered many times. I only have the same $ amount in #1 & 2A, box 7 is number 7

Re: During entry of my NY state 1099-R pension data, I'm asked for annuity information on the account. Is this an error?

SteamTrain — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:33:22 GMT

@irismr11

Not sure anyone can tell you if it is a 403b. You should call the rep of the Account for the issuer of that 1099-R and ask them. 403b's are usually pension plans for public school workers and certain tax-exempt organizations.

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Beyond that, TTX seems to be referring to all non-IRA 1099-R forms as Annuities. Don't let that terminology confuse you. Just work thru your answers to the actual questions presented by the software to try to answer them correctly.

Re: During entry of my NY state 1099-R pension data, I'm asked for annuity information on the acc...

RogerD1 — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:44:55 GMT

Pensions and annuities are similar in that they provide a steady stream of income monthly income throughout your lifetime, so in a sense your NY pension is an annuity. This pension would not be a 403(b) plan, but it would be considered a Qualified Plan.

Go back into your 1099-R in the Income section. On the Your 1099-R summary page, you can click on the pencil icon to edit it as follows:

On the Enter your 1099-R details from [custodian name] screen, verify that everything is correct there. Click Continue.
Is the IRA/SEP/SIMPLE box on this 1099-R checked? - No, the box is blank
Did this money come from a Roth IRA? No
Where is your distribution from? If it's from US Government, NY state & city education, etc. click the circle in the top box for this to qualify for a pension exclusion in New York
What kind of retirement plan do you have with [custodian name]? - check Qualified plan (most common)
Do any of these situations apply to you? - likely None of these apply (unless you were a public safety officer)
Tell us if you moved the money through a rollover or conversion - check I didn't roll over or convert this money
Annuity information - check Yes for periodic payments
Did you start getting these payments in 2025? - select the correct option Yes or No
Was the total the amount you paid tax on? - likely Yes

Once this is entered, if your pension was a government pension (based on the question in #4 above), TurboTax will automatically apply the NY state pension exclusion to that pension income.