Massachusetts pre 1998 403b Contributions

[TuxedoCat]

Contributions to a 403b account were taxed in Massachusetts until January 1, 1998.  I am now retired and have begun withdrawing money, and I do not want to be taxed on the pre-1998 contributions that the state has already taxed.  Turbo Tax instructs me to enter that information on the Pensions and Annuities Smart Worksheet.  How do I access that worksheet?  (TT in the past allowed you to switch between the Interview section and the Forms section; those days are long gone, unfortunately).

[DianeW777]

It depends. TurboTax Desktop does allow you to switch to Forms if you choose. During the Step by Step, in the Massachusetts (MA) section you will be asked how much of your contributions have been previously taxed. Be sure to review that section and enter the appropriate amounts for your pre January 1, 1998, after tax contributions that were previously taxed and the amount received in previous years if applicable.  Begin to track this information for your returns until you use it up.

[TuxedoCat]

i did enter the amount of pre-tax contributions in that field in Turbo Tax.  However, it was flagged as an error in State Review.  TT told me that I could not enter that amount in MA Form 1, that it had to be entered in the Federal 1099R "and/or" in the Pensions and Annuities Worksheet.  There is no field in the Federal 1099R to enter that amount, and of course it was TT, not myself, that entered it in Form 1.  I spoke with a TT Rep, who was not able to figure it out.  TT would not allow me to file electronically; I was forced to print and mail my MA return.  Please investigate this "bug".