Form 1116 -- Requires Detailed Explanation. Explanation of what?

[davethomas1812]

During the TT final check of my tax forms, TT identified a final Check This Entry review item. The associated TT comment is: Form 1116 (Copy 1) -- Explanation Stm: Detailed Explanation must be completed. Enter your explanation here to complete the required statement. It must show the other deduction items for line 3B column a. TT does not provide further explanation as to what line 3B column a represents in Form 1116. What are they looking for?

[MinhT1]

On form 1116 line 3b is for Other deductions.

The instructions for form 1116 on page 16 say:

Line 3b. Enter on line 3b any other deductions that don't definitely relate to any specific type of income (for example, the deduction for alimony paid from Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 19a).

If you have an amount on line 3b, you must enter a description of that amount. If there is nothing on line 3b, enter None as an explanation.

[davethomas1812]

Following the TT step-by-step process for answering the questions doesn't inform the user what information TT has entered in Line 3B of Form 1116.  

To resolve this question, I went to print view of my tax documents. I then searched for Form 1116 to discover the value in Line 3B. Once I knew the number, I searched the document for this same value and found that it was the sum of two tax credits - one for HSA contribution and the other for a tax. With this knowledge, I was then able to describe the basis for the value on Line 3B. 

I think it would be helpful to share this resolution with others. 

[JCMA25]

I am using the online edition and have the exact same error msg.  Unfortunately, the screen showing when requesting this info does not even show line 3B extry.   How do I view the forms and find 3B so I can explain it?   I cannot go to the print view or forms to find 3B

[roy947]

I looked through the tax forms that TurboTax had generated and found an item that matched the amount on Form 1116, Line 3b.  It was "penalty on early withdrawal of savings" as shown on Form 1040, Schedule 1, Lines 18 and 26.  This was an early withdrawal penalty charged by a bank for closing a CD before the maturity date.  So I'll use that.  

[bugmenot]

Unfortunately this is one of the many reasons to get the desktop version and not the online. You can't see individual forms online. Highly recommend.

For anyone still struggling with this, for some reason TurboTax pre-populated a statement in 2022. For 2023, it made me do it. I found the statement from last year's return. This is what I had:

Balance of deductions from income not claimed as
definitely related on line 

I was very stumped and could not figure out what was generating that number. Finally got some advice to check schedule I, part II. Lo and behold, there was my answer. It was HSA deduction and self-employment tax deduction.

[odysseus1001]

This was a very, very helpful answer when I had the same question.  For me it was self-employment tax and SIMPLE IRA contributions.  Thank you to BugMeNot!

[katmclernon]

thanks this one lead me to the answers... mine was part of self employment tax, plus HSA contribution, and self employment health care.

for Turbotax - it would be really helpful if the prompt for the explanation pointed us to the schedule where it is spelled out. This took me over 90 minutes to find having to go through everything (including the IRS site which is also not helpful). Please add an explaination

[axelschweiger]

Super annoying. TT should really fix this. For me it wound up being the deductable part of the self employment tax.

[unpossible]

Adding more info to this helpful advice - before trying any printing I used the "Forms" feature, searched on 1116 - and then checked each of the four forms it found to look for one that had something in Line 3b; only 1 of the four matching forms did.

That said it is not clear why TurboTax plopped the number it did in there.  Maybe that is what the [product key removed]hing advice is for, to then search for that number (once you know what you are searching for).  But in my case, even then, I think it was the sum of two numbers (IRA contributions for my and spouse IRAs).

Definitely a TurboTax bug, or at best an must-have-feature-that-isn't-implemented-yet.