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Made an overcontribution to 401k

It looks like I have made an overpayment to my 401k. I am contacting the retirement program manager and they will email me a check with the extra amount. They mentioned I should be able to mark in turbotax that I have fixed the problem and that the IRS should expect next year to see 1099 with the extra payment. How can i do that in turbotax, please?

 

Thanks,

Eliyah

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MinhT1
Expert Alumni

Made an overcontribution to 401k

You should enter box 12 code D as it is on your form W-2.

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9 Replies
MinhT1
Expert Alumni

Made an overcontribution to 401k

Ask your 401(k) administrator to return the excess contributions (including the related earnings/losses) by April 18, 2023 and report the excess 401k contributions on your 1040 as Wages.  Do not create your own 1099-R for this situation.

 

Pages 10 and 11 of IRS Pub 525 under Excess deferrals (the IRS term for 401K contribution is deferral) tells us

 

If your deferrals exceed the limit, you must notify your plan by the date required by the plan. If the plan permits, the excess amount will be distributed to you. If you participate in more than one plan, you can have the excess paid out of any of the plans that permit these distributions. You must notify each plan by the date required by that plan of the amount to be paid from that particular plan. The plan must then pay you the amount of the excess, along with any income earned on that amount, by April 15 of the following year. You must include the excess deferral in your income for the year of the deferral. File Form 1040 or 1040-SR to add the excess deferral amount to your wages on line 1a.

 

What you earned will be covered by a 1099-R for the following tax year and will be entered then as a normal 1099-R.

 

Below is how to do this in TurboTax:

  1. Click on Federal in the left-hand column, then on Wages & Income
  2. Continue and locate the section Less Common Income
  3. Select Miscellaneous Income and click Start
  4. Select Other income not already reported on a Form W-2 or Form 1099 and click on Start
  5. Answer the question "Did you receive any other wages?  Yes
  6. Click through the questions till you get to Any Other Earned Income
  7. Answer Yes to Did you earn any other wages?
  8. Indicate Other as Source of Other Earned Income and click Continue
  9. For the description enter "2022 Excess 401K Deferrals" and click on Done

 

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Made an overcontribution to 401k

@MinhT1 Thank you so much. Please note that my excess contribution occurred in 2022. Should I report the excess money distribution in 2022 tax return (as a wage the way you described it), or should I just wait and report it in 2023 tax return since the 401k administrator will send me the 1099-R in 2024 for the excess distribution? I am thinking I should just report it in the 2023 tax return and do nothing extra in 2022 tax return. No?

 

Thanks! 

MinhT1
Expert Alumni

Made an overcontribution to 401k

No.

 

You must report the 2022 excess contribution to your 401(k) on your 2022 tax return using the instructions I gave above.

 

You will only report in 2023 the earnings you may have on that excess. These earnings will be reported together with the excess on a 2023 form 1099-R. But you do not report the excess contribution again in 2023, only the earnings. If there is a loss, that loss is not deductible.

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Made an overcontribution to 401k

@MinhT1 Thanks. If I do everything you said and get a refund from the 401 account of the excess contribution and then reported the excess contribution as an income in my 2022 tax return. If I do all of that; should I change the retirement contribution in box 12 in my W2 to remove the excess contribution or should I leave it as is?

 

Thanks again,

Eliyah

MinhT1
Expert Alumni

Made an overcontribution to 401k

You should enter box 12 code D as it is on your form W-2.

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Made an overcontribution to 401k

I have this same problem - my excess contributions are for the 2023 tax year.

My 401k fund management company redistributed my excess contributions back to me in February of 2024.

They sent me the check, but  THEY WITHHELD THE STATE AND FEDERAL TAXES!

They are telling me they'll send the 1099-R in Jan of 2025, because the disbursement occurred in the 2024 tax year.

So when I go through the process you outlined above, TurboTax doesn't give me the option of adding how much was withheld in state and federal taxes, but only provides the place for adding the gross ammount of 'additional income'. And the total tax-owed number indicator adjusts by about what is additionally owed.

I've already paid for this tax by way of the 401k manager's withholding it before my cash out check.

I need help on what to do here?

Thanks,

 

 

DanaB27
Expert Alumni

Made an overcontribution to 401k

The withheld taxes will have to be entered on the 2024 tax return. You will enter the 2024 Form 1099-R showing the tax withheld on your 2024 tax return.

 

Please follow the steps below to report the excess deferral on your 2023 tax return:

 

  1. Login to your TurboTax Account 
  2. Click "Wages & Income" (under Federal) on the left side of your screen
  3. Scroll  down to "Less Common Income" and click "Show More"
  4. Scroll down to "Miscellaneous Income, 1099-A, 1099-C" and click "Start"
  5. Select "Other income not already reported on a Form W-2 or Form 1099" and click "Start"
  6. On the "Did you receive any other wages?" screen answer "Yes" and click "Continue"
  7. Continue until you get to the "Any other earned income" screen, answer "Yes" and click "Continue"
  8. On the "Enter Source of Other Earned income" screen select "Other" and click "Continue"
  9. On the "Any Other Earned Income" screen enter "2023 Excess 401(k) Deferrals" for the description, enter the amount and click "Done".

 

 

 

If you receive the distribution of the excess deferral and earnings by April 15th then please note for the Tax Year 2024 tax filing due April 15, 2025: 

2024 Forms 1099-R will be issued reporting the excess.

  • Form 1099-R with Code P in box 7 can be ignored if you reported the excess as described above in 2023. 
  • However, the earnings on Form 1099-R with Code 8 in box 7 should be reported in 2024.

 

@Software User 

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Made an overcontribution to 401k

Thanks for your answer.

So I simply subtract the federal limit $22500 from my total contribution and report that amount as additional income (to pay taxes on it).

The fact that American Funds withheld federal and state taxes will be dealt with along with gains in next year's (2024) 1099R?

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

 

PS Turbotax instruction seem to recommend creating my own 1099R - see below from help section:

1. Figure out which retirement account you want to remove the excess salary deferral from. You can use IRS Publication 560, Retirement Plans for Small Business, to help you decide.

2. Notify the plan administrator (the company or broker that handles your retirement account) that you have an excess salary deferral as soon as possible.

Depending on the rules of your plan, and whether the plan administrator is notified sufficiently ahead of the tax return due date, you may be able to withdraw the funds to avoid paying additional taxes on the excess deferral. If you are able to withdraw the funds, here is how to report that:

1. Report the excess deferral on your 2023 return in the Income section for Retirement Plans and Social Security whether or not you received a Form 1099-R before you file your return. Enter as much information as you can. Report the excess deferral amount in boxes 1 and 2a, and use code P in box 7. Indicate that this is a 2024 Form 1099-R.

2. In 2024, you will probably receive two Forms 1099-R. One reports the excess deferral amount. The other reports the earnings on the excess deferral. Enter both of these forms in your 2024 return, and we'll only add the earnings to your 2024 income.

See Examples:

Example 1:
Jessica is 45 years old and changed jobs in 2023 She contributed $15,000 to her 401(k) plan at her first job. She contributed $16,000 to her 401(k) plan at her second job. Because the maximum she can contribute in 2023 is $22,500, Jessica put too much money into her 401(k) accounts. She figured this by taking the difference between her total contributions ($31,000) and the maximum she can contribute ($22,500). This overpayment (called an excess salary deferral) must be withdrawn as soon as Jessica discovers it, and no later than the filing deadline (normally April 15, 2024) to avoid additional taxes.

Jessica notifies the plan administrator of her second job, and they issue her a refund of the overpayment plus earnings. She reports this on her 2023 return as if she received a Form 1099-R with the overpayment amount in boxes 1 and 2a and code P in box 7.

On her 2024 return, Jessica enters the forms she received from the plan administrator. Only the earnings on the overpayment will be added to Jessica's 2024 income.

Example 2:
Assume same information as Example 1. But Jessica doesn't discover the overpayment until November 20, 2024, and she had already filed her 2023 return. She notifies the plan administrator immediately, and she withdraws the excess on December 5.

Jessica must pay additional taxes on the overpayment because she didn't withdraw the funds by the 2023 filing deadline. She amends her 2023 return to report the overpayment as if she received Form 1099-R (same as Example 1) and pays the additional taxes.

On her 2024 return, Jessica enters the forms she received from the plan administrator. Only the earnings on the overpayment will be added to Jessica's 2024 income.

Example 3:
Robert is 52 years old and changed jobs in 2023 He contributed $20,000 to his 401(k) plan at his first job. He contributed $16,000 to his 401(k) plan at his second job. Because the maximum he can contribute in 2023 is $22,500, Robert put too much money into his 401(k) accounts. He figured this by taking the difference between his total contributions ($36,000) and the maximum he can contribute ($22,500). This difference must be withdrawn as soon as Robert discovers it, but no later than the 2023 filing deadline (normally April 15, 2024) to avoid additional taxes.

Robert notifies the plan administrator of his second job, and they tell him he had a loss on his account, and $500 of the loss applies to his overpayment. They issue him a refund of the overpayment minus the $500 loss. He reports the net amount he received on his 2023 return as if he received Form 1099-R. He puts the net amount in boxes 1 and 2a and code P in box 7. He also must enter the $500 loss as an excess salary deferral in the section for Less Common Income, Miscellaneous Income. He uses the topic for Other income not already reported on a Form W-2 or Form 1099.

On his 2024 return, Robert enters the form he received from the plan administrator. Robert then reports the $500 loss in the Less Common Income, Miscellaneous Income topic for Other reportable income. He describes the income as "Loss on Excess Deferral Distribution" and reports the loss amount as a negative number. This will be subtracted from Robert's income on his 2024 return.

 

 

 

DanaB27
Expert Alumni

Made an overcontribution to 401k

Yes, that is correct. You will add the excess deferral (amount contributed minus the $22,500 limit) to your 2023 return and the withheld taxes will be dealt with on your 2024 return along with any gains.

 

Entering a 2024 Form 1099-R for this is another option but generally the instructions I gave above will be easier to enter. Both options will result in the income to be entered on line 1h of Form 1040.

 

@Software User 

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