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PPF & Gratuity Payments received in India - Tax situation

Hi - I am a US Citizen. I changed jobs in Nov 2019 (left my India based company and joined a bank in US). As part of my departure from my previous job, my employer paid me a gratuity payment which is considered as a Social Security/retirement benefit and is NON taxable in India. According to the US-India Tax treaty, is this income I received in India from Gratuity Payment taxable in US? I know I will report it on my US tax return but need to know if that income is taxable in US.

 

Also, I had a Public Provident Fund (PPF) account in India. This is considered as a Retirement account (similar to a Traditional IRA). The maturity of that account is 15 years and any distributions made post the maturity are NON Taxable in India. This account matured in 2019 and I received a lump sum distribution from that account in 2019. Similar to above, according to the US-India Tax treaty, is that income I received in India from Gratuity Payment taxable in US? I know I will report it on my US tax return but need to know if that income is taxable in US.

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1 Reply
LinaJ2020
Expert Alumni

PPF & Gratuity Payments received in India - Tax situation

Tax treaty-related matters are out of scope for our advice.  Generally, both the social security/ pension-related and the PPF from India are taxable to the US.  However, you would need to consult another professional who is specialized in it for verification.

 

If it is taxable, to enter the pension, you will need to create a substitute form 1099-R. 

 

Here are the steps:

 

In TurboTax online,

  • Sign in to your account and select Pick up where you left off
  • At the right upper corner, type in 1099r, then Enter
  • Select Jump to 1099r
  • Follow prompts
  • Next screen, Choose your bank or brokerage, select I'll type it in myself
  • On the screen Tell Us Which 1099-R You Have, check the box I need to prepare a substitute 1099-R and follow the prompts.  

As to the Federal ID, foreign pension often does not have the ID number.  Please try entering nine 9s.  If electronic errors occur due to 1099-R data entry, enter the pension under Miscellaneous income, see instructions below. As long as the IRS has the pension reported and included in total income, it is not problematic. 

 

  • To your left, select Federal
  • From the top, select Wages and Income
  • Scroll down to last section -Less Common Income -select  Miscellaneous Income, 1099-A, 1099-C- Start 
  • Next screen, scroll down to Other Reportable Income- Start
  • Follow prompts

 For more information, see http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/The-Taxation-of-Foreign-Pension-and-Annuity-Distributions

 

If it is not taxable to you,

  • report your full amount as instructed above. Then enter the treaty exempt amount as a negative amount (e.g. -5000) under Other Reportable Income as instructed above.  
  • Download and fill in a Form 8833 from IRS to claim an exception.  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8833.pdf
  • You cannot e-file.  You can still use the TurboTax program to prepare your tax forms, but you need to print them out and submit them by mail along with form 8833. 

 

 

 

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