I amended 2018 tax on Turbotax and got refunds in 2020 on state & federal. Should this info populate on this year's return and be included?

[HelenC12]

No, your 2018 data won't populate into your 2020 income tax return. Only 2019 information populates into your 2020 income tax return. TurboTax can't skip tax years. 

If you received federal and state refunds from an amended 2018 income tax return, the federal refund is not included in income. However, the 2018 state refund that you received in 2020, may be taxable if you itemized your deductions in 2018.  

If all three of the following are true, your refund counts as taxable income:

1. You itemized deductions last year, instead of taking the standard deduction.
2. You claimed state and local income taxes (not general sales taxes).
3. Claiming the deduction helped you increase your federal refund or lower your tax bill.

For additional information, see 

• Do I need to report the state or local refund I got last year? Is it taxable?

Related Information:

• Where do I enter a 1099-G for a state or local tax refund?

[HI TK]

We had the same situation.. but when I enter the 2018 refund TurboTax isn't asking if we itemized our deductions in 2018 (we did not) and is automatically making it taxable.  Should I just not include it in the return or is there a way to include it but make it not taxable? Thanks!

[ErnieS0]

Questions about making the refund taxable will come up after selecting Done on the State and Local Tax Refund Summary.

The next screen should say Refunds From Years Prior to 2019 and ask you to enter a Taxable Amount. Enter $0. You should see Good News! Your 2019 refund is not taxable.

It’s best to include your refund in TurboTax.

[cs808]

WHERE do I enter the 2018 Federal tax refund in Turbo Tax?  I don't have a 1099 for this. 

[Cass0317]

@cs808 Can you please clarify? Are you working on your 2020 tax return? What do you need to enter your 2018 tax refund for? The above poster was referring to a prior year amended return and a refund received.

If you need prior years tax returns, make sure you're using the same TurboTax account (with the same username) as in prior years. Otherwise, the below instructions won't work.

If you're signing in for the first time this year, we may ask you some questions before you get to the Tax Home screen where you can access your prior year returns. 

If you need to find an account, our account recovery tool can help you find your User ID or password.

Please see the TurboTax FAQ's below for additional assistance:

• How do I access a prior year return?

• Why can't I find my return in Tax Home or My Docs™?

[cs808]

I am working on my 2020 tax return.  I can't find a spot to enter this Federal refund I received in 2020 for my 2018 amended Federal return that I filed.  

[DawnC]

You don't enter your federal refund from a previous year on this year's tax return.  Tax refunds (from the IRS) are not taxable.    @cs808

Your state tax refunds are taxable if you itemized the previous year, but only if you received a tax benefit from the refund.