Skip to main content
Level 2
June 1, 2019
Question

How do I report income from an apartment lease buyout?

  • June 1, 2019
  • 13 replies
  • 115 views
No text available

13 replies

June 1, 2019
It depends on if the lessor reported the income to you and, if so, how? Did you get a Form 1099-MISC?
josh3Author
Level 2
June 1, 2019
I got a 1099 misc.
VictoriaD75
Level 12
April 28, 2020

Was the income related to subcontractor work that would require you to create a Schedule C for a business? Do you have expenses to deduct against this income? 

 

You still need to report income. If you received more than $600, you should be issued a 1099-MISC. If not, you will not receive the document, but you still need to report the income. Please note, this will require you to pay self-employment taxes, which are Social Security and Medicare taxes, on this income.

 

Follow these steps if you have a 1099-MISC:

  • Under the Federal menu, click on Wages & Income
  • Expand the menu for Other Common Income
  • Click Start/Revisit next to Form 1099-MISC
  • Enter the information as shown on your document

If you did not receive a 1099-MISC:

  • Under the Federal menu, click on Wages & Income
  • Expand the menu for Less Common Income
  • Click Start/Revisit next to Miscellaneous Income, 1099-A, 1099-C
  • Click Start/Revisit next to the first option, Other income not already reported on a Form W-2 or Form 1099
  • Answer Yes to the question, Did you receive other wages?
  • Continue through the screens until you get to Any Other Earned Income
  • Answer Yes to the question, Did you earn any other wages?
  • On the next screen, choose Employee compensation that was not reported on a W-2
  • Enter the information on the screens that follow

You will now need to amend your return to include this income. Follow the steps below:

  1. Log into your TurboTax account
  2. Choose the tax year that you wish to amend
  3. Click Amend
  4. Make any necessary changes

Keep in mind that when you are amending, the refund tracker monitors the difference from your original filing to the amended return. It does not include any original refund or balance due. If you are claiming any previously unclaimed income, you may see the difference as an additional balance due. 

 

 

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post. **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"
DaveF1006
Level 15
February 2, 2022

@DianeW777  To be clear, it would not be subject to Social Security, SSI, correct?  And thanks very much in advance for your help.  I would have thought that simply Googling "tenant lease buyout" and "tax consequences" would have immediately produced clear answers to my question, but no...


No, it will not be subject to FICA taxes such as Social Security and Medicare taxes.

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post. **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"
June 1, 2019

Enter the lease buy-out as follows in the 1099-MISC interview:

  • Enter the 1099-Misc in the Other Common Income section (Enter "1099misc" in the Search Box and Select "Jump to 1099misc")
  • For "Description", enter "Lease Buy-out Pmt"
  • Also check that it does not involve work like your main job, that it did not involve an intent to make money, and is not a recurring payment (received in the past or expected in the future) (these questions only apply to active, not passive, income).
  • The income will be reported on line 21 of your return.
Level 2
June 1, 2019
Answer is ambiguous re: "did not involve an intent to make money". Does this refer to intent by OWNER or intent by RENTER?  Which is it?   (If owner intends to sell for profit -- or for more than if renter did not accept buyout -- then buyout represents "an intent to make money"on owner's part.)
Level 2
June 1, 2019
what if there is no 1099 Misc?
Level 2
April 27, 2020

I never got a 1099 so I forgot to report it on my 2019 taxes. I'm suddenly remembering and worried. I don't even know who would report it, the company seemed to be an LIC within an LIC within an LIC...What should I do?