Joint bank accounts

[uz902b74]

I created a joint account join how does the irs look at tax liability? I only needed a joint account because my son is disabled and can’t do these things. 

[DoninGA]

The IRS does not care what type of bank account you have.  If interest is paid on the funds in the account then you will have to report the interest paid on your tax return.  On a joint account the Form 1099-INT will have the Social Security number of the first person listed on the account, that is the person who should report the interest income on their tax return.

[uz902b74 · Accepted solution]

Thank you for your help!

[CindyKR]

If the bank account is for your son, there is a place somewhere in the tax forms that you can state that the interest does not belong to you. I believe it then asks you who it belongs to. I used to do this when my kids were younger. If you want to avoid this in the future, and the money belongs to your son, then you could change your bank accounts so his name is first on the account. Then the tax forms would come in his name and social security number. I've done that with my mother since they were her accounts and I simply manage them and make payments out of them for her if needed. 

If an expert thinks this is incorrect or knows where in TT this can be done, please let us know.