You will receive Form 1099-DA when you sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of a digital asset. There are several options that you can use to enter transactions and information from Form 1099-DA. Once entered, the TaxAct program will complete Form 8949, Schedule D Capital Gains and Losses, and Form 1040, as applicable. Manually Enter Form […]
Jury duty pay is generally taxable and must be reported on your return. If you were required to remit your jury duty pay to your employer because your employer continued to pay your wages during your jury service, the amount paid to your employer is deductible as an adjustment to income. Jury Duty Pay To […]
To report rental income from personal property in the TaxAct program, follow the steps below. Online Dashboard From within your TaxAct return, click Income. On smaller devices, click the menu at the top left corner of your screen, then make your selection. Click the Explore More drop-down. Click Add beside Other Income. Click Continue, then enter […]
To enter long-term care premiums paid, follow the steps below. Online Dashboard From within your TaxAct return, click Deductions & Credits. On smaller devices, click the menu at the top left corner of your screen, then make your selection. Click the Medical drop-down. Click Add beside Medical Expenses. Enter your medical insurance premiums paid (if applicable), […]
TaxAct has a tool to compare how Married Filing Jointly vs. Married Filing Separate will benefit you so you can choose how to file (add a state to your return, and the federal information will flow there so you can see how your state tax laws affect your return too). To view the Joint Vs. […]
You may or may not receive Form W-2G, Certain Gambling Winnings, but you can report all gambling winnings in the same place in the TaxAct program. Gambling winnings are reported as Other Income on Schedule 1 (Form 1040) Additional Income and Adjustments to Income, Line 8. If you are able to itemize your deductions, gambling […]
You may or may not have received a Form W-2G, Certain Gambling Winnings, for your gambling winnings. To enter your gambling winnings, follow the steps below. Online Dashboard From within your TaxAct return, click Income. On smaller devices, click the menu at the top left corner of your screen, then make your selection. Click the […]
If you have received a Form W-2C, Corrected Wage and Tax Statement (a corrected W-2 form), you can still electronically file your return. Enter the information from your Form W-2C as a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement in the program. See Entering in Program – Form W-2 to access the Form W-2. There is […]
If you received Form(s) W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and some or all of your wages are exempt by tax treaty, you will need to manually adjust your W-2 entry to reflect only the wages that are not exempt by tax treaty. Wages which are exempt by tax treaty should be reported on Schedule OI. […]
Active duty military who are moving due to a military-ordered permanent change of station (PCS) can use Form 3903 to calculate any deductible moving expenses. The expenses are calculated on Form 3903, Moving Expenses, and reported as an adjustment on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), Additional Income and Adjustments to Income, Line 14. See the IRS Instructions […]
If the IRS rejects an e-file because of an Employer Identification Number (EIN) mismatch, you will receive rejection code FW2-502, 1099R-502-01, F2439-502, or FW2G-502. Keep in mind this type of rejection does not automatically mean the EIN is wrong, but it doesn’t agree with IRS records. An invalid EIN can result from one of three […]
Form 1042-S Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding is used to report amounts paid to foreign persons (including persons presumed to be foreign) that are subject to tax withholding, even if no amount is deducted and withheld from the payment because of a treaty or exception to taxation, or if any amount withheld […]
Form 1042-S Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding is used to report amounts paid to foreign persons (including persons presumed to be foreign) that are subject to tax withholding, even if no amount is deducted and withheld from the payment because of a treaty or code exception to taxation, or if any amount […]
To enter household employee wages not reported on Forms W-2 in the TaxAct program, follow the steps below. Online Dashboard From within your TaxAct return, click Income. On smaller devices, click the menu at the top left corner of your screen, then make your selection. Click the Wages & Salaries drop-down. Click Add beside Household Employee […]
Amounts you receive as workers’ compensation for an occupational sickness or injury are generally excluded from income if they’re paid under a workers’ compensation law or statute. This type of income is not included on your tax return using the TaxAct program. If you have received an IRS Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement for […]
Bona fide residents of Puerto Rico generally don’t have to file a U.S. federal return if all their income is from Puerto Rico. A federal return is required only when they receive income from outside Puerto Rico that exceeds the usual IRS filing thresholds, and Puerto Rico–source income is typically excluded from that return. U.S. […]
Newspaper Carriers and Distributors typically receive Form 1099-MISC reporting their income. This is entered in TaxAct by following the steps in the Form 1099-MISC – Entering in Program FAQ. After you enter the income, if the income should not be subject to SE Tax, enter an adjustment on Schedule SE (Form 1040). Follow the steps […]
You will receive a Form 1099-Q from each qualified tuition program (529 plan) or Coverdell ESA from which you received a distribution during the tax year. The amount of your gross distribution (Box 1) shown on each form will be divided between your earnings (Box 2) and your basis or return of investment (Box 3). […]
To report that you or your spouse have an IRS approved Form 4361 in the TaxAct program, follow the steps below. Online Dashboard From within your TaxAct return, click Taxes & Miscellaneous. On smaller devices, click the menu at the top left corner of your screen, then make your selection. Click the Additional Tax Payments drop-down. […]
Exempt Wages Clergy, minister, or missionary wages reported on Form W-2 are subject to self-employment taxes, but no Social Security and Medicare taxes are withheld. While entering your Form W-2, you will see a screen that says W2: Tell us if any of these situations apply. Here you can select Income earned as a minister […]
The taxability of any settlement or judgment depends on what the payment is intended to replace; its character mirrors the nature of the underlying claim. Items treated as ordinary income generally include: Interest paid on an award or settlement. Payments for lost wages or lost business income, in most situations. Punitive damages, even when connected […]
An HSA or Archer MSA distribution isn’t taxable if you used it to pay qualified medical expenses of the account holder or eligible family member or you rolled it over. An HSA may be rolled over to another HSA; an Archer MSA may be rolled over to another Archer MSA or an HSA. An MA […]
Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage Plans) is another way to get your Medicare benefits. It combines Part A, Part B, and sometimes Part D (prescription drug) coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans are managed by private insurance companies approved by Medicare. These plans must cover medically necessary services. Medicare C is reported on Form 1099-SA, Distributions from […]
Use Form 1099-S, Proceeds From Real Estate Transactions, to report proceeds from real estate transactions. You will report the information on a specific part of the form, depending on how you use the property: main home, timeshare/vacation home, investment property, business, or rental. To report your real estate proceeds in the TaxAct program, follow the steps below. […]
A cooperative files Form 1099-PATR, Taxable Distributions Received From Cooperatives, for each person paid at least $10 in dividends and other distributions. If you received a Form 1099-PATR, you will need to determine if the amount needs to be entered on your return. If the purchases you made from the cooperative were only for personal […]
In most circumstances, when a Federal Government agency, financial institution, or credit union cancels or forgives a debt of $600 or more, you will receive Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt. The amount of canceled debt appears in Box 2. Other important information may appear in additional boxes, such as: Box 1 – Date of identifiable […]
If you received a Form 1099-A, Acquisition or Abandonment of Secured Property, you need to determine if there has been a cancellation of debt. The lender should have sent you a Form 1099-C Cancellation of Debt if any debt was canceled. If you have not received a Form 1099-C, you may want to contact your […]
Entries on Form 1099-G Certain Government Payments, Box 6 (this covers certain government payments) are generally reported on IRS Schedule 1 (Form 1040) Additional Income and Adjustments to Income, Line 8. If the item relates to an activity for which you are required to file Schedule C, Schedule E, Schedule F, or Form 4835, you need […]
See below for the detailed steps on how to enter or review your unemployment compensation information in the TaxAct program. It is reported on Schedule 1 (Form 1040). For more information, review Publication 525. Online Dashboard From within your TaxAct return, click Income. On smaller devices, click the menu at the top left corner of […]
See IRS Publication 504 for more information about alimony. NOTE: Amounts paid as alimony or separate maintenance payments under a divorce or separation agreement executed after 2018 are not deductible by the payer and are not included in the income of the recipient. Alimony Received To enter alimony received in the TaxAct program, follow the […]
Form 1099-K is required to be issued by payment card companies, payment apps and online marketplaces to report payments made in settlement of reportable payment transactions. Like Form W-2 or 1099-NEC, this form will be issued to the taxpayer and the IRS by the issuer. See the FAQ Form 1099-K – Entering in Program for […]
If you are not engaged in the activity for profit, then the activity may be considered a hobby. You are still required to report hobby income on your tax return. See IRS Publication 17 for details. NOTE: You may not claim hobby expenses (at least through 2025, pending further legislation). Online Dashboard From within […]
Form 1099-K is required to be issued by payment card companies, payment apps and online marketplaces to report payments made in settlement of reportable payment transactions. Like Form W-2 or 1099-NEC, this form will be issued to the taxpayer and the IRS by the issuer. See the FAQ Form 1099-K – Entering in Program for […]
Form 1099-K is required to be issued by payment card companies, payment apps and online marketplaces to report payments made in settlement of reportable payment transactions. Like Form W-2 or 1099-NEC, this form will be issued to the taxpayer and the IRS by the issuer. See the IRS Instructions for Form 1099-K for a list […]
To enter a description and an amount for “Other Income” that needs to be reported on Form 1040, follow the steps below. This would be any income that is not reported elsewhere on another form or schedule. In 2024, the amount flows to Schedule 1, line 8z with “Worksheet attached” on the description line. The […]
To enter a description and an amount for “Other Income” that needs to be reported on Form 1040, follow the steps below. This would be any income that is not reported elsewhere on another form or schedule. The amount flows to Schedule 1, line 8z with “Worksheet attached” on the description line. The worksheet “Other […]
If the Box 13 Statutory employee is checked on your Form W-2, the income needs to be reported on Schedule C. To enter statutory employee income, Add or edit Form W-2 (see the Form W-2 – Entering in Program FAQ for details). During the interview process, on the screen titled W-2: Enter Your information, below Box […]
You can report more than one Form W-2 in the TaxAct program. You might receive more than one Form W-2 if you changed jobs or worked for more than one employer during a tax year. To report more than one Form W-2, follow the steps below. Online Dashboards From within your TaxAct return, click Income. […]
Substantiated employee business expense reimbursements are reported on Box 12 of Form W-2. If you don’t use this expense, the unused amount would be taxed as wages. Excess reimbursements. If you are not a member of the Armed Forces reserves, a qualified performing artist, a fee-basis state or local government official, or an employee with […]
In the TaxAct program, you can add, review/edit, delete, and add multiple copies of Form W-2. If you need to add Form W-2, read the instructions in the article Form W-2 – Entering in Program. To add multiple copies of Form W-2, read the instructions in the article Form W-2 – Filing Multiple Copies. Review […]
Box 14 of Form W-2 allows your employer to enter a variety of information. Employers might use abbreviations and codes in Box 14, and you may need to ask your employer to interpret those abbreviations or codes. Reporting Box 14 information in your W-2 in TaxAct is only for your benefit and tax records. The […]
Reporting your income from Form W-2 is simple in TaxAct. The steps vary depending on which version of TaxAct you are using. Online If it’s your first time through the Q&A, just follow the interview process. On the screen titled What kind of income did you have in 20XX?, click the checkbox next to Worked […]
Refer to IRS Publication 225 Farmer’s Tax Guide for complete instructions. Most government program payments are reported on Schedule F, Part I. This includes government payments, conservation program payments, indemnity payments for livestock killed by a natural disaster, cost-sharing payments, and forage disaster payments (cash, materials, services, etc.). If a government payment is paid and […]
If you have not have filed your federal income tax return for this year, or previous years, and you are required to file, you need to file your tax return as soon as possible. Go to the IRS Topic No. 153 What to Do if You Haven’t Filed Your Tax Return webpage for more information. […]
Box 15 on Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement must list the state for which the employer withheld the taxes and, more importantly, to which the employer remitted the taxes. If it doesn’t, the state claimed will reject the withholdings, as they never received them from the employer. You must always contact the employer for […]
Employers are required to report the cost of an employee’s health care benefits in Box 12 of Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement, using code “DD” to identify the amount. This amount is reported for informational purposes only and is NOT taxable. It is included in Box 12 in order to provide comparable consumer information […]
Per IRS Publication 970, page 5: Tax-Free Scholarships and Fellowship Grants A scholarship or fellowship grant is tax free (excludable from gross income) only if you are a candidate for a degree at an eligible educational institution. A scholarship or fellowship grant is tax free only to the extent: It doesn’t exceed your qualified education […]
Use Form 1099-S Proceeds From Real Estate Transactions to report proceeds from real estate transactions. How the property is used (personal, investment, business) will determine where the information is reported. For more information, go to IRS Instructions for Form 1099-S. Reporting real estate for personal use: If the 1099-S was for the sale of your […]
If you received RTAA payments and are required to report them as income, they must be reported as “Other income” on Schedule 1 of Form 1040. Online Dashboard From within your TaxAct return, click Income. On smaller devices, click the menu at the top left corner of your screen, then make your selection. Click the […]
Per IRS Instructions for Forms 1099-QA and 5498-QA, page 1: Qualified ABLE program A qualified ABLE program is a program established and maintained by a state, or agency, or instrumentality of a state: Under which an ABLE account may be established for a blind or disabled individual whose blindness or disability occurred before age 26 (an “eligible […]
Cash For Keys Program: Financial institutions initiating a foreclosure process on a home indicates that it is willing to pay the homeowner a set amount of cash in exchange for the keys to the home. The cash may be based on a percentage of the appraised value of the home or it may simply be […]
The IRS has a Business Rule (or rejection code) that will reject a return with state winnings in Box 14 of the Form W-2G Certain Gambling Winnings, if either the state abbreviation or state ID field is missing. The alert is looking for “valid” data. You can enter any of the following in the State […]
The Additional Medicare Tax is an additional (0.9%) tax to wages, compensation, and self-employment income, if an individual’s income exceeds the threshold amount for their individual filing status. This is a new tax added by the creation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). For more information, please use the IRS Questions and Answers for the […]
How the information from Form W-2VI U.S. Virgin Islands Wage and Tax Statement is reported on your return depends on whether you were considered a BONA FIDE resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Per the IRS Individuals Living or Working in U.S. Territories/Possessions webpage: IRC 937 establishes the criteria for determining the residency of an […]
One of the requirements for the Child and Dependent Care Credit is that you and your spouse must have earned income during the year. You may wish to review your Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement entries. If you have entered one or more Forms W-2 but mislabeled them for the same spouse, this could […]
The payment or receipt of child support does not affect your taxable income. You should not report child support payments in your income. If you make child support payments, you cannot deduct the amount you paid. If you receive child support payments, the amount you receive is not taxed. Do not report this amount on […]
As a general rule, if you only occasionally sell timber (one or two sales every three or four years), you are not in the timber business and not required to file Form T Forest Activities Schedule (the TaxAct program does not support IRS Form T; you will need to go to the IRS website to […]
You can use the Tax Calculator to answer a few simple questions about your life, income, and expenses, and get an idea of whether you should expect a refund and how much, or if you’ll owe the IRS when you file taxes in the future. To use the Tax Calculator in your TaxAct return: Online […]
All unemployment compensation you receive is taxable and included in your gross income. If you received unemployment compensation during the year, you should receive a Form 1099-G Certain Government Payments showing the amount you were paid. This amount must be included in your income. To enter or review your unemployment compensation information from Form 1099-G […]
The TaxAct® program supports the entry of up to ten (10) Forms 1099-C Cancellation of Debt. If you have more than ten to enter, you will need to group your forms according to the nature of the canceled debt. Once the forms are grouped, you can enter the combined amounts on one or more Forms […]
Per the IRS Topic No. 431 Canceled Debt – Is It Taxable or Not? webpage: If you borrow money and are legally obligated to repay a fixed or determinable amount at a future date, you have a debt. You may be personally liable for a debt or may own a property that’s subject to a debt. […]
There are two types of Tax Rates related to your tax return: the “Marginal Tax Rate” and the “Effective Tax Rate” Marginal Tax RateThe marginal tax rate (aka Marginal Tax Bracket) is the federal income tax rate that will be applied to any additional income that you might receive. For example, if your marginal tax […]
The worksheet in the TaxAct® program titled “Federal Form 1040 Other Income – Supporting Details for Federal Schedule 1 (Form 1040) Line 8” is a TaxAct worksheet and not an IRS form. There are two lines to enter descriptions for miscellaneous income and the amount for each item. If you have more than two income […]
For the TaxAct® programs, the income amount can be between $-999,999,999.99 and $999,999,999.99.
Payments received for being an executor of an estate are considered taxable income. The information below will help to determine if this income is subject to self-employment tax or not and where to enter it in your TaxAct® return. Per IRS Publication 559 Survivors, Executors, and Administrators, page 5: Fees Received by Personal Representatives All personal representatives must […]
Payments you receive for providing care to foster individuals generally are not included in your income. However, you must include payments received for the care of more than five individuals age 19 or older and certain difficulty-of-care payments. Per IRS Publication 525 Taxable and Nontaxable Income, page 34: Foster care providers. Generally, payment you receive […]
Many states require income tax returns to incorporate two-dimensional (2D) barcodes on forms. These 2D barcodes contain more information than conventional barcodes you see on retail packages. Conventional barcodes get wider as more data is encoded, while 2D barcodes make use of the vertical dimension for data. These barcodes contain all pertinent tax information from […]
Generally, you must include in gross income everything you receive in payment for personal services. Per IRS Publication 525 Taxable and Nontaxable Income, page 4: Severance pay. You must include in income amounts you receive as severance pay and any payment for the cancellation of your employment contract. Note that any link in the information […]
Per IRS Publication 907 Tax Highlights for Persons with Disabilities, page 4: VA disability benefits. Don’t include disability benefits you receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in your gross income. If you are a military retiree and don’t receive your disability benefits from the VA, see Pub. 525 for more information. Don’t include […]
The wage brackets for income tax withholding are outlined by the IRS in Publication 15-T Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods (this publication is released early each calendar year). 1. Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems If you have an automated payroll system, use the worksheet below and the Percentage Method tables that follow to […]
Beginning in 2009, the spouse of a servicemember is no longer required to release their residency of the servicemember’s domicile state. This means that if the couple was domiciled in State A and then moved (due to the servicemember’s military orders) to State B, the spouse can now elect (subject to state instructions, which do […]
Per the IRS Individuals Living or Working in U.S. Territories/Possessions webpage: An individual who has income from American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands will usually have to file a tax return with the tax department of one of these territories. In some situations, […]
If you have state or local withholdings for more than eight states, you will need to create another Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement in the TaxAct program to enter the additional state and or local withholdings. Be sure to select the state and locality from the drop-downs for Boxes 15 and 20 again. You will not be […]
The TaxAct program supports the entry of 150 copies of Forms W-2G for Gambling Winnings. If you have more than 150 Forms W-2G, you need to enter the total amount into your return and paper-file the return so you can attach copies of each Form W-2G that you received. While you can e-file the return by […]
The TaxAct program does not provide Alerts regarding the limits on deferred income as there are many situations where the limits may vary. This is outlined in detail in IRS Publication 525 Taxable and Nontaxable Income. Your employer or plan administrator should apply the proper annual limit when figuring your plan contributions; however, you are […]
Per IRS Publication 17 Your Federal Income Tax (For Individuals), page 74: Child support payments. You shouldn’t report these payments on your return. See Pub. 504 for more information. Per IRS Publication 504 Divorced or Separated Individuals, page 14: Child support. To determine whether a payment is child support, see the discussion under Certain Rules […]
TaxAct supports entering an address up to 35 characters on Federal Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, as that is the number of characters allowed for e-filing by the IRS. If you e-file your return, you will need to abbreviate some parts of the address if it exceeds 35 characters in length. If you […]
Per IRS Publication 525 Taxable and Nontaxable Income, page 22: Life Insurance Proceeds Life insurance proceeds paid to you because of the death of the insured person aren’t taxable on the Federal unless the policy was turned over to you for a price. This is true even if the proceeds were paid under an accident […]
Form 1042-S Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding is used to report amounts paid to foreign persons (including persons presumed to be foreign) that are subject to tax withholding, even if no amount is deducted and withheld from the payment because of a treaty or code exception to taxation or if any amount […]
Per IRS Instructions for Form 1040 and 1040-SR: Rounding Off to Whole Dollars You can round off cents to whole dollars on your return and schedules. Any amounts under $.50 would be rounded down to the nearest dollar. Amounts that are $.50 and over are rounded up to the nearest dollar. If you have to […]
Per IRS Publication 550 Investment Income and Expenses, on page 65: Form 1099-CAP transactions. If a corporation in which you own stock has had a change in control or a substantial change in capital structure, you should receive Form 1099-CAP, Changes in Corporate Control and Capital Structure, from the corporation. Use the Form 1099-CAP to […]
If the Government bought the right of way on a piece of land for some purpose (i.e. to run water or sewer lines) then the following information may be of help if this would be considered a granting of an easement. Per IRS Publication 544 Sales and Other Dispositions of Assets, page 3: Easement. The […]
Per IRS instructions, when making a line item entry that contains multiple documents, add all amounts and then round the total with 50 cents or more rounding up to the next dollar and 49 cents or less rounding down. For items listed individually (i.e. on Schedule B (Form 1040) Interest and Ordinary Dividends) and transmitted […]
Railroad employees have these possible entries in Box 14 of Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement: RRTA Compensation Tier I Tier II Medicare Tax Additional Medicare Tax If you’re a railroad employee covered by the Railroad Retirement Act (RRTA), these amounts are located in Box 14 with the previous descriptions. Enter the correct amounts for […]
The IRS’s moving expense deduction has been temporarily suspended since 2018. The only exceptions are for active-duty members of the Armed Forces who are required by military order to move because of a permanent change of station. An amount with code “P” will transfer to Line 4 of Form 3903 Moving Expenses for moving expenses. Form 3903 can be […]
If you are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces who serves in a combat zone, you may exclude certain pay from your income. You do not actually need to show the exclusion on your tax return because income that qualifies for the exclusion is not included in the wages reported on your Form W-2 […]
If an employer issues two separate Forms W-2: Wage and Tax Statement, and both contain state-specific information from different states, but only one contains federal information, you can combine the two sets of state information when you enter it into TaxAct. Doing so allows you to file the return electronically, and ensures that all state information […]
When you receive income, the payer will usually have to send you an income statement that shows taxes withheld each year. Depending on the type of income, you will receive a different type of form. Forms that you receive need to be reported on your tax return, and the TaxAct program will ask what forms […]
If your employer provides dependent care benefits under a qualified plan, you may be able to exclude these benefits from your income. Your employer can tell you whether your benefit plan qualifies. The amount you can exclude is limited to the smallest of: The total amount of dependent care benefits you received during the year, […]
Alimony in solido (also referred to as lump sum alimony) is alimony in the nature of a final property settlement award that is not subject to change. It is an award of a definite sum of money to be paid in a lump sum or as installments over a definite period of time to make […]
Per IRS Publication 525 Taxable and Nontaxable Income, page 31: Court awards and damages. To determine if settlement amounts you receive by compromise or judgment must be included in your income, you must consider the item that the settlement replaces. The character of the income as ordinary income or capital gain depends on the nature […]
To access Form 8815 Exclusion of Interest From Series EE and I U.S. Savings Bonds Issued After 1989 (For Filers With Qualified Higher Education Expenses): From within your TaxAct return (Online or Desktop), click Federal (on smaller devices, click in the top left corner of your screen, then click Federal). Click the Investment Income dropdown, then […]
Report IPERS (Iowa Public Employees Retirement System) in Box 14 as it appears on the Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement document. IPERS contributions are automatically excluded from taxable wages in Box 1 on Form W-2. There is no additional reporting required. If you need help reporting your Form W-2 in the TaxAct program, go to […]
Code “Q” is nontaxable combat pay. In TaxAct®, this is entered in Box 12 of Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement. To enter military wages reported on a W-2 (if you need help reporting Form W-2 in the TaxAct program, go to our Form W-2 – Entering in Program FAQ): From within your Form W-2, […]
Mandatory State Disability Insurance (SDI) contributions are mandatory contributions you made to: the Rhode Island Temporary Disability Benefit Fund, the Washington State Supplemental Workmen’s Compensation Fund, or the California Nonoccupational Disability Benefit Fund (CA residents: This amount may be reported to you in Box 14 or Box 19 of your W-2 as “SDI” or “CASDI.”) […]
Per IRS Publication 531 Reporting Tip Income, page 2: All tips you receive are income and are subject to federal income tax. You must include in gross income all tips you receive directly, charged tips paid to you by your employer, and your share of any tips you receive under a tip-splitting or tip-pooling arrangement. […]
In the federal section of the interview process, you will report your Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement information in the TaxAct program. The state withholding amounts will flow to your state return in addition to your federal return. Fill out Form W-2 in your TaxAct return, and enter your State Taxes and Local Taxes […]
Some types of income you receive are not taxable. When you total your gross income to determine whether you are required to file a tax return, do not include your nontaxable income. Keep records of your nontaxable income. Some types of income that generally are not taxable include: Child support payments Welfare benefits Life insurance […]
Employee Stock Option Plan If you have done a same-day sale, all of the income and tax withholdings should be reported on your Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement. You should not have to report any gain or tax withholdings elsewhere on your return. You will want to verify with your employer that this information […]
Before you file your current year’s tax return, you should make sure you have all necessary documents including Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement. You should receive a Form W-2 from each of your employers. Employers have until January 31, 2025, to send you a 2024 Form W-2 earnings statement. If you haven’t received your W-2, […]
Although it is possible to prepare a preliminary tax return based on your final pay stub for the year, your pay stub is not the official IRS-recognized document for your income. Taxpayers should not use their final pay stub, a similar substitute form, Form 4852, or Form 1099-R to file their income tax return prior to the receipt […]
Form W-2C Corrected Wage and Tax Statement is issued by an employer if they discover they made a mistake on Form W-2. In TaxAct, you enter your wage information the same way whether you receive Form W-2 or Form W-2C. If you need help reporting the corrected W-2, read our article Form W-2 – Entering in Program. If […]
If you received Form 1099-C Cancellation of Debt and are eligible to exclude a canceled debt from your income because of any of the following, file Form 982 Reduction of Tax Attributes Due to Discharge of Indebtedness (and Section 1082 Basis Adjustment) with your return. Note: If you didn’t receive a Form 1099-C from the lender, you probably don’t have canceled debt […]
In the United States, federal taxes apply to workers no matter where they live. State taxes, however, can vary — especially for workers who live and work in different states. Generally, if you live in one state but work in another, you must file an income tax return in both states. This is because withholding […]
The information below will help you determine if Short Term Disability payments you received are taxable income on your return. Per IRS Publication 525 Taxable and Nontaxable Income: Sickness and Injury Benefits In most cases, you must report as income any amount you receive for personal injury or sickness through an accident or health plan […]
Tax Reform Update: Employee business expenses can be claimed only by Armed Forces reservists, qualified performing artists, fee-basis state or local government officials, and employees with impairment-related work expenses. Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement, Box 14, can be used by the employer to give other information to an employee. If you have an amount in Box […]
Per IRS Instructions for Schedule D Capital Gains and Losses, page D-2: Sale of Your Home You may not need to report the sale or exchange of your main home. If you must report it, complete Form 8949 before Schedule D. Report the sale or exchange of your main home on Form 8949 if: You […]
The IRS has a Business Rule, or rejection code, that will reject a return with wages in Box 16 of Form W-2: Wage and Tax Statement, if either the state abbreviation or state ID field contains incorrect data. This error often appears if you’ve entered only one or more zeroes into either of these fields. TaxAct does not recognize […]
If you cannot get a W-2 from your employer, you can file Form 4852 Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement. TaxAct does not provide Form 4852, so you’ll need to print a hard copy of your return, attach Form 4852, and mail it to the IRS. To submit a substitute for Form W-2: Download and […]
A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) allows employees to be reimbursed for medical or dependent care benefits from an account they set up with pretax dollars. Salary-reduction contributions to an FSA aren’t included in taxable wages reported on Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement, and are not eligible as tax deductions. Under a typical FSA, you […]
