Do you need to amend 2009 medical premiums reported on Form 1099-R for Public Safety Officers?

Some former Public Safety Officers (PSOs) who reported 1099-R income on their 2009 tax returns will need to amend their returns to ensure their medical insurance premiums are entered correctly.

TurboTax automatically transfers the premium amount from the 1099-R form, entered in the Wages & Income section, to medical expenses in the Credits & Deductions section. Taxpayers should not enter this amount again in the medical deduction section of Deductions and Credits.

Entering insurance premiums twice could cause the amount of the medical deduction to be incorrect and also cause the related state return to be inaccurate.

To learn if you need to amend, please see below.

Follow these steps to find out if you are affected by this issue and need to amend your 2009 tax return. If you are affected, please click on the links in the section below for amending instructions.

Note: If you used TurboTax Online to prepare your 2009 return, you won't be able to follow the instructions below. Please contact TurboTax at 1-800-624-2088 (Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm Pacific time).

  

1. Open your tax return in the TurboTax desktop or downloaded software.
2. Click the Federal Taxes tab, and then click Wages & Income (or Income) right below the tab.
   • Home & Business version: Click the Personal tab, and then click Personal Income right below the tab.
3. On the Your Income or Your Personal Income screen, scroll down to the Retirement Plans and Social Security section.
4. Click the Update button to the right of IRA, 401(k), Pension Plans (1099-R) topic. If this topic displays a Start button instead, STOP. You are not affected by this issue and do not need to take further action.
5. On the Your 1099-R Summary or Form 1099-R Summary screen, click Edit next to the item that reports your PSO pension.
   • If you do not see this item, STOP. You are not affected by this issue and do not need to take further action.
6. Continue until you reach the Take a Look at Your 1099-R or Enter Form 1099-R screen. Write down the amount, if any, from Box 5 - Employee Contributions/Designated ROTH Contributions or Insurance Premiums.
7. Next, you will look for any medical premium deductions you may have entered as medical expenses.
   • Note: If you have not written down any Medicare or medical insurance premium amounts from Step 6, STOP. You are not affected by this issue and do not need to take further action.
8. Click Deductions & Credits near the top of your screen, beneath the row of tabs, and then click Explore on My Own.
9. On the Your Deductions and Credits screen, scroll down to the Medical section.
10. Click the Update or Revisit button to the right of the Medical Expenses topic.
    • If this topic displays a Start button instead, STOP. You are not affected by this issue and do not need to take further action.
11. Answer Yes, and then click Continue until you arrive at the Enter Insurance Premiums screen.
12. Look at the amount you entered in the Medical Insurance Premiums field.
    • If you left this field blank, STOP. You are not affected by this issue and do not need to take further action.
    • If you entered the same amount (or the sum of amounts) you wrote down in Step 6, you are affected by this issue and will need to amend your return.
    • If you do not have medical insurance (other than Medicare or the insurance from your pension), an amount in the Medical Insurance Premiums field is a duplicate entry already reported on the 1099-R form. You are affected by this issue and will need to amend your return.
    • If you have medical insurance (in addition to Medicare or the insurance from your pension), multiply your monthly insurance premium by 12 and subtract the result from the amount in the Medical Insurance Premiums field. If that amount is the same amount you wrote down in Step 6, you are affected by this issue and will need to amend your return.