Announcements

TurboTax updates software with additional guidance for CSA/CSF 1099R

Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam
Published Apr 7, 2010 - [Updated Jul 22, 2019]
2 min read

We recently became aware of a situation in TurboTax where a small number of customers, less than one tenth of one percent, may have inadvertently entered their health insurance premium information twice. As a result, these customers may have underpaid their taxes.

We have already updated the TurboTax interview with additional clarifying language to eliminate any possible confusion for taxpayers.

This will only affect you if ALL of the following apply to your tax situation:

1. You receive a CSA or CSF 1099R

2. You had health insurance premiums paid on your behalf by the pension administrator

3. You had medical expenses that exceeded the 7.5% AGI limitation

4. You enter your health insurance premiums twice – once in the income section and once in the deductions section

5. You itemized your deductions

We take this very seriously and are ready to assist customers who may be impacted by penalties and interest, which we will reimburse consistent with our accuracy guarantee.

If you think that you might have been affected, this FAQ will provide you with additional information.

We are continuing to work closely with the IRS. Their response to taxpayers is below:

“The IRS recently learned about a potential issue for a small number of federal government civil service retirees who used Intuit’s TurboTax software product. Based on initial information, we believe that this issue could potentially impact a very small number of taxpayers.

This situation involves a very specific scenario involving the Form 1099-R, where individuals may have interpreted the software-prompted question in a way that double counts their health premiums. In order for the issue to appear, the individual would have to also itemize their deductions on Schedule A, and claim health expenses above 7.5 percent of their income. Based on the scenario involved, we expect the number of impacted taxpayers to be very small.

Intuit is in the process of identifying the taxpayers who may have been affected and will reach out to them. Taxpayers who think they may be in this situation should contact TurboTax for assistance. Taxpayers who discover errors on their tax returns should allow the IRS to complete processing of those returns before filing the Form 1040X to amend the returns. The IRS will continue to work closely with Intuit and taxpayers affected by this issue.

Generally, using computer software to prepare a return not only produces a faster refund, but also enables taxpayers to avoid math errors or inadvertently omitted schedules or forms. A return prepared by software and e-filed is generally far more accurate than a manually prepared return.”

5 responses to “TurboTax updates software with additional guidance for CSA/CSF 1099R”

Charles Jachim says:

April 13, 2013 at 6:03 pm

I just read your comment regarding a TurboTax error in relation to health insurance premiums and CSA 1099-Rs. I also noted that you made your comment in July, 2010. I just experienced the same problem this week. I rechecked all my entries and am certain the error was caused by TurboTax. I probably would have experienced the same problem in previous years but did not have enough medical expenses to itemize them. I can’t believe TurboTax has not yet acknowledged the error and corrected their software.

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Joyce Rees says:

March 26, 2012 at 2:11 pm

According to the Office of Personnel Management the insurance premuims are taken post-tax. Shouldn’t the amount on line 5 of the 1099-R (CSA) form be included on line 2A of the Medical Deduction Worksheet.

The Gross Distribution and the Taxable amount on the 1099-R (CSA) are the same amount. The box Taxable Amount Not Determined is checked. If the insurance premiums are not included as a medical deduction, should the taxable amount be reduced my the insurance premium amount?

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Joan Leland says:

September 3, 2010 at 8:31 am

I have had the same experience as the previous correspondent – I was able to amend my 2009 return, but the electronic files for 2008 and 2007 were corrupted, apparently by the automatic updating during the reloading of the Turbo Tax programs. Fortunately, I have the wits at least to aim at amending accurately with just the hard copies, but what about all the folks who have never done this and are going to have to pay big money when they get a notice to amend?

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Donald Blais says:

August 4, 2010 at 8:16 am

The above notice states that taxpayers who discover errors on their tax returns should allow the IRS to complete processing of those returns before filing the Form 1040X to amend the returns.

How would one know when the IRS copletes that processing?

The above message implies falsely that errors would be the result of taxpayer interpretation of the Turbo Tax instructions. The fact is that a correct and literal interpretation of the instructions is the cause of the error. Nowhere do the instructions point out that Turbo Tax has secretly lifted the 1099R entries and added them to the medical deductions computation.

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James S. Robertson says:

July 24, 2010 at 9:09 am

Good afternoon.

I believe I inadvertently utilized my Turbotax in an incorrect manner regarding FICA income and Schd.A counting of Medicare expense as a deduction for one or more years using Turbotax.

Attempts to bring up my Turbotax file have been futile and I continue to get error 1601 when attempting to download Installer “SP1”. The only record I now have is hardcopy of respective Fed. & SC State tax forms filed over the last 10+ yrs. using Turbotax.

I need major assistance in getting 1st – Turbotax 2009 onto my Desktop so I can recompute respective taxes to determine what I may have underpaid for possibly 3 years.

I would appreciate the assistance of a knowledgeable preson who knows computer faults and can assist me in getting software reinstalled on my desktop.

Thank you,

Jim Robertson, retired but not retarded (smile).

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