Thank you to those who have been helping me. I appreciate the advice.

I have the online version of TT, which is now paid for. Is there any way to access the forms now, as opposed to working in the Q & A mode?

I am able to view my return and the supporting documents. Although I listed "Nominee of (my husband's law firm and EIN)" under "Description" of his business expense, I cannot determine where this information is now found. I thought it would be on the Schedule C itself, but I do not see it there.

Another question I have pertains to HSA. We have one, but the only contributions that were made to it were by my husband's employer. Do I understand correctly that it is pointless to share this info with TT since I cannot claim a tax deduction on contributions made by an employer? Somehow TT has listed the amount in our HSA of $639 as "Less Common Income." Do I need to go into the program and delete this information all together? I think I entered it once, before I understood the issue, and somehow did not manage to delete it.

Easter

I can answer one of your questions. Forms mode is ONLY available in the desktop version.

http://turbotax.intuit.com/support/iq/Forms-Mode/Using-Forms...

Also, regarding Schedule C. You should see the expense amount you entered on line 27a of the Schedule C. To wit:

Part II Expenses....

27a Other expenses (from line 48)......... 27a "amount"

Part III N/A

Part IV N/A

Part V Other Expenses - ********* It's here. ******* With the amount and description you entered for it. Then it is totaled on Line 48, Total other expenses. Bottom of Page 2 of Schedule C.

>>>>>>>

Perhaps someone else can help you with the HSA amount of $639 showing up as "Less Common Income" in TT. ???

ML

Easter

Here's the answer to the HSA question. Since it is a contribution by your husbands employer, it is NOT considered income to you (nor is it your deduction).

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p969.pdf

Page 2. INTRODUCTION. 2nd paragraph.

<<<Contributions, other than employer contributions, are deductible ... Employer contributions are not included in income.>>> I had a little trouble with that copy/paste. Read the whole paragraph in the link.

Where you enter the HSA info? I don't know. ??? It would seem that there should be a record of it somewhere on your return. But, it is NOT income.

ML

Another question I have pertains to HSA. We have one, but the only contributions that were made to it were by my husband's employer. Do I understand correctly that it is pointless to share this info with TT since I cannot claim a tax deduction on contributions made by an employer?

It is not pointless to share, as we used to say in CA. If there were HSA contributions by anyone, including the employer, you need to include Form 8889 with your return. See Pub 969.

Phil
Rule Your Retirement Home Fool

Thank you, Phil. I skimmed the publication and the form. I think I know how to handle this now through TT.

One more new issue. My husband has a Simple Ira through his employer. He contributes 3% of his income, and his employer matches this. I did not receive any forms regarding this, but there is an amount listed in box 12a on his W2, and in box 13 there is a check mark next to the words, "Retirement Plan."

(TT suggests the amount in box 12 should reflect the employer's contribution to the HSA, but in our case this isn't correct. The amount in 12a is much too high to be the HSA contribution.)

My questions are: Do you have any advice about where I find the employer's contribution to the HSA? Do I report anything about the Simple IRA to the government? By the way, we have never withdrawn any money from the IRA account.

Thank you.

Easter

My husband has a Simple Ira through his employer. He contributes 3% of his income, and his employer matches this. I did not receive any forms regarding this, but there is an amount listed in box 12a on his W2, and in box 13 there is a check mark next to the words, "Retirement Plan."

You don't receive any tax-reporting statement about the SIMPLE since it will not ordinarily affect your 1040. The box 12 amount should have a code that indicates what it is. Check the back of Copy C of the W-2 or elsewhere for the magic decoder list. I suspect that's your husband's SIMPLE contribution.

I'd look in Box 14 for the HSA contribution, but it should definitely be in either 12 or 14 if it's on the W-2. If it's not on the W-2 it should be on his HSA statement.

If you've entered all the information from the W-2 into TT and answered any questions about the W-2, for the life of me I can't figure out why TT is telling you to look for something on the W-2.

Phil
Rule Your Retirement Home Fool

I'd look in Box 14 for the HSA contribution,

HSA withheld goes in box 12, code W. It doesn't get reported on your return anywhere. Form 8889 specifically says NOT to include any contributions your employer reports on your W-2.

I only know all this because I just finished up a return with an HSA. And since CA has chosen NOT to conform to HSA accounts, they are always a memorable pain in the neck.

--Peter

Thank you! You were correct, Phil, the amount in box 12 is my husband's contribution to his Simple IRA. However, nothing is listed in box 14. I will look through my HSA records to see if I have anything else that indicates what the employer contribution was. The 1099-SA I received does not include this information. It just describes the distribution.

Peter

<<<Form 8889 specifically says NOT to include any contributions your employer reports on your W-2.>>>

Look at line 9 on Form 8889.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8889.pdf

It looks to me as though the IRS wants to know the employER contribution to an employees HSA account on that Form.

Easter knows the employer contribution amount, but apparently it was not reported on the W2.

Thanks for your input.

ML

It looks to me as though the IRS wants to know the employER contribution to an employees HSA account on that Form.

Easter knows the employer contribution amount, but apparently it was not reported on the W2.

Are you and Easter completely sure that the account is an HSA (Health Savings Account)? Employers can also contribute to an HRA (Health Reimbursement Account), and the terminology can be confused easily, since HRAs also help people save money on healthcare costs, so they can be mistakenly referred to as HSAs. And, from page 17 of IRS Pub 969 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p969.pdf :

Unlike HSAs or Archer MSAs which must be reported on Form 1040 or Form 1040NR, there are no reporting requirements for HRAs on your income tax return.

One quick question can help figure this issue out - Was the medical insurance plan for 2011 a qualified HDHP (High Deductible Health Plan)? If not, the account isn't an HSA, since HSAs can only be set up when used in conjunction with HDHPs.

Pub 969 has details about HSAs, HRAs and HDHPs that Easter might want to take a look at so that she can confirm that the correct terminology is being used.

AJ