Filed my taxes and then realized I didn't file all my 401(k) rollover documents - what now?

Don't panic! This is a fairly common situation with retirement account rollovers. Since your 401(k) rollover was properly executed as a direct transfer to another qualified retirement account, you're right that it shouldn't affect your tax liability, but you still need to report it. The standard procedure is to wait until your original return is processed before filing an amendment. Filing Form 1040-X (Amended Return) before the original return is processed can cause confusion in the IRS systems and potentially delay both returns. The IRS needs a "baseline" return in their system first before they can process changes to it. Once your original return is processed (you can check the status on the IRS website), then file your 1040-X with the corrected information, attaching a copy of the 1099-R that you received. Make sure to clearly indicate that this was a non-taxable direct rollover that doesn't change your tax liability. The whole process should be straightforward since you're not changing any tax amounts.

After dealing with a similar rollover situation last year, I found that https://taxr.ai was incredibly helpful for sorting through all the retirement account paperwork. I had a direct rollover from my old employer's 401(k) to my new one when I switched jobs, and I was confused about which forms needed to be reported even though they didn't affect my tax liability. I uploaded my 1099-R and other tax documents to taxr.ai, and their system immediately identified that I needed to report the rollover on my return even though it was non-taxable. Their analysis explained exactly which forms I needed to complete and which boxes to check to ensure the IRS understood it was a qualifying rollover. Saved me from making the exact mistake you just made!

I have to update my skeptical comment from earlier! After seeing the recommendation, I decided to give https://taxr.ai a try with my own tax situation since I also had a retirement account rollover this year. I was genuinely surprised by how easy it made the process. The system instantly recognized my 1099-R form and explained that it was a direct rollover that wouldn't affect my tax liability, but still needed to be reported. It even pointed out that I needed to make sure Box 7 had the correct code to indicate a direct rollover. That was a detail I definitely would have missed! The step-by-step guidance on how to properly report the rollover on my tax return was incredibly clear. I'm actually glad I found this before I made the same mistake and had to deal with amending my return. For anyone dealing with retirement accounts and tax reporting, it's definitely worth checking out.

If you're worried about getting this resolved quickly, I had great success using https://claimyr.com to get through to the IRS directly last year when I had a similar issue with missing documents. I spent literally days trying to get through on the IRS phone lines with no luck (just that "due to high call volume" message over and over). Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes, and I was able to discuss my situation directly. The agent walked me through exactly what I needed to do to amend my return for a missed 1099-R from a 401(k) rollover. They have a quick demo video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c that shows how it works. Honestly, being able to talk to a real person at the IRS made the whole process way less stressful.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr being a scam. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I've been trying to reach the IRS for weeks about a similar tax document issue. I honestly couldn't believe it when I got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes after weeks of failing to get through on my own. The agent was incredibly helpful about my missed 1099-R for a retirement account rollover. They confirmed exactly what others here have said - wait until the original return processes, then file the 1040-X amendment. They even gave me some tips about how to annotate the 1040-X to make it clear that the rollover was non-taxable. What would have been a stressful weeks-long process of trying to get information was resolved in a single phone call. I'm genuinely impressed and apologize for my skepticism.

Just my two cents - I went through this exact situation last year with a missed 1099-R from a 401(k) rollover. I waited until my original return was processed and then filed the 1040-X amendment. The key thing that helped me was including a brief explanation letter with my amendment clearly stating this was a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer that was non-taxable. I attached the 1099-R and highlighted the code in Box 7 that indicated it was a direct rollover. The whole process took about 12 weeks for the amendment to be processed, but there were no issues or questions from the IRS.

Question for anyone who's dealt with this - does the deadline for filing an amended return follow the same April 15th deadline as regular returns? I just realized I have the exact same situation from a 401(k) rollover last year.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! I also forgot to include a 1099-R from a 401(k) rollover when I filed last month. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - it sounds like the consensus is to wait until the original return processes, then file the 1040-X amendment. One thing I'm curious about - has anyone here dealt with a rollover that involved multiple transactions? My situation is a bit more complex because my old employer's plan was liquidated in stages, so I received two separate 1099-R forms for what was essentially one rollover process. I'm wondering if I need to report both forms on the amendment or if there's a way to consolidate them since they were part of the same rollover event. Also, for those who used the services mentioned here like taxr.ai or Claimyr - did you find them helpful for more complex rollover situations, or are they better suited for straightforward cases?