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Vincent Bimbach

Forgot to include 1099-INT interest income after filing taxes - what to do?

I filed both my federal and state tax returns on February 18, 2025, but the very next day I received a 1099-INT form in the mail from my high-yield savings account. Talk about bad timing! The form shows I earned $650 in interest income last year that I completely forgot to include on my returns. To make matters more complicated, I've already received both my federal and state refunds in my bank account, and neither tax authority caught the missing income. I reached out to my tax preparer about filing an amended return, but she wants to charge me $100 just to report this small amount of interest income. I only owe the feds about $143 based on my tax bracket. I've looked at the IRS website hoping I could just make a simple payment for the $143 I owe for 2024, but it seems more complicated than that. Can I file an amended return myself without too much hassle? Or is there an easier way to handle this unclaimed 1099-INT income after I've already filed and received my refunds?

Having to amend a return for a small amount like this is frustrating, but it's definitely something you can handle yourself without paying someone $100. You'll need to file Form 1040-X (Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return) to report the interest income from your 1099-INT. The process isn't super complicated for a simple change like adding interest income. You'll need to download the form from the IRS website, fill in your original information, then add the $650 interest income which will recalculate your tax liability. Make sure to check the box that indicates you're reporting additional income, and include a brief explanation that you received the 1099-INT after filing. For your state return, you'll need to check your state's tax department website for their specific amended return form and process, as each state handles amendments differently.

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Thanks for the info! Do you know if I have to mail in the 1040-X form or can I e-file the amended return? Also, will I get hit with penalties for this honest mistake?

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You can now e-file Form 1040-X if you originally e-filed your return, which is much faster than mailing. The IRS expanded this option recently and most tax software supports electronic filing of amended returns now. Regarding penalties, since you're being proactive about correcting the mistake before the IRS discovers it, you'll likely just owe the additional tax plus interest from the original due date (April 15, 2025). The interest rate is currently around 7% annually, but since it's only been a short time, that amount would be minimal. The IRS is generally reasonable about honest mistakes when you correct them voluntarily.

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I went through almost the exact same situation last year with a forgotten 1099-INT from my online savings account. I was stressing about it until I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me so much time and money. I uploaded my original return and the 1099-INT, and their AI assistant walked me through exactly what needed to be changed on my 1040-X. The tool showed me the specific lines that needed to be updated and explained how the additional interest income affected my total tax calculation. It was so much easier than trying to decipher the IRS instructions or paying my accountant another fee. I was able to complete the amended return in about 20 minutes.

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Did you still have to print and mail the form after using taxr.ai? My printer is broken and I'm wondering if there's any way to do this 100% electronically.

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How does taxr.ai handle state amended returns? I have a similar situation but with a forgotten 1099-MISC and I need to amend both federal and state.

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No, I didn't have to print anything - taxr.ai prepared my 1040-X completely electronically and I was able to e-file it through their system. They have partnerships with several e-filing providers, so it all happened digitally. Super convenient if you don't have a printer! For state amended returns, they handle those too. After completing my federal amendment, the system automatically identified the changes needed for my state return and guided me through that process as well. They support most states, but they'll tell you upfront if yours isn't covered. For a 1099-MISC situation, the process would be very similar to what I did with my 1099-INT.

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I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai. I was really skeptical at first, but after struggling with the IRS instructions for Form 1040-X for a couple hours, I decided to give it a try. It was honestly so much easier than I expected! I uploaded my original return and my forgotten 1099-MISC, and the system immediately identified exactly what needed to be changed. It explained how my taxable income would increase and calculated the additional tax I owed. The interface even highlighted the specific lines on the 1040-X that were affected. The best part was that it prepared both my federal and state amended returns together, showing me the total impact. Didn't have to pay an accountant $100+ for something that took me less than half an hour to do myself. Just wanted to share since it saved me a ton of headache!

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If you need to call the IRS to ask questions about your amended return, good luck getting through! I spent TWO DAYS trying to speak with someone about my amended return situation. Finally discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in less than 15 minutes. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with explained that I shouldn't just send a payment without filing the 1040-X, since they wouldn't know what it was for. She also told me that voluntarily fixing the mistake before they send a notice is much better and typically avoids penalties. I was worried about interest charges, but she explained exactly how they would calculate it and it wasn't nearly as bad as I feared.

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How does this service actually work? The IRS phone lines are notoriously impossible to get through. Seems too good to be true that you could get connected in 15 minutes when most people wait for hours.

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Yeah right. No way this actually works. I've tried calling the IRS like 20 times and never get through. This sounds like some kind of scam service that's just taking your money and putting you in the same queue everyone else is in.

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It uses a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When an actual agent picks up, you get a call connecting you directly to them. It's basically like having someone wait on hold so you don't have to. I was skeptical too, but it's not a scam. They don't access any of your personal tax information - they're just getting you connected to the IRS. What convinced me was the guarantee that if you don't get connected, you don't pay. I was connected in 12 minutes after spending two full days trying on my own. The IRS agent I spoke with was super helpful about my amended return situation and confirmed I was handling it correctly.

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I have to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my amended return questions. I couldn't believe it when my phone rang 17 minutes later and it was an actual IRS representative on the line! The agent walked me through exactly what I needed to do with my amended return and confirmed that I could e-file it. He even gave me some tips about tracking the processing of my amendment through the Where's My Amended Return tool on the IRS website. For anyone dealing with amended returns or other tax issues where you need to speak with the IRS directly, this saved me literally days of frustration. I was about to pay my accountant $150 for something I was able to resolve with a 10-minute phone call.

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For reporting just $650 in interest income, the tax software you used originally might offer a discounted amendment service. I used TurboTax last year and when I had to amend for a missed 1099-INT, they only charged me $29.99 to prepare the amendment instead of the full price. Might be worth checking before going the DIY route.

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I used H&R Block online. Will they let me go back into my return to amend it or do I have to start from scratch? I'm just worried I'll mess something up if I try to do the 1040-X completely on my own.

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H&R Block does offer amendment services for returns filed through their platform. You should be able to log back into your account and look for an option to amend your return. You won't have to start from scratch - their system will pull all your original information and guide you through making just the changes needed to add the 1099-INT. The last time I checked, they charged around $30-40 for a simple amendment like adding interest income, which is still way better than the $100 your tax person quoted. Their amendment process walks you through step-by-step, so it's pretty hard to mess up. They'll also handle the state amendment at the same time if you need that too.

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One thing to keep in mind - while you owe the additional tax, the IRS will ALSO charge you interest from the original due date (April 15) until you pay. And they might hit you with a small failure to pay penalty too. I had this happen with a forgotten 1099-K last year.

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That's true, but the penalty is usually pretty small for honest mistakes, especially if you voluntarily correct it. The failure to pay penalty is only 0.5% per month on the unpaid tax, so on $143 that's less than $1 per month. And if you show "reasonable cause" they might even waive it entirely.

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I actually had a very similar situation last year with a forgotten 1099-INT from my credit union savings account. The good news is that this is more common than you think, and the IRS is generally understanding about honest mistakes when you proactively correct them. You have a few options here: 1) File Form 1040-X yourself (it's really not that complicated for just adding interest income), 2) Use your original tax software's amendment service if available, or 3) Try one of the AI-assisted tools others have mentioned. Whatever you choose, don't just send a payment without filing the amendment - the IRS needs the proper documentation to know what the payment is for. Also, since you're being proactive about fixing this before they catch it, you'll likely avoid most penalties and just pay the additional tax plus minimal interest. The key is to act soon rather than waiting. The longer you wait, the more interest accumulates, and if the IRS discovers the discrepancy first through their matching program, the process becomes more complicated.

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This is really helpful advice! I'm in almost the exact same boat - forgot to include a 1099-INT from my online savings account and already received my refund. The proactive approach makes sense since waiting could just make things worse. I'm leaning toward trying the AI tool that Leo mentioned since it seems like it could walk me through the 1040-X process step by step. My biggest worry is making an error on the amendment that creates more problems than I started with. Did you end up using software to file your amendment or did you do the 1040-X manually?

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I went through this exact scenario two years ago and completely understand the frustration! Here's what I learned from my experience: First, don't panic - this is incredibly common and the IRS deals with forgotten 1099-INT forms all the time. Since you're voluntarily correcting it before they catch it through their matching system, you're in a much better position. I initially tried to do the 1040-X myself using the IRS instructions, but honestly found it confusing for something that should be straightforward. I ended up using my original tax software's amendment service (I had used FreeTaxUSA) and they charged me $15 to prepare the amended return. It automatically pulled all my original data and just had me add the missing interest income. The whole process took about 20 minutes, and I was able to e-file the amendment. I owed about $180 in additional tax plus around $8 in interest since I filed the amendment about 3 months after the deadline. No penalties because I was proactive about it. One tip: make sure you amend both federal AND state if your state has income tax. Many people forget about the state amendment and then get a notice later. Also, keep detailed records of when you filed the amendment in case you need to reference it later. The $100 your tax preparer wants to charge is highway robbery for such a simple change. You can definitely handle this yourself for much less!

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This is exactly the kind of reassuring advice I needed to hear! Your experience with FreeTaxUSA sounds like it was much smoother than trying to decipher the IRS forms on your own. $15 is definitely reasonable compared to the $100 quote from a tax preparer. I'm curious - when you say you were able to e-file the amendment, did that speed up the processing time compared to mailing it in? And did you get any confirmation from the IRS that they received and processed your amended return? I want to make sure I can track the status once I submit it. Also, great point about the state amendment! I'm in California so I'll definitely need to handle that too. Did FreeTaxUSA automatically prepare your state amendment or was that a separate process?

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I went through this exact situation last year with a forgotten 1099-INT from Marcus (Goldman Sachs online savings). The stress was real, but it turned out to be much more manageable than I initially thought! Here's what I learned: The IRS has a matching system that eventually catches these discrepancies anyway, so being proactive definitely works in your favor. I filed my amendment about 6 weeks after receiving the missing 1099-INT and avoided any penalties - just paid the additional tax plus about $12 in interest. I used TaxAct's amendment service since that's what I originally filed with, and it cost me $25. The software automatically imported all my original return data and guided me through adding the interest income. The whole process took maybe 30 minutes, and I could e-file it directly. One thing I wish someone had told me: keep checking the "Where's My Amended Return" tool on the IRS website after you file. It takes longer to process than original returns (usually 8-12 weeks), but at least you can track the status. Also, if you have direct deposit set up, they'll deposit any additional refund or charge any additional tax owed the same way. Your $650 interest income situation is very straightforward - don't let your tax preparer's $100 fee scare you into doing nothing. This is exactly the type of simple amendment that the tax software handles really well.

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