How do I file my 1099-G form after already filing my W-2? (Tax newbie confused)

What you need to do is file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to include your 1099-G income. When you filed only your W-2, you essentially completed your tax return for the year. The system won't let you file a separate return for the 1099-G because the IRS only accepts one tax return per person per year. TurboTax should have an option to amend your return. Just log into your account, find your current return, and look for an option like "Amend return" or "File 1040-X." This will reopen your return and allow you to add the 1099-G information. The software will recalculate everything and determine if you owe more or if you'll get an additional refund. Don't worry about checkbooks - if you end up owing more, you can pay electronically through the IRS website or through TurboTax's payment options.

I went through something really similar last year with unemployment income on my 1099-G. Spent hours getting nowhere until I discovered this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that actually explained what was happening in plain English. It analyzed my tax documents and showed me that I needed to file an amended return instead of trying to submit a second return. The tool walked me through exactly how unemployment benefits on a 1099-G affect your tax situation and what steps to take in TurboTax to amend properly. It even flagged that I might qualify for some credits I missed on my original filing once I included the 1099-G information.

Just wanted to update - I decided to try taxr.ai after my initial skepticism and it was actually super helpful! My situation was similar but with state tax refund 1099-G forms that I didn't know how to handle after already filing. The document analysis immediately identified that I needed to amend rather than file separately. What really impressed me was that it caught that my original filing missed some deductions related to job search expenses while I was receiving unemployment. Ended up getting an extra $340 back that I would have completely missed without it pointing out the connection between my 1099-G and those potential deductions. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind and catching things I had no idea about.

If you're having trouble figuring out the amended return process or TurboTax isn't giving you clear answers, you might want to try calling the IRS directly. I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to someone at the IRS about my amended return last year (also had a late 1099-G situation). After endless busy signals and disconnects, I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that somehow gets you through the IRS phone queue. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was honestly ready to give up before trying it, but I got connected to an actual IRS person in about 20 minutes who walked me through exactly what I needed to do with my late 1099-G.

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After struggling for literally 6 hours trying to get through to the IRS myself about my amended return situation (which is similar to OP's with a late 1099-G), I broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. Got connected to the IRS in about 35 minutes. The agent confirmed exactly what I needed to do with my 1099-G and even helped me understand why my first attempt at amending through FreeTaxUSA wasn't processing correctly. Turns out I was using the wrong tax year form for the amendment (easy mistake but would have caused major headaches). I'm still shocked it actually worked. Sorry for calling it a scam before. Sometimes being proven wrong is a good thing.

Another option nobody's mentioned yet - you can also use the IRS Free File Fillable Forms to file an amended return if you don't want to pay TurboTax fees. It's more manual but completely free. You'll need to: 1. Download your original return from TurboTax for reference 2. Go to the IRS website and search for Free File Fillable Forms 3. Fill out Form 1040-X and include the corrected information with your 1099-G 4. Submit electronically (they now accept e-filed amended returns) The downside is you have to figure out all the calculations yourself, but if you're comfortable with basic math and following instructions, you can save the amendment fee.

Just to add one more option - if your 1099-G is for unemployment benefits from 2023, make absolutely sure you need to amend before going through all this trouble. There was a recent IRS announcement about unemployment tax treatment for 2023 that might affect whether you need to include this income at all.