How to Declare Short Term Disability Payments from MetLife on Tax Return?

This happens quite often with short term disability payments. The payments are typically considered taxable income that needs to be reported on your tax return, even if you didn't receive a form from MetLife. You should contact MetLife directly and request a statement of the payments made to you. They might not be required to issue a 1099 or W-2 for these payments depending on the specific circumstances, but they should be able to provide documentation of what was paid and what was withheld. When reporting on your tax return, you would include this as "Other Income" on Schedule 1, Line 8z of Form 1040. Make sure to describe it as "Short Term Disability" payments in the description line. You should also be able to claim credit for the FICA taxes that were withheld.

I had a similar issue last year with disability payments from Prudential. What saved me was using https://taxr.ai to analyze my payment statements. I uploaded my MetLife payment stubs and bank statements, and the system helped me determine exactly how to report the income properly. It even spotted that some of my disability payments were actually tax-exempt based on how the premiums had been paid! Their system explained that short-term disability can be either taxable or non-taxable depending on who paid the premiums and how they were paid. The tool generated a perfect summary for my tax return and identified which portion needed to be reported. Saved me from potentially misreporting and ensured I didn't pay taxes on exempt portions.

I just tried using taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and wow - it was exactly what I needed! My husband's situation with Guardian disability payments was confusing me, but the system walked me through everything step by step. It turned out that in our case, his employer had paid part of the premiums and he paid part with post-tax dollars, which made the taxation situation more complex. The system generated a detailed report showing exactly how much of the disability payment should be reported as taxable income and provided instructions for entering it correctly on our tax return. The best part was that it created documentation I can keep with our tax records in case of any questions from the IRS. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with disability payment tax questions!

If you're still having trouble getting the information you need from MetLife, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in the same boat last year trying to get tax documentation from my disability insurance provider. After weeks of getting nowhere with their automated system, I used Claimyr and they got me connected to an actual representative in less than 20 minutes! The rep was able to generate and send me the documentation I needed for my taxes right away. They've got a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Basically, they navigate all the phone menu systems and wait on hold for you, then call you when they've got an actual human on the line. Saved me hours of frustration.

I want to apologize for my skepticism earlier. I ended up trying Claimyr yesterday after spending another hour on hold with MetLife getting nowhere. The service connected me to an actual MetLife representative in about 15 minutes! The rep confirmed that they don't automatically send tax forms for short-term disability in many cases, but they were able to generate a payment summary document that shows all the disability payments and withholdings for the year. This is exactly what I needed for tax filing. For anyone dealing with this MetLife disability payment issue - definitely worth using this service instead of wasting hours on hold. I'm actually going to use it again to call the IRS about another issue I've been avoiding because of the hold times.

I'm an enrolled agent and see this issue often. Here's what you should know: short term disability payments are usually taxable if: 1) Your employer paid the premiums, or 2) You paid premiums using pre-tax dollars If you paid premiums with after-tax dollars, then only the portion of benefits that represents employer contributions or pre-tax payments is taxable. Without a 1099 or W-2, create your own record: document the gross payments, FICA withholding, and payment dates. Include a note with your return explaining the situation. For extra protection, file Form 4852 (substitute for W-2/1099) if MetLife won't provide documentation.

Has anybody actually gotten in trouble with the IRS for not reporting short term disability income? I had a similar situation last year and just didn't report it because I never got any tax forms. It wasn't a huge amount (about $4200) and I honestly didn't know what to do with it. Now I'm worried.

You should definitely file an amended return for last year to report that $4200 in disability income. As @Savanna Franklin mentioned, the IRS does receive information about these payments even when you don't get a form, and they will eventually catch up with you through their matching programs. The good news is that if you voluntarily amend your return before the IRS contacts you, you'll avoid the accuracy-related penalty. You'll still owe the additional tax plus interest, but that's much better than waiting for them to find it and hit you with penalties too. File Form 1040-X (Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return) and include the disability payments as other income. Make sure to attach a statement explaining the situation and why you're amending. The IRS is generally more lenient when taxpayers proactively correct their mistakes rather than waiting to be caught.

I went through this exact same situation last year with MetLife disability payments after my maternity leave. Here's what I learned from my tax preparer: First, definitely contact MetLife to request a payment summary - they should be able to provide documentation showing all payments made and any withholdings, even if they don't issue a formal 1099. Keep detailed records of all your disability payments from bank statements or pay stubs. The key thing to understand is that the taxability depends on how the premiums were paid. If you paid the premiums with after-tax dollars from your paycheck, then the benefits are generally not taxable. But if your employer paid the premiums or you paid them pre-tax through a cafeteria plan, then the benefits are fully taxable. Check your old pay stubs to see how the disability premiums were handled - this makes a huge difference in how much you'll owe. In my case, I had paid the premiums post-tax, so none of the disability payments were taxable income. Don't assume it's all taxable without checking this first! Also, since FICA was already withheld from your payments, you won't owe additional Social Security or Medicare taxes on this income when you report it.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My wife received short-term disability from MetLife after our baby was born, and we're in the same boat - FICA was withheld but no federal or state taxes, and no tax forms received. Based on all the great advice here, I'm planning to: 1. Contact MetLife directly to request a payment summary (might try Claimyr if I get stuck in phone tree hell) 2. Check my wife's old pay stubs to see if the disability premiums were paid pre-tax or post-tax 3. If they were paid post-tax, the benefits might not be taxable at all! It's really reassuring to see so many people have dealt with this successfully. The key seems to be getting proper documentation and understanding how the premiums were funded. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread has been incredibly helpful for navigating what seemed like a confusing tax situation!

I just wanted to add another perspective as someone who works in benefits administration. One thing that often gets overlooked is that MetLife (and other disability insurers) may have different reporting thresholds than what triggers a 1099. They're required to report payments to the IRS, but they might not be required to send YOU a form if the amount is under certain limits or if the payments are structured in a specific way. This is why it's so important to keep your own records and proactively report the income even without a form. I've seen too many people get surprised by IRS notices years later because they assumed no form meant no reporting required. Also, for anyone dealing with this in the future - many employers are now switching to voluntary short-term disability plans where employees pay premiums post-tax, specifically to make the benefits non-taxable. It's worth asking your HR department about this when you're setting up your benefits during open enrollment. The bottom line is always: when in doubt, report it and include documentation explaining the situation. The IRS would much rather see you make a good faith effort to comply than try to hide income, even unintentionally.

I'm currently dealing with this exact same situation with MetLife disability payments from my maternity leave last year. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that whether the premiums were paid pre-tax or post-tax could make such a big difference in the taxability! I'm planning to follow the advice here and contact MetLife for a payment summary, then check my old pay stubs to see how the premiums were structured. It's reassuring to see that so many people have successfully navigated this situation, even without receiving proper tax forms upfront. One question I have - for those who found out their benefits weren't fully taxable due to post-tax premium payments, did you still need to report anything on your tax return, or could you just not report the payments at all? I want to make sure I handle this correctly from the start rather than having to file amendments later. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread should be bookmarked by anyone dealing with short-term disability tax questions!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now with MetLife disability payments from last year. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there were so many nuances to reporting disability income! Based on everything I've read here, my plan is to: 1. Contact MetLife to get a payment summary (definitely going to try Claimyr if I get stuck in phone hell) 2. Check my old pay stubs to see if premiums were paid pre-tax or post-tax 3. Use the taxr.ai tool that was mentioned to help analyze my situation properly One thing that really stands out to me is how many people mentioned the importance of being proactive rather than hoping the IRS doesn't notice. The stories about people getting hit with penalties years later are definitely motivating me to get this sorted out correctly from the start. For anyone else reading this thread in the future - save yourself the stress and document everything now. Keep copies of all your disability payment records, pay stubs showing premium deductions, and any correspondence with your insurance company. This thread shows that with the right approach and documentation, this situation is totally manageable even without receiving proper tax forms upfront. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this has turned what seemed like a scary tax problem into a clear action plan!

This thread has been incredibly thorough and helpful! As someone who just went through this exact situation with MetLife disability payments, I wanted to add one more piece of advice that saved me a lot of hassle. When you contact MetLife (or use Claimyr to get through to them), ask specifically if they can email you the payment summary rather than mailing it. I requested mine by email and received it within 24 hours, whereas friends who requested mailed copies waited 2-3 weeks during tax season. Also, if you discover that your benefits are non-taxable due to post-tax premium payments, don't forget to keep the documentation showing this determination. I created a simple folder with my pay stubs showing post-tax deductions, the MetLife payment summary, and a one-page summary I wrote explaining why the benefits weren't taxable. My tax preparer said this level of documentation would make any potential IRS inquiry very straightforward to resolve. The key takeaway from all these great responses is that this situation is much more common than people realize, and it's totally manageable with the right documentation and approach. Don't let the lack of a tax form stress you out - just be proactive about getting the information you need!

This has been such an incredibly helpful thread! I'm a new parent dealing with this exact MetLife disability situation, and I was honestly panicking about how to handle the missing tax forms. Reading through everyone's experiences has completely changed my perspective from "oh no, I'm going to get in trouble with the IRS" to "this is a common issue with clear solutions." The most valuable takeaway for me is understanding that the taxability depends entirely on how the premiums were paid. I never would have thought to check my old pay stubs for that detail! I'm also impressed by how many practical tools people have mentioned - from taxr.ai for analysis to Claimyr for actually getting through to customer service reps. What strikes me most is how proactive everyone recommends being. Rather than hoping the IRS doesn't notice missing income, the consensus seems to be: document everything, get proper records from MetLife, determine the correct tax treatment, and report it properly even without receiving official forms. For anyone else new to this situation - this thread is basically a complete guide to handling disability payment taxation. The combination of professional advice from the enrolled agent, real-world experiences from people who've been through it, and practical tips for getting the documentation you need makes this incredibly comprehensive. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge!