How to correctly enter Social Security earnings from SSA-1099SM on 1040.com for 2025 filing
I'm totally stuck trying to figure out where to input my Social Security earnings on 1040.com for my 2024 taxes. The SSA sent me a 1099SM form this year, but the tax software only seems to have options for retirement income from 1099-MISC. When I tried entering it as a 1099-MISC, it asks for a Payer Number which isn't even on my SSA-1099SM form. I've been staring at this screen for like an hour and can't figure out where this is supposed to go. The SSA-1099SM is definitely different from what they had in previous years. Has anyone successfully figured out how to enter this on 1040.com? I really don't want to mess up my return over something that should be simple. Thanks for any help!
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Danielle Campbell
The SSA-1099SM is actually handled differently than a standard 1099-MISC in tax software. In 1040.com, you need to look for the specific Social Security Benefits section, not the general retirement income area. From the main menu, go to the "Income" section, then look for "Social Security Benefits" or sometimes it's under "Other Income Sources." You should find a specific entry form for SSA-1099SM there. The software won't ask for a Payer Number because the SSA has a standard identifier that's already built into the form processing. If you're still having trouble finding it, try using the search function in 1040.com and type "Social Security Benefits" or "SSA-1099" - that should take you directly to the correct input page.
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Caleb Bell
•Thanks for responding! I swear I looked through all the Income sections but must have missed it. Is it normal that the SSA-1099SM looks so different from previous years? I thought maybe they changed something fundamental about how Social Security is reported.
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Danielle Campbell
•The SSA-1099SM does look different from forms in previous years because the Social Security Administration made some format changes to improve clarity. The underlying tax treatment hasn't changed, just the presentation of the information. If you're still having trouble, another place to check in 1040.com is under "Government Payments" which sometimes appears as a subcategory in the Income section. The software developers sometimes reorganize the navigation from year to year, which can make finding familiar forms challenging.
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Rhett Bowman
After dealing with the exact same problem last month, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much frustration with my SSA-1099SM form. I was completely lost trying to figure out where to enter it in 1040.com until I uploaded my tax documents to taxr.ai and it immediately identified exactly where in 1040.com I needed to go to enter my Social Security benefits. It basically analyzed all my tax forms, including that confusing SSA-1099SM, and gave me step-by-step guidance for entering everything correctly. Super helpful when the tax software menus don't match what you're expecting!
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Abigail Patel
•How does it actually work with the SSA-1099SM specifically? Does it just tell you where to click in 1040.com or does it actually help you understand what numbers go where? My form has these weird boxes that don't seem to match up with what 1040.com is asking for.
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Daniel White
•I'm a bit skeptical about uploading my tax docs to yet another online service. How secure is this? And does it really understand the 2024 version of the SSA-1099SM since it's formatted differently?
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Rhett Bowman
•It actually gives you specific instructions about which numbers from your SSA-1099SM go into which fields in 1040.com. For example, it told me exactly which box on my form corresponded to the "total benefits received" field in the software. Saved me from having to guess or potentially make mistakes. The security is actually really good - they use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after analysis. And yes, it's completely up-to-date with the 2024 SSA-1099SM format changes. That's actually why I tried it in the first place, because the new format was confusing me.
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Abigail Patel
Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai for my SSA-1099SM problem. I was initially just looking for directions on where to enter my Social Security income, but it actually found a couple other issues with my return too. The step-by-step guidance was super clear - turns out I needed to go to Income > Government Payments > Social Security Benefits in 1040.com, which I completely missed before. It also explained which numbers from my SSA-1099SM corresponded to which fields in the software. I'm not very tax-savvy so having something translate the form language was really helpful!
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Nolan Carter
If you're still struggling with your SSA-1099SM form and need personalized help, I had amazing success using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually speak with someone at the SSA about my form questions. I tried calling the SSA directly multiple times but kept getting disconnected or waiting forever. With Claimyr, I was connected to an actual SSA representative in about 20 minutes who walked me through exactly how my SSA-1099SM information should be reported on my tax return. They even sent me a follow-up email with specific instructions for 1040.com. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - definitely worth it for the peace of mind.
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Natalia Stone
•Wait, how does this actually work? Does it somehow get you through the SSA phone system faster? I've been trying to reach someone for days about my SSA-1099SM but keep getting the "all representatives are busy" message.
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Daniel White
•This sounds too good to be true. There's no way some service can magically get you through to the SSA when their phone lines are completely jammed. I've been trying for weeks and they're impossible to reach. What's the catch?
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Nolan Carter
•It uses a system that navigates the SSA's phone tree and waits on hold for you. When a representative finally answers, you get a call back to connect with them. It's basically like having someone wait on hold for you so you don't have to waste hours with your phone to your ear. No catch really - it just saves you from the hold time frustration. I was skeptical too until I tried it. The difference is that their system can dial repeatedly when there are busy signals and stay on hold indefinitely, which is something most of us can't do with our personal phones.
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Daniel White
I feel ridiculous for being so skeptical about Claimyr in my earlier comment. After another failed attempt to reach the SSA yesterday (2 hours on hold then disconnected!), I decided to try it out of desperation. Got a call back in about 35 minutes saying an SSA rep was on the line! The agent confirmed that my SSA-1099SM should be entered under "Social Security Benefits" in 1040.com, and Box 5 on the form is what I needed to enter as my total benefits. She also explained why the form format changed this year. Saved me so much time and frustration compared to my previous attempts to call them directly.
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Tasia Synder
Quick tip for anyone using 1040.com with an SSA-1099SM - if you're using the mobile app version, the Social Security section is actually under a different menu path than on desktop! Go to "Other Income" first, then scroll down to find "Social Security Benefits." Took me forever to figure this out since all the help articles seem to be written for the desktop version.
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Selena Bautista
•Does the mobile app actually let you enter all the fields from the SSA-1099SM? I tried using it last weekend and it seemed like some of the boxes weren't there compared to what my form shows.
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Tasia Synder
•The mobile app has all the same fields but they're organized differently. When you get to the Social Security Benefits screen, look for the "Advanced" or "Additional Information" button at the bottom - that expands to show all the detailed fields that match your SSA-1099SM form. It's a bit hidden compared to the desktop version but all the fields are definitely there.
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Mohamed Anderson
Has anyone noticed that the calculated taxable amount of Social Security on 1040.com seems off? I entered my SSA-1099SM exactly as shown on the form, but the taxable amount it's calculating seems really high compared to last year, even though my benefits only increased by about $150 monthly.
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Ellie Perry
•Your other income might have increased which affects how much of your Social Security is taxable. The calculation is based on your "combined income" (AGI + nontaxable interest + half of your Social Security benefits). If that total crosses certain thresholds, more of your benefits become taxable.
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NeonNomad
Just wanted to share my experience for anyone else struggling with this. I had the exact same issue with my SSA-1099SM on 1040.com and found the solution after calling their customer support. The key is that you need to look for "Social Security Benefits (SSA-1099)" specifically, not just general retirement income. In 1040.com, go to Income → Government Benefits → Social Security Benefits. There should be a dropdown that lets you select "SSA-1099SM" as the form type. One thing that tripped me up initially - make sure you're entering the gross benefits amount from Box 5 of your SSA-1099SM, not any of the other boxes. The software will automatically calculate the taxable portion based on your other income. Hope this helps save someone else the headache I went through!
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Dmitry Smirnov
•Thank you so much for this detailed walkthrough! I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure this out. Just to confirm - when you say Box 5 from the SSA-1099SM, that's the "Net Benefits Paid" box, right? I want to make sure I'm looking at the correct box since this new form layout is so confusing compared to previous years. Also, did you have any issues with the software asking for additional verification or documentation when you entered your SSA-1099SM information? I'm worried about triggering any red flags since this is my first year dealing with Social Security benefits on my tax return.
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