How to handle 8915-E 2020 disaster distribution when finishing 3-year IRA repayment

The Turbo Tax question about prior disaster distributions is primarily to help determine if you need to report additional income for 2023. Since you've properly reported the distribution over the three tax years (2020, 2021, and 2022) as required for qualified disaster distributions, you've fulfilled your tax obligation for that distribution. You should answer "yes" to the question about taking a prior disaster distribution, but you won't need to complete Form 8915-F for 2023. The software is asking this to ensure proper tax treatment of any ongoing repayments or distributions, but since you've completed the three-year reporting requirement, there's nothing additional to report for 2023 related to that specific distribution. This is a situation where tax software is trying to be thorough but sometimes creates confusion for taxpayers who have already completed multi-year reporting requirements.

I went through exactly this situation with my 2023 taxes using TurboTax! I took a COVID distribution in 2020 and did the 3-year split. TurboTax kept asking me if I had taken a disaster distribution in a previous year, and I was worried about answering "yes" too. I actually uploaded my tax documents to https://taxr.ai and their system helped me understand how to handle this situation correctly. They confirmed that I should answer "yes" to the question but that I wouldn't need to complete Form 8915-F again since my 3-year period ended in 2022. Their analysis also showed that my previous years' reporting was correct. It gave me peace of mind to know I was handling it properly and wouldn't have issues with the IRS. Definitely worth checking out if you want to be 100% certain.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it was incredibly helpful! I uploaded my returns from 2020-2022 that had the 8915-E and 8915-F forms, plus my draft 2023 return. The system immediately identified my 3-year disaster distribution and confirmed I'd reported it correctly across all three years. It specifically mentioned that I didn't need to file 8915-F for 2023 since I'd completed the reporting requirement, but should still answer "yes" to TurboTax's question about prior distributions. What really impressed me was it also found that I had incorrectly reported a Roth conversion from 2021 - something completely unrelated that I hadn't even thought to check! Definitely saved me from a potential audit headache. Thanks for the recommendation!

I had a similar issue with my 2023 taxes and spent TWO HOURS on hold trying to get through to the IRS just to confirm I didn't need to file another 8915-F. Eventually gave up and tried https://claimyr.com after seeing it mentioned in another tax thread. You can watch how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They got me connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. The agent confirmed exactly what others here have said - answer "yes" to the question about prior disaster distributions, but no need to file Form 8915-F for 2023 since the 3-year reporting period is complete. Was honestly shocked it worked so well after my previous frustrating attempts to reach the IRS. Having that official confirmation directly from an IRS agent gave me the confidence to file without worrying.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I had a complex question about an amended return I filed last year that still hasn't been processed. I was connected to an IRS representative in about 15 minutes when my previous attempts had me waiting over 2 hours before giving up. The agent was able to check the status of my amended return and give me specific information about when it would likely be processed. While on the call, I also asked about the 8915-E/F situation since I had a similar disaster distribution. The agent confirmed that after completing the 3-year reporting period (2020-2022), there's no need to file Form 8915-F for 2023, but you should still answer "yes" to tax software questions about prior disaster distributions. Seriously impressed with how well this worked after my initial skepticism!

Another thing to consider - if you recontributed any portion of your disaster distribution back to your retirement account, that part gets a bit more complicated. Form 8915-F instructions say you might need to file the form if you recontributed money after the initial three-year period. Double-check if you made any recontributions to your retirement account that were part of the original distribution amount. That's a separate reporting requirement from the income spreading you've already completed.

I'm confused about whether the answer to the TurboTax question affects anything in the actual tax forms that get submitted to the IRS. Does answering "yes" to their question about prior disaster distributions actually show up anywhere on your final tax return?

I just went through this exact same scenario with my 2023 taxes! I had a COVID-related disaster distribution in 2020 and used the 3-year spread option. TurboTax kept asking about prior disaster distributions and I was worried I'd mess something up. What helped me was understanding that the question is really just TurboTax trying to figure out if there are any ongoing tax implications from previous distributions. Since you've already completed your 3-year reporting cycle (2020-2022), there's nothing more to report for that specific distribution. I ended up answering "yes" to the question, and TurboTax walked me through a few follow-up questions but ultimately didn't generate any additional forms for 2023. The software is smart enough to recognize when you've completed the reporting requirements. One tip: keep copies of your 2020-2022 returns with the 8915-E and 8915-F forms handy in case you need to reference the amounts you previously reported. It gave me peace of mind to double-check that everything added up correctly across the three years.