How to handle K-1 form from Robinhood oil stock investments in tax filing?
Hey everyone, I'm completely lost with my taxes this year. I dabbled in some oil stocks through Robinhood in 2024 (nothing serious, just experimenting with investing), and now I've received this K-1 form that's throwing me for a loop. The K-1 I received is labeled as form 1065, and I'm trying to input this into TurboTax but it's asking me to select one of three options: - Partnership/LLC - S corporations - Estate or trusts I have no clue which one to pick! The stock was for some oil company that apparently issues K-1s instead of normal dividend statements or whatever. This is way more complicated than I expected when I bought a few shares. I think I should choose Partnership/LLC but honestly I'm just guessing at this point. Has anyone dealt with K-1 forms from Robinhood investments before? What category should I select in TurboTax? I just want to file correctly and avoid any issues with the IRS. Thanks in advance!
21 comments


Dyllan Nantx
The K-1 Form 1065 you received is from a Master Limited Partnership (MLP), which is common with oil and pipeline companies. Since your K-1 says Form 1065, you should select "Partnership/LLC" in TurboTax. MLPs trade like stocks but are actually partnership interests, which is why you're getting a K-1 instead of a normal 1099-DIV. The partnership passes through income, deductions, credits, etc. to you as a partner. This is different from regular stocks where you just report dividends and capital gains. Just be prepared - K-1s from MLPs can complicate your tax return significantly, even if you only invested a small amount. You'll need to enter various boxes from the K-1 into TurboTax, and some of this income might be subject to different tax treatments than regular investment income.
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TillyCombatwarrior
•Thanks for explaining! Quick question - will this K-1 stuff potentially increase my tax bill compared to regular stocks? And do I have to file additional state tax returns if the MLP operates in multiple states? I heard something about that being a nightmare.
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Dyllan Nantx
•The tax impact really depends on what's reported on your specific K-1. MLPs often generate tax deductions like depreciation that can actually reduce your current tax bill, making the distributions partially tax-deferred. However, this creates a lower cost basis, which might mean higher taxes when you eventually sell. Regarding state taxes, yes, technically you might have filing requirements in states where the MLP operates. In practice, many casual investors with small investments don't file multiple state returns unless the amounts are significant. Some states have minimum filing requirements that might exempt you. Check your K-1's supplemental information - it should tell you which states and the amount of income allocated to each.
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Anna Xian
I went through the exact same headache with oil stocks on Robinhood last year! After hours of frustration, I finally found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a game-changer for dealing with these complicated K-1 forms. You just upload your K-1 and it breaks everything down in plain English, showing exactly what goes where in TurboTax. The site explained that my Form 1065 K-1 needed to be entered as Partnership income (which confirms what the previous commenter said), and it even walked me through which TurboTax screens to expect and what numbers to enter. Saved me from pulling my hair out trying to figure out all those boxes and codes.
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Jungleboo Soletrain
•Does it work with other tax software too? I use FreeTaxUSA and got a K-1 from an energy partnership.
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Rajan Walker
•Hmm sounds helpful but I'm a bit skeptical. Do you still have to manually enter all the numbers or does it somehow import directly into tax software? Those K-1s have like 20+ different boxes with weird codes.
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Anna Xian
•Yes, it works with all the major tax software! The explanations are software-agnostic, but they do have specific guides for TurboTax, H&R Block, FreeTaxUSA and others that show you exactly which screens to navigate to. You do still need to manually enter the numbers, unfortunately. No direct import feature yet. But what makes it super helpful is that it explains each box in normal human language and tells you exactly where each number belongs in your tax software. It also flags the boxes that most people with MLPs need to worry about versus the ones that are usually zero or not applicable to most small investors.
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Rajan Walker
Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai with my Robinhood K-1 and it actually worked really well! I was surprised since I was skeptical at first. It clearly showed me that my form 1065 K-1 needed to be entered as Partnership income in TurboTax, and explained all those weird boxes like "unrealized section 743(b) adjustment" that made no sense to me. The step-by-step guide for TurboTax was spot on and saved me a ton of time. I probably would've given up and paid an accountant $200+ if I hadn't found this. For anyone else dealing with K-1s from Robinhood oil stocks, definitely check it out.
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Nadia Zaldivar
If you're having trouble getting answers about your K-1 form, calling the IRS directly can actually help, but good luck getting through! I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone about my MLP K-1 questions last filing season. Then I discovered this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent walked me through exactly how to handle my K-1 from an oil partnership and confirmed that Form 1065 K-1s should be entered as Partnership/LLC in tax software. They also explained which state filing requirements I could potentially ignore based on my small investment amount. Saved me from making some costly mistakes!
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Lukas Fitzgerald
•Wait, how does this actually work? I thought it was impossible to get through to the IRS unless you call at like 7am and wait for hours.
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Ev Luca
•Yeah right. There's no way to "skip the line" with the IRS. They're notoriously understaffed and everyone has to wait. Sounds like a scam to me.
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Nadia Zaldivar
•It uses technology to continuously dial the IRS for you, using the optimal call patterns and timing to get through. Then when a line opens up, it calls your phone and connects you directly to the IRS agent. No waiting on hold for hours! They use the same phone systems large tax firms use to get through to the IRS, but made it available to regular people. Nothing sketchy about it - you're still talking directly to real IRS agents through the normal IRS phone system. It just handles the frustrating part of getting through the busy signals and hold times.
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Ev Luca
I need to apologize and eat my words. After calling the IRS for 2 hours yesterday and getting nowhere with my K-1 questions, I decided to try Claimyr out of desperation. Within 20 minutes I was talking to an actual IRS rep who confirmed everything I needed to know about my Robinhood oil stock K-1. The agent verified that Form 1065 K-1s should be entered as Partnership/LLC in tax software and helped me understand the passive activity loss limitations that were confusing me. They even explained which codes on my K-1 could trigger audit flags if entered incorrectly. For anyone struggling with K-1 forms from MLPs, getting direct answers from the IRS was incredibly helpful. I was totally wrong about this service - it actually delivered exactly what it promised.
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Avery Davis
Another thing to keep in mind is that MLPs on Robinhood often have return of capital distributions that aren't taxable immediately but reduce your cost basis. This can create a tax surprise when you sell! I bought some pipeline MLPs in 2023, received K-1s, and when I sold in 2024, I had to pay tax on gains that were much larger than I expected because my cost basis had been reduced by those distributions. Just a heads up that your tax situation might be more complicated than just this year's K-1.
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Destiny Bryant
•Thanks, that's really helpful! Does TurboTax track this cost basis reduction automatically for future years, or do I need to keep records myself?
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Avery Davis
•TurboTax doesn't automatically track your adjusted basis from year to year for MLPs. You'll need to keep records yourself of your original purchase price and then subtract any return of capital distributions (usually found in Box 9a of your K-1) each year. If you use TurboTax every year, you can review last year's return to see the adjusted basis calculations, but it won't automatically carry forward. This is one of the biggest headaches with MLPs - the record-keeping burden falls on you. I recommend creating a simple spreadsheet to track each MLP, your original basis, and then subtract the ROC amounts each year. When you sell, you'll need these records to calculate your actual gain or loss.
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Collins Angel
Honestly after dealing with MLPs and K-1s for two years, I sold all mine and went back to normal ETFs. The tax headache wasn't worth the slightly higher yields imo. Now I just get a simple 1099-DIV and my tax filing takes 30 minutes instead of days.
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Marcelle Drum
•Same! I had 3 different oil MLPs and the K-1s were a nightmare. Some didn't even arrive until April! Now I stick to qualified dividends from regular corporations or ETFs. My tax situation is SO much simpler.
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Tate Jensen
One more tip - if your K-1 values are pretty small (like under $1000 investment), you might be able to use the de minimis rule for certain parts of the form. This can simplify your reporting. Ask your tax software support about this or check with a tax pro. Saved me a ton of headaches with my small Robinhood MLP investments.
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Sophia Carson
As someone who's been through the MLP K-1 maze multiple times, I'd strongly recommend keeping detailed records right from the start. Create a simple spreadsheet with columns for: Date of Purchase, Number of Shares, Original Cost Basis, and then add columns for each year's Return of Capital (Box 9a from K-1) to track your adjusted basis. Also, don't panic about the complexity - yes, MLPs are more work than regular stocks, but for small investments the actual tax impact is usually manageable. The key things to remember: 1) Form 1065 K-1 = Partnership/LLC in tax software, 2) Much of the "income" might actually reduce your taxes due to depreciation deductions, and 3) Keep those K-1s and basis records because you'll need them when you sell. One last thing - if this is your first year with MLPs and you're feeling overwhelmed, consider setting aside a small budget for a tax professional consultation just this once. They can walk you through the process and help you set up a good record-keeping system for future years. It's worth the peace of mind!
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Keisha Jackson
•This is excellent advice! I wish I had seen this before I started investing in MLPs. The spreadsheet idea is brilliant - I've been trying to track everything in my head and it's been a disaster. One question though - when you mention the depreciation deductions potentially reducing taxes, does that mean I might actually owe less in taxes this year even though I received distributions? I got about $150 in distributions from my oil MLP but the K-1 shows some depreciation amounts that seem larger than the distributions I received. Also, @Sophia Carson, do you have any recommendations for finding a tax professional who actually knows about MLPs? I called a few local CPAs and they seemed just as confused as I am!
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