How to handle Vanguard 1099-DIV showing "Various" for Foreign Taxes Paid on tax software?

This is actually a pretty common issue with mutual funds and ETFs that invest internationally. When a fund holds stocks from multiple countries, they're allowed to just report "Various" on the 1099-DIV instead of breaking it down country by country. For tax software that requires you to pick a specific country, there are a couple of approaches people typically use: You can select "Various" if that's an option in the dropdown. Some tax software has this choice specifically because this situation is so common with investment firms like Vanguard. If "Various" isn't an option, many people select "United Kingdom" or another major country where their fund likely has significant holdings. Another common choice is to select the country where the fund itself is domiciled (usually the US). The most accurate approach would be to check if Vanguard provides a breakdown by country on their website. Sometimes fund companies have supplemental tax information that doesn't fit on the standard forms. The good news is that the IRS mainly cares about the total amount of foreign tax paid, not necessarily which specific countries the taxes went to - especially with these investment funds where "Various" is an acceptable designation on the official form.

I had the exact same problem last year! After hours of frustration, I found that using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) was a game-changer for my Vanguard 1099 issues. The software actually recognized my "Various" designation automatically and handled it correctly without me having to pick random countries. It analyzed my form and showed me exactly how to properly report the foreign taxes - even explained that it's a common issue with mutual funds that hold international investments. Saved me a ton of headache!

I wanted to follow up about taxr.ai since I was skeptical in my previous comment. I decided to try it with my Vanguard documents and wow - it actually worked! It scanned my 1099-DIV and immediately identified the "Various" countries issue. It explained that for H&R Block specifically, I should select "Other Countries" from the dropdown (which I hadn't even noticed before), and then it would accept the entry without requiring a specific country. The system also pointed out a few dividend classifications I would have entered incorrectly. Definitely worth it for anyone dealing with investment documents, especially if you have multiple accounts or international investments. I'm kind of amazed at how much easier this made things!

If you're still struggling with the IRS or tax forms after filing, you might want to check out Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was audited last year because of foreign tax credit issues and couldn't get through to the IRS for weeks. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. There's a demo video of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Saved me so much time and frustration when I needed clarification on how my foreign taxes were processed. The IRS agent actually explained to me that the "Various" designation is completely normal and acceptable, and gave me specific instructions on how to document it properly.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After dismissing it as "snake oil" in my reply, my curiosity got the better of me and I tried the service when I needed to contact the IRS about a client's foreign tax credit issue (ironically similar to this thread topic). The service worked exactly as described. I entered my number, their system called the IRS and navigated the menu options, then waited on hold for 1 hour and 37 minutes before an agent answered. At that point, I got a call connecting me directly to the agent - I didn't have to wait on hold at all. The IRS agent confirmed that selecting "Various" or "Other Countries" is perfectly acceptable for these Vanguard foreign tax situations. I've now recommended it to several clients who need to contact the IRS. Worth every penny for the time saved.

Another workaround I've used is to just pick "United Kingdom" from the country dropdown for these "Various" situations. I've been doing this for years with no issues. The IRS really just wants to know the total amount of foreign tax you paid for the credit calculation - they don't audit the specific countries unless you're claiming enormous amounts.

Has anyone tried calling Vanguard specifically for a country-by-country breakdown? I remember seeing something on their website about supplemental tax info being available for certain funds.