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Diego Vargas

How to report 1042-S for residents - dividends reported on both 1042-S and 1099-DIV forms

I'm completely stumped on how to handle my tax situation this year. I'm a full-year US resident for 2024, but Morgan Stanley sent me both a 1042-S and a 1099-DIV for the same dividends. The 1042-S shows income code 06 (which I looked up and seems to be for dividends) and has a total income of $1,050 with federal tax withheld of $315. Meanwhile, the 1099-DIV they sent has different amounts. I'm guessing they initially had me classified as a non-resident for part of the year, since 1042-S is typically for non-residents, right? But I've been a full resident the entire year! I've been searching online and getting totally contradictory advice. Some sites say to just report it like a regular 1099-DIV, while others say I need to file it under "Other income Not reported on W-2/1099." I'm trying to use FreeTaxUSA or maybe switch to TurboTax, but not sure if either can handle this properly. Has anyone dealt with a 1042-S as a resident before? How did you report it? Really appreciate any help you can offer!

This is a pretty common issue for people who've recently become US residents or when financial institutions have outdated residency information. The 1042-S (income code 06) is indeed for dividends paid to foreign persons, but since you're a full-year resident for 2024, you're right to question how to handle this. Here's what you need to know: When you're a US resident for tax purposes but receive a 1042-S, you still need to report that income, and you're entitled to claim the withholding shown on the form. The simplest approach is to report the dividend income on Schedule B along with your other dividends (including those on your 1099-DIV), and then claim the federal tax withholding of $315 on your Form 1040. Both FreeTaxUSA and TurboTax should be able to handle this - look for an option to report "additional income" or "income not reported on a W-2 or 1099." You'll want to make sure you're not double-counting any dividends that might appear on both forms.

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Thanks for explaining! But I'm confused about one thing - if the amounts on the 1042-S and 1099-DIV are different, should I report both? Or just one of them? And how do I claim the withholding on the 1042-S specifically? When I tried entering it in FreeTaxUSA it didn't seem to have a clear option for this scenario.

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You'll need to figure out if the 1099-DIV and 1042-S are reporting the same income or different portions of your dividend income. If it's the same income reported differently, you should only report it once to avoid double taxation. Compare the dates and details to determine this. For claiming the withholding shown on your 1042-S, in most tax software you'll find this under "Other income tax payments" or "Federal income tax withheld from forms other than W-2." In FreeTaxUSA specifically, look in the "Federal" section, then "Payments," and you should find an option for additional federal tax withholding not reported on other forms.

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After dealing with a similar situation last year, I found https://taxr.ai super helpful for figuring out how to handle my 1042-S as a resident. I uploaded both my 1042-S and 1099-DIV forms, and the software immediately flagged the potential duplicate reporting issue and guided me through the correct way to report everything. The key was making sure I wasn't double-counting the dividend income while still claiming the withholding tax. Their system explained that the 1042-S withholding is treated as any other federal withholding, but you need to be careful about how you report the actual income amounts.

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Does this service actually work with forms like 1042-S? I've tried several tax programs that claim to handle "all tax forms" but then they don't recognize anything beyond the basic W-2 and 1099-MISC. Can it actually tell if there's overlap between the 1042-S and 1099-DIV amounts?

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I'm skeptical... if Morgan Stanley made a mistake with your residency status, wouldn't you need to contact them directly to fix it rather than using some software? Did you end up having to amend your return later or did the IRS accept it without questions?

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The service specifically handles these international tax forms like 1042-S, which is why I found it so useful. It has a comparison feature that highlights potential overlapping amounts between different forms reporting similar types of income, so you can see exactly where the 1042-S and 1099-DIV might be reporting the same dividends. Regarding Morgan Stanley, you're right that ideally they'd fix their records, but for tax filing purposes you need to work with the forms you have. The software helped me document everything correctly, and I didn't need to amend my return. The IRS processed it without any issues because all income was properly reported and all withholding was correctly claimed.

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Just wanted to update everyone - I gave https://taxr.ai a try after my skeptical questions, and I'm genuinely impressed. I've been dealing with this exact 1042-S/1099-DIV issue for two years since moving to the US, and it's been a headache each time. The system immediately recognized both forms and provided clear guidance on how to handle the overlapping amounts. It turns out about 70% of my dividend income was reported on both forms, and I would have double-reported that portion without realizing it. It also made sure I claimed all the withholding from the 1042-S, which I had missed last year (probably could have amended but didn't realize until now). For anyone facing this resident/non-resident form confusion, definitely worth checking out. Saved me hours of research and potential errors.

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I went through something similar and after waiting on hold with the IRS for HOURS with no luck, I used https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual IRS agent. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent confirmed that as a resident, you report the 1042-S income as regular dividend income on Schedule B, but you need to make sure you also claim the withholding. The trick is not to double-count income that appears on both forms. They suggested comparing the dates and amounts carefully to identify any overlap. They also recommended contacting Morgan Stanley to update your residency status in their system so you don't keep getting 1042-S forms in future years when you don't need them.

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How does this Claimyr thing actually work? Do they just call the IRS for you? I'm confused about how this would be any different than me calling myself and waiting on hold.

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Seems like a waste of money to me. You can get this same information from IRS publications or just calling them yourself if you're patient enough. I doubt they tell you anything you couldn't find online with some research.

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It doesn't call the IRS for you - it holds your place in the phone queue. The system calls you back when it reaches an actual human at the IRS, so you don't have to sit on hold for hours. I was skeptical too, but when I got the call back and was immediately connected to an IRS agent after previously wasting 3+ hours on hold, I was sold. The value isn't just the information - it's getting personalized answers to your specific situation from an official source. The agent was able to look at notes from my specific tax account while explaining how to handle the 1042-S withholding, which gave me confidence I was doing it right. No amount of online research can replace getting confirmation directly from the IRS about your particular case.

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I have to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it because my 1042-S situation was more complicated than the original poster's - I had multiple accounts and some partial year residency issues. The service connected me to an IRS tax law specialist in about 25 minutes (vs the 2+ hours I spent on previous attempts that ended in disconnections). The agent walked me through exactly how to report multiple 1042-S forms with different income codes and explained which portions might overlap with my 1099s. For anyone with complex international tax situations, getting direct IRS guidance is invaluable. The agent even provided a specific reference number for our call that I can cite if there are ever questions about how I handled my return. Definitely saved me from potential penalties for incorrect reporting.

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Has anyone successfully handled this in FreeTaxUSA specifically? I'm in the same boat with a 1042-S (income code 06) for dividends as a resident, but I can't figure out where to enter it. I tried the "Income" section, but don't see a specific place for 1042-S forms.

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In FreeTaxUSA, go to Federal → Income → Interest and Dividends → Dividend Income (Schedule B). You can add your dividend income there. Then separately, go to Federal → Payments → Additional Federal Tax Payments and Withholding to report the tax withheld from your 1042-S. That's how I handled mine last year.

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That worked perfectly, thank you! I found both sections and was able to enter everything. The key was separating the income reporting from the withholding reporting. I compared the dates on both forms and figured out which portions were duplicated so I didn't double-report anything. One thing to note for others - make sure you keep good records showing how you determined which amounts to report in case of an audit. I created a simple spreadsheet showing the calculations and saved copies of both forms.

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Just wondering - should you also attach an explanation or statement to your tax return when you have this situation? I have both 1042-S and 1099-DIV forms and am worried the IRS might think I'm not reporting all my income if they see the 1042-S but don't immediately connect it to the dividend income I'm reporting.

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When e-filing, there's usually no way to attach an explanatory statement for this specific situation. The key is to report all income and withholding correctly on the appropriate lines of your tax return. If you're particularly concerned, you can create a written statement explaining how you've reported the 1042-S income and withholding, and keep it with your tax records. This would be helpful if you're ever audited, but it's not required to be submitted with your return.

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I went through this exact same situation last year and want to share what I learned after consulting with a tax professional. The key issue is that Morgan Stanley likely had you classified as a non-resident alien at some point during the year, which triggered the 1042-S filing even though you were actually a full-year resident. Here's the step-by-step approach that worked for me: 1. **Compare the forms carefully** - Look at the dates and amounts on both the 1042-S and 1099-DIV. Often they're reporting different dividend payments or different portions of the same payments. 2. **Report dividend income once** - Add up all your dividend income from both forms (avoiding double-counting) and report the total on Schedule B as regular dividend income. 3. **Claim all withholding** - The $315 federal tax withheld on your 1042-S should be claimed as additional federal tax payments, separate from any withholding shown on your 1099-DIV. 4. **Contact Morgan Stanley** - Call them to update your residency status in their system so you don't keep getting 1042-S forms unnecessarily in future years. The IRS matching system will see both forms were issued to you, but as long as you report all income and claim all withholding correctly, there shouldn't be any issues. I had no problems with my return being processed, and no follow-up questions from the IRS. Good luck with your filing!

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This is incredibly helpful, thank you for breaking it down so clearly! I'm dealing with this exact situation right now and was getting overwhelmed by all the conflicting advice online. Your step-by-step approach makes so much sense - especially the part about comparing dates and amounts to avoid double-counting. I had the same concern about the IRS matching system seeing both forms, so it's reassuring to hear that you had no issues when everything was reported correctly. I'm definitely going to call Morgan Stanley too - I didn't even think about updating my residency status with them to prevent this from happening again next year. One quick follow-up question: when you reported the dividend income on Schedule B, did you need to specify anywhere that some of it came from a 1042-S, or did you just lump it all together as regular dividend income?

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