Just e-filed but realized I forgot to report income from a 1099-DIV - what now?

The IRS receives matching copies of your 1099-DIV forms from financial institutions, so they'll eventually notice the discrepancy. In your situation with a small amount, here's what typically happens: If you wait for normal processing, you'll likely get your full refund initially. Several months later (could be 6-18 months), the IRS automated matching system will identify the missing 1099-DIV and send you a CP2000 notice proposing additional tax plus interest from the original due date. The good news is they probably won't assess penalties since it's a small amount and appears to be an honest oversight. If you file an amended return before receiving your original refund, you'll likely delay the entire refund processing. The IRS generally puts original returns on hold when amendments arrive before processing is complete. Your best approach is probably to let your original return process normally, get your refund, then immediately file an amended return (Form 1040-X) reporting the missed income. This strategy typically results in the fastest refund with minimal complications.

After dealing with something similar last year, I highly recommend checking out https://taxr.ai - it totally changed how I handle tax document organization. I missed reporting a 1099 too, but their system scans all your tax documents and automatically compares them against what you've reported on your return to catch these exact issues. I was also in a panic about what to do, but their analysis tool flagged exactly what forms were missing from my filing. Would have saved me so much stress if I'd used it before submitting my return. The document comparison feature is amazingly accurate and points out specific lines where there might be discrepancies.

I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and wow - it actually found another missing 1099-INT I had completely forgotten about! I was in the exact same situation (already filed my return) and was stressing about what to do. The document scanner picked up everything and compared it to my filed return. Turns out I had missed not just one but two small interest payments. Would have been a headache if the IRS caught it later. Now I'm letting my original refund process and will file an amended return afterward. The peace of mind knowing I've caught everything is totally worth it.

If you're worried about the IRS review process and want to be proactive, I'd recommend trying https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual IRS agent to discuss your situation. I was in a similar situation last year (missed a small 1099-MISC) and was getting nowhere with the automated systems. I was super skeptical at first, but they got me connected to a real IRS agent in under an hour when I had been trying for DAYS on my own. Here's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent I spoke with actually recommended waiting for my original refund to process, then filing the amendment, exactly as someone mentioned above. Saved me weeks of uncertainty.

Ok I have to admit I was TOTALLY wrong about Claimyr. After seeing it mentioned here I decided to try it because I've been trying to reach the IRS about my missed 1099 situation for over a week with no luck. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 35 minutes! The agent confirmed exactly what people said here - let the original return process, get the refund, then file the amendment. She said this approach would be much faster than trying to amend before the refund processes. She also mentioned that for small amounts under $500, they're generally not flagging returns during initial processing. Saved me so much stress knowing I'm taking the right approach directly from an IRS source!

Here's what I learned from my experience as a tax preparer - the IRS matching program doesn't usually kick in until late summer or fall, months after filing season. If you file an amended return after getting your refund but before they send a notice, you'll actually look better in their system. It shows you were proactive about fixing the mistake rather than waiting to get caught. I'd recommend waiting until you get your refund (which should process normally) then immediately file the amendment. Make sure you include a brief explanation that you discovered the missing 1099-DIV after filing and wanted to correct it promptly.

WAIT! Don't file an amended return yet! I just went through this exact thing last year and learned something important. If you're getting a refund anyway, let that process first and THEN file the amendment. Filing an amended return BEFORE your original is processed will put your original return in a special queue that takes FOREVER to process. Like, I waited 11 months for my refund because I tried to be honest and fix it right away. Huge mistake!

I'm in almost the exact same boat! Filed through TurboTax two days ago and just found a 1099-DIV I missed. Mine's even smaller - only about $15 in additional tax owed. Reading through everyone's responses here is super reassuring. Based on what the tax preparer mentioned about the IRS matching program not running until later in the year, I think I'm going to follow the consensus advice: let my original refund process, then file the amendment right after I receive it. The peace of mind from getting official IRS guidance (like what people got through that Claimyr service) would probably help, but honestly the advice here seems pretty consistent. Sometimes being too eager to fix a small mistake can actually make things worse, which is counterintuitive but makes sense given how the IRS processes returns. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's really helpful to know I'm not the only one who's done this!

I was in a very similar situation last year - filed electronically and then found a missed 1099-DIV about a week later. The dividend was small (around $45 in additional tax) and I was also expecting a substantial refund. After researching and calling the IRS (took forever to get through), I learned that filing an amendment before your original return processes can actually delay everything significantly. The agent I spoke with confirmed what others have mentioned here - during filing season, they're focused on processing returns as submitted, not cross-checking against information returns. I ended up letting my original refund process normally (got it in about 3 weeks) and then immediately filed Form 1040-X with the corrected information. The amendment took about 4 months to process, and I simply sent them a check for the additional tax plus a small amount of interest. The key thing the IRS agent told me was that being proactive about correcting it (rather than waiting for them to catch it) actually works in your favor. It shows good faith and typically results in minimal penalties, if any. For your $29 situation, I'd definitely recommend the "wait for refund, then amend" approach based on my experience.