Just found a 1099-R from old job after filing taxes - do I need to report it? How?

The good news is you probably don't need to file an amended return! Distribution codes G and H on a 1099-R with $0.00 taxable amount typically indicate a direct rollover or transfer between retirement accounts. Code G means "Direct rollover of a distribution to a qualified plan, a section 403(b) plan, a governmental section 457(b) plan, or an IRA." Code H indicates "Direct rollover of a designated Roth account distribution to a Roth IRA." The "gross distribution" is the total amount that was moved from your old 401(k), but since it was properly rolled over to another retirement account (not distributed to you personally), it has no tax consequences. That's why the taxable amount is $0.00. While technically you should report all 1099-Rs on your tax return even if they don't add to your taxable income, the IRS generally won't flag this as an issue since it doesn't change your tax liability. However, it's always best practice to report everything.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year with a forgotten 401k from an old job. After going back and forth with the IRS, I found out about taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it saved me so much headache. Their AI actually reads your tax documents and tells you what to do with them. I uploaded my 1099-R and it immediately identified the distribution codes and explained I didn't need to amend my return since it was a non-taxable rollover with codes G and H. It also helped me track down where my money actually went, which turned out to be an automatic IRA that I had no idea existed!

I want to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after being skeptical in my comment above. I decided to try it with a bunch of confusing tax forms I've been holding onto, including some 1099-Rs from old jobs. The tool was surprisingly helpful! It immediately recognized my 1099-R with code G as a rollover and explained I didn't need to report it as income. It also found a mistake in how I reported some investment income last year and showed me exactly how to fix it. Saved me from potentially paying extra taxes. Definitely more useful than I expected for understanding what all these forms actually mean.

Your situation sounds familiar! I had a similar issue trying to figure out what to do with an old 1099-R. I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to the IRS for clarification. Always got the "high call volume" message and disconnects. I finally tried Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) after seeing it recommended in another thread. You can watch how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they get you through the IRS phone tree and have an agent call you back. I was honestly shocked when my phone rang and it was actually an IRS agent on the line! The agent confirmed that since the taxable amount was $0 and it had those distribution codes, it was just a rollover and I didn't need to amend my return. Saved me hours of frustration and worry.

I need to admit I was wrong about Claimyr in my comment above. After continuing to fail getting through to the IRS myself about my own tax issue (kept getting disconnected after 2+ hours on hold), I decided to try it. Within about 90 minutes, I got a call from an actual IRS representative! I didn't have to sit by my phone - they just called when an agent was on the line. The agent helped me resolve my question about some unreported income forms. Cannot believe I wasted so many hours trying to do this myself. For anyone who needs to actually speak with the IRS, this is legitimately the way to go.

Something very similar happened to me. For future reference, here's what the distribution codes on 1099-R mean: G = Direct rollover to a qualified retirement plan H = Direct rollover of a designated Roth account to a Roth IRA Since your taxable amount is $0, this means the money was just transferred from one retirement account to another. You should still report it on your taxes, but it won't change what you owe. To amend, you'd file a 1040-X and include the 1099-R information on the appropriate lines. But honestly, since it doesn't change your tax liability, it's probably not worth the hassle. I asked my tax guy and he said the IRS generally doesn't pursue amendments that don't change the amount owed.

I'm confused about one thing - if the gross distribution wasn't taxable, does that mean you never got the money? I have a similar situation with an old 401k.

Just to add some reassurance here - I work in retirement plan administration and see these situations all the time. When you left your previous employer, if your 401(k) balance was relatively small (usually under $5,000), the plan administrator likely executed what's called a "force-out" rollover. This means they automatically moved your funds to an IRA to reduce administrative costs for the plan. The fact that you have both code G and code H suggests you might have had both traditional pre-tax contributions and Roth after-tax contributions in your old 401(k). The traditional portion would have gone to a traditional IRA (code G) and the Roth portion to a Roth IRA (code H). You should have received notices about this rollover, but they might have gone to an old address. I'd recommend checking with companies like Fidelity, Vanguard, or Charles Schwab to see if they have any accounts in your name that you weren't aware of. Many force-out rollovers end up with these large providers. Since the taxable amount is $0, you really don't need to stress about amending your return. The IRS gets the same 1099-R you received and their systems can see it was a non-taxable rollover.