Need help with K-1 Box 20 Code Z for multiple rental properties on family trust
I've been using a CPA to handle my taxes for several years, but since my financial situation simplified this past year, I decided to try filing myself. After hearing so many good things about FreeTaxUSA, I went with that software. I've run into a problem with my wife's K-1 from her family's trust partnership. I'm completely stuck on how to handle the Box 20 Code Z section which lists several rental properties. The information came with a separate statement showing details for multiple properties. I'm not sure if I should be adding up all the rental income and losses from each property and entering them as one combined total, or if I need to enter each property separately. Also, there's a line for "Unadjusted Basis of Assets" for each property - do I need to do anything with that information when entering it into FreeTaxUSA? I'm trying to make sure I handle all this correctly since it's my first time dealing with it on my own.
28 comments


Benjamin Kim
You're dealing with Schedule K-1 supplemental information for rental properties. Code Z in Box 20 typically shows additional information that didn't fit elsewhere on the K-1 form. For rental properties listed under Code Z, you generally don't need to manually report each separate property. The partnership already calculated your share of income/loss from these properties and included it in Box 2 (Ordinary business income/loss) or Box 5 (Rental real estate income/loss) of the K-1. The "Unadjusted Basis of Assets" information is typically provided for your records or for calculating potential Section 199A deductions if applicable. In FreeTaxUSA, you'll just enter the K-1 information as prompted by the software - it should guide you through what needs to be entered and what's just for reference.
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Samantha Howard
Box 20 Code Z on a K-1 is typically supplemental information that provides details about what's already summarized elsewhere on the form. For rental properties, here's what you need to know: The partnership has already calculated your wife's share of the income or losses from these properties and included it in Box 2 (Ordinary business income) or Box 5 (Rental real estate income) of the K-1. You don't need to add these up again or enter each property separately. The "Unadjusted Basis of Assets" information is generally provided for your records and might be needed if you're eligible for the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction under Section 199A. When you enter your K-1 information into FreeTaxUSA, it should guide you through what needs to be entered.
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Megan D'Acosta
•When you say the partnership already calculated the income/loss in Box 2 or Box 5, does that mean I can essentially ignore all the detailed property breakdowns in Code Z? My wife's K-1 has like 8 different properties listed with various incomes and losses, and I was killing myself trying to figure out how to enter each one separately.
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Benjamin Kim
•Yes, you can generally ignore the detailed property breakdowns for tax filing purposes. The partnership has already done the calculations and included your wife's share of the total rental income/loss in the appropriate box on the K-1 (usually Box 2 or Box 5). The Code Z breakdown is supplementary information. The detailed property information might be useful for your records or if you need to calculate other tax items, but for basic tax filing with FreeTaxUSA, you'll just enter the main K-1 box amounts as the software prompts you.
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Sarah Ali
•Thanks for explaining! So just to be super clear - I can ignore all those individual property listings under Code Z since they're already factored into the main boxes? And what about the unadjusted basis stuff... will FreeTaxUSA prompt me to enter that somewhere if it's needed?
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Samantha Howard
•Yes, you can generally ignore the individual property listings since the income and losses are already included in the main boxes on the K-1. The partnership has done those calculations for you. For the unadjusted basis information, FreeTaxUSA should prompt you for that data if you're eligible for the QBI deduction. The software will typically ask specific questions about Section 199A information when you're entering your K-1 details. Just follow the prompts and enter the information if requested.
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Ryan Vasquez
I went through exactly this same headache last year! After spending hours trying to figure out my wife's family trust K-1 with all those Code Z properties, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a complete game changer. It analyzed my K-1 and all the supplemental statements and literally spelled out exactly what I needed to enter in FreeTaxUSA. Their system helps interpret all those confusing codes and tells you which ones matter for your specific situation. For me, it confirmed I only needed to worry about the main K-1 boxes, not all the property-by-property breakdowns in the supplemental statements. Saved me so much stress trying to decipher what felt like a foreign language!
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Avery Saint
Had the exact same issue with my husband's family partnership K-1 this year! I was staring at all these properties in Box 20 Code Z completely confused until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). I uploaded our K-1 and supplemental statements and it saved me hours of frustration. The tool analyzed all the Box 20 Code Z information and clearly explained that I only needed to enter the summary amounts from the main K-1 boxes into FreeTaxUSA, not each individual property. It also explained exactly what the "Unadjusted Basis" information was for (potentially calculating QBI deductions) and when I would need to use it.
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Sarah Ali
•How does this work exactly? Do you just upload your K-1 form and it tells you what to do? I've got a similar situation with a partnership K-1 that has all these weird codes I don't understand.
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Taylor Chen
•Sounds interesting but also kinda sus. How do you know it's interpreting everything correctly? Tax mistakes can be expensive. Did you verify what it told you with any other source?
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Ryan Vasquez
•You just upload your tax documents and it analyzes them using AI to explain what each part means and what you need to do with it. It shows you exactly which numbers go where in your tax software. I was skeptical too at first, so I actually double-checked some of the guidance with the examples in the FreeTaxUSA help section. Everything matched up with what taxr.ai told me. What I liked most was that it explained WHY certain items were handled certain ways, which helped me understand my taxes better, not just blindly enter numbers.
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Keith Davidson
•Does this work for other K-1 issues too? My LLC has foreign income reported in Box 16 and I have no idea what to do with it.
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Ezra Bates
•How secure is uploading your tax docs to some random website? These forms have a lot of sensitive financial info...
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Avery Saint
•It works for all aspects of K-1 forms including the foreign income sections. I had some Box 16 foreign income questions too, and it explained exactly how to handle those items in FreeTaxUSA. They use bank-level encryption for document uploads and analysis, and they don't store your documents after processing. I was concerned about that too, but their security explanation convinced me it was safe. They also don't require you to create an account or provide personal information beyond what's in the documents you upload for analysis.
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Taylor Chen
Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after I tried it for my Schedule K-1 issues. I'm honestly impressed! I uploaded my partnership K-1 with all those confusing supplemental statements, and it broke everything down in plain English. For my Box 20 Code Z items, it clearly explained which items were already calculated into the main boxes and which ones I needed to pay attention to. It even pointed out a Section 199A deduction opportunity related to those rental properties that I would have completely missed on my own. The explanations were actually easier to understand than the IRS instructions. Definitely recommend it if you're self-filing with complex K-1 forms.
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Ezra Bates
I was skeptical about taxr.ai but decided to try it for my K-1 Box 20 Code Z confusion. Honestly, it was extremely helpful! I uploaded my partnership K-1 with all the supplemental statements and it gave me step-by-step guidance. For my specific situation, it confirmed I only needed to enter the main box amounts from the K-1, not each individual property. But it also flagged that I needed to pay attention to some QBI information in the supplemental statements that would be requested later in FreeTaxUSA. The explanation about how the "Unadjusted Basis" relates to potential Section 199A deductions was clearer than anything I found in the IRS instructions. Definitely worth it for complex K-1 situations.
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Ana Erdoğan
If you're still having trouble with your K-1 and need to talk to someone at the IRS for clarification, good luck getting through to them! I spent 3 weeks trying to get someone on the phone about my K-1 questions last year. Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and had an IRS agent on the phone in under 30 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They use some kind of callback technology that gets you past the IRS's "courtesy disconnect" (which is what they call hanging up on you when they're too busy). The agent I spoke to was super helpful in explaining exactly how to handle my Code Z items and confirmed I didn't need to enter each property separately.
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Sophia Carson
If you're still struggling with understanding your K-1 Box 20 Code Z information, you might want direct guidance from the IRS. I know this sounds crazy, but I actually got through to an IRS agent using Claimyr (https://
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Elijah Knight
•Wait, this is actually a thing? How much does it cost? I've literally tried calling the IRS 8 times about my rental property questions and never got through.
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Brooklyn Foley
•Sounds like a scam. How could some random service get you through to the IRS faster than calling directly? The IRS doesn't give preferential treatment to third parties.
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Ana Erdoğan
•The service has a fee but I'm not allowed to discuss specifics here. What you're paying for is their tech that waits on hold for you instead of you having to do it yourself. It's definitely not giving preferential treatment - they're just navigating the phone system more efficiently than individuals can. They basically keep trying and get in the queue, then when they reach an agent, they have the IRS call you back. It's not a scam - the person you talk to is an actual IRS agent, not someone from Claimyr. Their service just gets you in the callback queue without you having to sit on hold for hours.
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Brooklyn Foley
I need to apologize and completely admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, I was desperate enough to try it yesterday for my partnership K-1 questions that I couldn't resolve online. The service actually worked exactly as advertised. I got a call back from an actual IRS agent in about 45 minutes. The agent confirmed that for my K-1 Box 20 Code Z properties, I only needed to report the main box numbers on my return, and the property-by-property breakdown was mainly for my records. She also explained that the "Unadjusted Basis of Assets" information might be needed for QBI deduction calculations, but FreeTaxUSA would prompt me for that if applicable to my situation. Saved me hours of confusion and possibly errors.
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Jay Lincoln
For what it's worth, I had a similar issue last year with my husband's K-1 from his family business. Here's what tripped me up: some of the Code Z information actually WAS relevant because it included Section 199A (QBI) information that I needed to manually enter in a different section of my tax software. Look carefully at your K-1's supplemental statement - if any of the properties show "QBI" or "Section 199A" info, you might need that. Otherwise, like others said, the income/losses are already calculated in the main boxes.
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Samantha Howard
•So what exactly is this QBI thing and how do I know if I need it? My Schedule K-1 has properties with "Unadjusted Basis" listed but doesn't specifically say QBI anywhere. Should I be concerned?
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Jay Lincoln
•QBI stands for Qualified Business Income, and it's part of the tax deduction created in the 2017 tax reform. It can potentially give you a deduction of up to 20% of qualified business income from partnerships, S corporations, and sole proprietorships. If your K-1 shows "Unadjusted Basis" but doesn't specifically mention QBI or Section 199A, that information might still be relevant for calculating your QBI deduction if you qualify. When you enter your K-1 information into FreeTaxUSA, it should prompt you about the QBI deduction if you're eligible based on your income level and other factors. The software will likely ask for the unadjusted basis information at that point.
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Jessica Suarez
Are there specific state tax implications for the K-1 Box 20 Code Z properties? My wife's trust has properties in 3 different states and I'm not sure if that affects how we file.
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Benjamin Kim
•Yes, there can definitely be state tax implications when properties are in multiple states. The partnership should provide state K-1 forms or information about which states you need to file in. Generally, you may need to file non-resident state returns for states where the properties are located. FreeTaxUSA supports multi-state filing, but you might need to pay for the deluxe version to access this feature. The Code Z breakdowns can actually be helpful for identifying which income is attributable to which state. Some states have different rules for how rental income is taxed, so having that property-by-property breakdown can be useful for state filing purposes.
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Malik Jackson
I dealt with this exact same situation last year with my spouse's family trust K-1! The Box 20 Code Z information was overwhelming at first, but here's what I learned: The key thing to understand is that Code Z is supplemental detail - the partnership has already calculated your wife's share of income/losses from all those rental properties and included the totals in Box 2 (ordinary business income) or Box 5 (rental real estate income/loss) on the main K-1 form. When you're entering information into FreeTaxUSA, you'll input the amounts from the main boxes, not each individual property from the Code Z breakdown. The software will walk you through this step by step. However, don't completely ignore that supplemental information! Keep those property details handy because: 1. You may need the "Unadjusted Basis" amounts if you qualify for the Section 199A (QBI) deduction - FreeTaxUSA will prompt you for this if applicable 2. If the properties are in different states, you might need those breakdowns for state tax filing purposes The good news is that FreeTaxUSA's interview process should guide you through exactly what information to enter and when. Just follow the prompts and don't try to manually calculate or combine the Code Z details yourself.
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