Reporting Interest Less Than $10 on TurboTax DIY Version - How to Enter Small Interest Amounts?
I'm currently using the do-it-yourself version of TurboTax (the $79 one) and I'm stuck on how to report some tiny interest amounts. I have two different bank accounts that each earned less than $10 in interest last year - one checking and one savings. Since neither bank sent me any tax forms for these (I guess they don't have to for amounts under $10?), I'm completely lost on how to handle this in TurboTax. Should I be reporting these small interest amounts separately for each account, or can I just combine them together? And honestly, how do I even enter this info in TurboTax when I don't have any forms? The whole interface is confusing me right now. Any help would be greatly appreciated! This is the last thing holding me up from finishing my 2024 taxes.
21 comments


Alejandro Castro
You definitely should report all interest income regardless of whether you received a 1099-INT form. Even small amounts like yours need to be reported to be fully compliant with tax laws. In TurboTax DIY, it's actually pretty straightforward. When you reach the Income section, look for "Interest and Dividends" or sometimes labeled as "Interest on 1099-INT." Click on that section, and there should be an option to manually enter interest income even without a form. You'll want to enter each account separately with the bank name and amount for each. This gives you the most accurate record. The IRS gets reports from banks about interest paid, even small amounts, so it's good practice to include everything. Plus, it's just the right thing to do from a compliance standpoint!
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Monique Byrd
•Thanks for explaining that! Quick question - what if I literally can't remember how much interest it was exactly? It was seriously like $3-4 for one account and maybe $6 for the other. Is there a way to find out the exact amounts without having the tax forms?
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Alejandro Castro
•You can check your December bank statements, as they often show the year-to-date interest earned for the account. Alternatively, log into your online banking portal and look for an annual statement or tax section - many banks provide this information electronically even if they don't mail a form. If you absolutely cannot find the exact amounts, make your best reasonable estimate. Just be consistent and make sure you're not wildly off. The IRS is generally not going to come after you for a few dollars difference on tiny interest amounts, but it's always best to report as accurately as possible.
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Jackie Martinez
After struggling with this exact issue last year, I found a tool that made it so much easier! I started using https://taxr.ai to quickly scan my bank statements and extract all the interest income automatically. Saved me tons of time hunting through statements. My bank also doesn't send 1099-INTs for small amounts, but the tool recognized the "Interest Paid" entries on my December statement and categorized them properly. It even helped identify some interest income I would have missed from a closed account. The interface guides you through uploading your documents and then organizes all the tax information for you. Way better than manually squinting at statements!
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Lia Quinn
•How does it work with TurboTax though? Does it just tell you the amounts or does it somehow connect to TurboTax directly? Also, is it accurate with really small amounts?
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Haley Stokes
•Sounds interesting but honestly seems like overkill for just a few dollars of interest. Couldn't you just log into your bank accounts and check? That's what I've always done.
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Jackie Martinez
•It doesn't directly connect to TurboTax, but it gives you a clean summary of all your interest income that you can easily enter manually. I found it particularly helpful because it spotted interest from accounts I had forgotten about - even tiny amounts like $2.37 that I would have missed. As for whether it's overkill, maybe for some people it is, but I have accounts at multiple banks plus some investment accounts. The tool handles all types of tax documents and income, not just interest. So while I initially used it for this specific problem, I now use it for my entire tax prep process because it makes everything more organized.
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Haley Stokes
I tried that taxr.ai website from the previous comment and it actually worked great for my situation! I was skeptical at first because I only had about $13 total interest across three accounts, but I wanted to be accurate. I uploaded my year-end statements, and it extracted all the interest amounts correctly. Also found some bank fees that were tax-deductible for my small business that I would have totally missed. Way more helpful than I expected for something I initially thought was overkill. The best part was not having to squint at tiny print on statements trying to find where they hide the YTD interest totals. Definitely using this again next year when I do my taxes.
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Asher Levin
If you're having trouble getting through to the IRS to ask about reporting small interest amounts, I've been using https://claimyr.com to get through the phone lines. Check out how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I spent HOURS trying to get clarification on some interest reporting issues last month (had similar small amounts plus some foreign bank interest). Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. The agent confirmed that all interest amounts should be reported regardless of receiving a 1099-INT and walked me through the proper reporting method for my specific situation. Saved me so much frustration!
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Serene Snow
•Wait, this actually works? I thought the IRS was basically unreachable by phone these days. How does this service get you through when nobody else can?
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Issac Nightingale
•Sounds like a scam tbh. Why would I pay someone to call the IRS when I can just do it myself? Plus, how do you know the "agent" you spoke to was even legitimate?
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Asher Levin
•It works by using technology to navigate the IRS phone tree and wait on hold for you. Once they get someone on the line, they call you and connect you directly to the IRS agent. It's not calling on your behalf - you're still the one speaking to the actual IRS. I was definitely skeptical too before trying it. But you're connected to the real IRS phone system - same numbers, same verification process. I confirmed by checking the official IRS number I was connected to. The service just handles the waiting part, which was taking me hours before getting disconnected each time I tried myself.
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Issac Nightingale
Ok I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After struggling with a more complicated interest reporting question for weeks and getting nowhere, I tried the service yesterday. Got connected to an IRS representative in about 15 minutes after failing to get through for days on my own. The representative confirmed exactly how to handle some foreign interest reporting questions I had (way more complex than the original question here but similar concept). I was honestly shocked at how well it worked after being so skeptical. The time saved was absolutely worth it, especially with the filing deadline approaching. Sometimes being wrong feels pretty good, especially when it means finding a solution that actually works!
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Romeo Barrett
Another option in TurboTax is to just add up all your interest and report it as a single entry from "Various Banks" if the total is really small. Been doing this for years with my tiny interest amounts (always under $20 total) and never had an issue. The IRS mainly cares that you're reporting the income, not necessarily that you're breaking it down by each account when the amounts are minimal. Makes the process much quicker!
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Marina Hendrix
•Are you sure this is allowed? I've always entered each account separately because I thought that was required. Would love to simplify if this is actually okay with the IRS.
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Romeo Barrett
•Yes, this is generally acceptable for very small amounts. The key requirement is that you're reporting all taxable interest income, not the specific breakdown method. The IRS matches the total interest reported by financial institutions to what you report. For larger amounts or if you receive actual 1099-INTs, I'd recommend reporting separately by institution. But for small unreported amounts like we're discussing here (under $10 per account), consolidating makes the process simpler while still being compliant. I've been filing this way for over 10 years with no issues.
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Justin Trejo
Just wanted to mention, don't forget that TurboTax has a built-in help feature where you can chat with tax experts for situations exactly like this! Since you're paying for the $79 version, you should have some level of support included. Look for the "Ask a Tax Expert" or "Live Help" button during your filing process. I used it last year for a similar question about unreported interest and the person was super helpful and walked me through exactly where to enter it.
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Alana Willis
•Not all TurboTax DIY versions include expert help though. I think only the Live versions have that feature, which costs more. The basic $79 version probably doesn't include tax expert access.
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Mae Bennett
I had this exact same situation last year! For small interest amounts under $10, you absolutely should still report them even without receiving 1099-INT forms. Banks are only required to send these forms for interest over $10, but the IRS still expects you to report all taxable interest. In TurboTax DIY, go to the Income section and look for "Interest and Dividends." There should be an option to add interest income manually. You can enter each bank separately with the institution name and amount, or if the total is really small (like yours), you can combine them under "Various Sources" or similar. To find the exact amounts, check your December bank statements - they usually show year-to-date interest earned. You can also log into your online banking and look for annual summaries or tax documents section. Don't stress too much about being off by a dollar or two if you can't find exact amounts - just make your best estimate. The key is showing good faith effort to report all income!
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Gabrielle Dubois
•This is really helpful! I'm in a similar boat with tiny interest amounts. Quick question - when you say "Various Sources," is that an actual option in TurboTax or do you just type that in as the bank name? I want to make sure I'm doing this right and not creating any red flags with the IRS by using non-standard entries.
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Gianna Scott
•Great question! In TurboTax, when you're manually entering interest income, you'll typically see a field for "Payer Name" or "Financial Institution." You can either enter each bank's actual name separately, or for very small combined amounts, you can type something like "Various Banks" or "Multiple Sources" - both are acceptable. The IRS isn't looking for exact payer names on tiny interest amounts since no 1099-INTs were issued. They mainly want to see that you're reporting the total taxable interest income. I've used "Combined Interest - Various Banks" before when I had several small amounts under $5 each, and it never caused any issues. Just make sure whatever you enter is clear and the total amount is accurate. The key is demonstrating that you're making a good faith effort to report all taxable income, even these small amounts!
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