Which 1099 form do Social Security caretaker benefits come on? Can't find for taxes
I've been receiving caretaker benefits from Social Security for taking care of my nephew since last year, and now I'm trying to file my taxes. I can't figure out which 1099 form I should be looking for! I know retirement benefits come on a SSA-1099, but these are caretaker benefits so I'm confused. I checked the online portal but don't see anything there. Does anyone know the exact suffix or form name? My tax preparer is asking and I feel stupid not knowing. Thanks for any help!
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Sunny Wang
All Social Security benefits, including what you're calling 'caretaker benefits' (technically called Child's Benefits for a Representative Payee), are reported on the same form - the SSA-1099 (Social Security Benefit Statement). There's no special suffix for different benefit types. You should have received it in January, or you can download it from your my Social Security account online.
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Everett Tutum
•Thank you so much! I was driving myself crazy looking for a different form. I do have the SSA-1099, I just thought there would be a different one specifically for caretaker benefits. That makes it much easier!
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Hugh Intensity
SSA is so confusing with their paperwork!!! I had the SAME EXACT problem last year when I started getting survivor benefits for my kids. Spent HOURS on the phone trying to get through to someone who could tell me. The SSA-1099 shows ALL benefits regardless of what type. But they don't make that clear ANYWHERE in their instructions!!!!
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Everett Tutum
•Thank you for sharing that! I'm glad I'm not the only one who was confused by this. It would be so helpful if they just explained this clearly somewhere.
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Effie Alexander
Just to add a bit more detail to what others have said - the SSA-1099 will show the total benefits paid to you as the representative payee, but these aren't considered your taxable income if they're for your nephew. Only benefits that are for YOUR eligibility are taxable to you. You should be reporting the benefits for your nephew separately as his income, not yours. There should be a section on the SSA-1099 that clarifies this. Check box 5 on the form.
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Everett Tutum
•Oh! That's really important information I didn't realize. I'll look at box 5 on my form right now. I was assuming it was all my taxable income. Thank you for pointing this out!
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Melissa Lin
anyone try calling ssa to ask them? i gave up after 2hr on hold lol
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Lydia Santiago
•I tried calling the SSA last week about something similar and couldn't get through either. The hold times are ridiculous right now - I was on hold for almost 3 hours before I finally hung up. Seems like everyone's calling about tax forms.
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Romeo Quest
•I had the same problem trying to reach SSA by phone recently. After getting disconnected twice after 90+ minute waits, I used a service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes. Saved me hours of frustration. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and their website is claimyr.com. It was worth it just to get my question resolved in one call instead of trying for days.
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Val Rossi
My sister gets benefits for taking care of our mom and she says its just the regular SSA-1099 like everyone else said. But make sure you read the back side of the form too because theres info there about how to report it.
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Melissa Lin
dont social security beneifts only get taxed if you make over a certain amount? i forget what it is but i think most people dont even pay tax on ss
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Sunny Wang
•You're right! Social Security benefits are only taxable if your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of your Social Security benefits) exceeds $25,000 for individuals or $32,000 for married filing jointly. At most, 85% of benefits become taxable, never 100%. But as another commenter pointed out, if these are benefits for a child/dependent that the original poster is receiving as a representative payee, they aren't taxable to the representative payee at all.
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Everett Tutum
Update: I found the form and checked box 5 like someone suggested. Turns out these payments aren't even my taxable income since I'm just the representative payee for my nephew! I feel silly now but glad I asked. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Effie Alexander
•You're not silly at all! This is a very common misunderstanding. The SSA doesn't do a great job explaining the tax implications of being a representative payee. I'm glad you got it sorted out before filing your taxes incorrectly!
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