| Pub. 17, Chapter 12 - Social Security & Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits ExamplesThis is archived information that pertains only to the 1999 Tax Year. If youare looking for information for the current tax year, go to the Tax Prep Help Area.
 
Following are a few examples you can use as a guide to figure the taxable part
of your benefits.  
  
    | Fully taxable pension | $18,600 |  
    | Wages from part-time job | 9,400 |  
    | Taxable Interest income | 990 |  
    | Total | $28,990 |  Example 1. George also received social security
          benefits during 1999. The Form SSA-1099 he received in January 2000
          shows $5,980 in box 5. To figure his taxable benefits, George completes
          the worksheet shown here. Worksheet 1. Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement
 Benefits
 
  Worksheet 1. Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement
 Benefits
 
    | 1. | Enter the total amount from box 5 of ALL your Forms
    SSA-1099 and RRB-1099 | 5,980 |  
            | Note. If line 1 is zero
              or less, stop here; none of your benefits are taxable. Otherwise,
              go on to line 2. |  
    | 2. | Enter one-half of line 1 | 2,990 |  
    | 3. | Enter the total of the amounts from: |  
    |  | Form 1040: Lines 7, 8a, 8b, 9-14,
    15b, 16b, 17-19, and 21. |  
    |  | Form 1040A: lines 7, 8a, 8b, 9,
    10b, 11b, and 12 | 28,990 |  
    | 4. | Form 1040A filers: Enter the total of any
    exclusions for qualified U.S. savings bond interest (Form 8815, line 14) or for adoption
    benefits (Form 8839, line 30). |  
    |  | Form 1040 filers: Enter the total of any
    exclusions/adjustments for: |  
    |  | · Qualified U.S. savings bond interest
    (Form 8815, line 14), |  
    |  | · Adoption benefits (Form 8839, line
    30), |  
    |  | · Foreign earned income or housing
    (Form 2555, lines 43 and 48, or Form 2555-EZ, line 18), |  
    |  | · Certain income of bona fide residents
    of American Samoa (Form 4563, line 15) or Puerto Rico | -0- |  
    | 5. | Add lines 2, 3, and 4 | 31,980 |  
    | 6. | Form 1040A filers: Enter the amount from Form
    1040A, line 15 |  
    |  | Form 1040 filers: Enter the amount from Form
    1040, line 32, minus any amount on Form 1040, line 24 | -0- |  
    | 7. | Subtract line 6 from line 5 | 31,980 |  
    | 8. | Enter $25,000 ($32,000 if married filing jointly; $0
    if married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time during 1999) | 25,000 |  
    | 9. | Subtract line 8 from line 7. If zero or less, enter
    -0- | 6,980 |  
            | Note. If line 9 is zero
              or less, stop here; none of your benefits are taxable. (Do not enter
              any amounts on Form 1040, line 20a or 20b, or on Form 1040A, line
              13a or 13b. But if you are married filing separately and you lived
              apart from your spouse for all of 1999, enter "D" to the
              left of line 20a, Form 1040, or to the right of the word "benefits"
              on line 13a, Form 1040A. Also enter -0- on Form 1040, line 20b or
              on Form 1040A, line 13b.) Otherwise, go on to line 10. |  
    | 10. | Enter $9,000 ($12,000 if married filing jointly; $0
    if married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time in 1999) | 9,000 |  
    | 11. | Subtract line 10 from line 9. If zero or less, enter
    -0- | -0- |  
    | 12. | Enter the smaller of line 9 or line 10 | 6,980 |  
    | 13. | Enter one-half of line 12 | 3,490 |  
    | 14. | Enter the smaller of line 2 or line 13 | 2,990 |  
    | 15. | Multiply line 11 by 85% (.85). If line 11 is zero,
    enter -0- | -0- |  
    | 16. | Add lines 14 and 15 | 2,990 |  
    | 17. | Multiply line 1 by 85% (.85) | 5,083 |  
    | 18. | Taxable benefits. Enter the smaller of line 16 or
    line 17 | 2,990 |  
    |  | · Enter the amount from line 1 above on Form 1040,
    line 20a or on Form 1040A, line 13a. |  
    |  | · Enter the amount from line 18 above on Form 1040,
    line 20b or on Form 1040A, line 13b |  Example 2. Ray and Alice Hopkins file a joint return on
          Form 1040A for 1999. Ray is retired and received a fully taxable pension
          of $15,500. Ray also received social security benefits and his Form
          SSA-1099 for 1999 shows net benefits of $5,600 in box 5. Alice worked
          during the year and had wages of $14,000. She made a deductible payment
          to her IRA account of $1,000. Ray and Alice have two savings accounts
          with a total of $250 in interest income. They complete Worksheet 1 and
          find that none of Ray's social security benefits are taxable. They leave
          lines 13a and 13b of their Form 1040A blank. Worksheet 1. Social Security
          and Equivalent Railroad Retirement
 Benefits
 
  Worksheet 1. Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement
 Benefits
 
    | 1. | Enter the total amount from box 5 of ALL your Forms
    SSA-1099 and RRB-1099 | 5,600 |  
            | Note. If line 1 is zero
              or less, stop here; none of your benefits are taxable. Otherwise,
              go on to line 2. |  
    | 2. | Enter one-half of line 1 | 2,800 |  
    | 3. | Enter the total of the amounts from: |  
    |  | Form 1040: Lines 7, 8a, 8b, 9-14,
    15b, 16b, 17-19, and 21. |  
    |  | Form 1040A: lines 7, 8a, 8b, 9,
    10b, 11b, and 12 | 29,750 |  
    | 4. | Form 1040A filers: Enter the total of any
    exclusion for qualified U.S. savings bond interest (Form 8815, line 14) or adoption
    benefits (Form 8839, line 30). |  
    |  | Form 1040 filers: Enter the total of any
    exclusions/adjustments for: |  
    |  | · Qualified U.S. savings bond interest
    (Form 8815, line 14), |  
    |  | · Adoption benefits (Form 8839, line
    30), |  
    |  | · Foreign earned income or housing
    (Form 2555, lines 43 and 48, or Form 2555-EZ, line 18), and |  
    |  | · Certain income of bona fide residents
    of American Samoa (Form 4563, line 15) or Puerto Rico | -0- |  
    | 5. | Add lines 2, 3, and 4 | 32,550 |  
    | 6. | Form 1040A filers: Enter the amount from Form
    1040A, line 15 |  
    |  | Form 1040 filers: Enter the amount from Form
    1040, line 32, minus any amount on Form 1040, line 24 | 1,000 |  
    | 7. | Subtract line 6 from line 5 | 31,550 |  
    | 8. | Enter $25,000 ($32,000 if married filing jointly; $0
    if married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time during 1999) | 32,000 |  
    | 9. | Subtract line 8 from line 7. If zero or less, enter
    -0- | -0- |  
            | Note. If line 9 is zero
              or less, stop here; none of your benefits are taxable. (Do not enter
              any amounts on Form 1040, line 20a or 20b, or on Form 1040A, line
              13a or 13b. But if you are married filing separately and you lived
              apart from your spouse for all of 1999, enter "D" to the
              left of line 20a, Form 1040, or to the right of the word "benefits"
              on line 13a, Form 1040A. Also enter -0- on Form 1040, line 20b or
              on Form 1040A, line 13b.) Otherwise, go on to line 10. |  
    | 10. | Enter $9,000 ($12,000 if married filing jointly; $0
    if married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time in 1999) |  |  
    | 11. | Subtract line 10 from line 9. If zero or less, enter
    -0- |  |  
    | 12. | Enter the smaller of line 9 or line 10 |  |  
    | 13. | Enter one-half of line 12 |  |  
    | 14. | Enter the smaller of line 2 or line 13 |  |  
    | 15. | Multiply line 11 by 85% (.85). If line 11 is zero,
    enter -0- |  |  
    | 16. | Add lines 14 and 15 |  |  
    | 17. | Multiply line 1 by 85% (.85) |  |  
    | 18. | Taxable benefits. Enter the smaller of line 16 or
    line 17 |  |  
    |  | · Enter the amount from line 1 above on Form 1040,
    line 20a or on Form 1040A, line 13a. |  
    |  | · Enter the amount from line 18 above on Form 1040,
    line 20b or on Form 1040A, line 13b |  Example 3. Joe and Betty Johnson file a joint return on
          Form 1040 for 1999. Joe is a retired railroad worker and in 1999 received
          the social security equivalent benefit (SSEB) portion of tier 1 railroad
          retirement benefits. Joe's Form RRB-1099 shows $10,000 in box 5. Betty
          is a retired government worker and receives a fully taxable pension
          of $38,000. They had $2,300 in interest income plus interest of $200
          on a qualified U.S. savings bond. The savings bond interest qualified
          for exclusion. They figure their taxable benefits by completing Worksheet
          1.  
  Worksheet 1. Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement
 Benefits
 
    | 1. | Enter the total amount from box 5 of ALL your Forms
    SSA-1099 and RRB-1099 | 10,000 |  
            | Note. If line 1 is zero
              or less, stop here; none of your benefits are taxable. Otherwise,
              go on to line 2. |  
    | 2. | Enter one-half of line 1 | 5,000 |  
    | 3. | Enter the total of the amounts from: |  
    |  | Form 1040: Lines 7, 8a, 8b, 9-14,
    15b, 16b, 17-19, and 21. |  
    |  | Form 1040A: lines 7, 8a, 8b, 9,
    10b, 11b, and 12 | 40,300 |  
    | 4. | Form 1040A filers: Enter the total of any
    exclusion for qualified U.S. savings bond interest (Form 8815, line 14) or adoption
    benefits (Form 8839, line 30). |  
    |  | Form 1040 filers: Enter the total of any
    exclusions/adjustments for: |  
    |  | · Qualified U.S. savings bond interest
    (Form 8815, line 14), |  
    |  | · Adoption benefits (Form 8839, line
    30), |  
    |  | · Foreign earned income or housing
    (Form 2555, lines 43 and 48, or Form 2555-EZ, line 18), and |  
    |  | · Certain income of bona fide residents
    of American Samoa (Form 4563, line 15) or Puerto Rico | 200 |  
    | 5. | Add lines 2, 3, and 4 | 45,500 |  
    | 6. | Form 1040A filers: Enter the amount from Form
    1040A, line 15 |  
    |  | Form 1040 filers: Enter the amount from Form
    1040, line 32, minus any amount on Form 1040, line 24 | -0- |  
    | 7. | Subtract line 6 from line 5 | 45,500 |  
    | 8. | Enter $25,000 ($32,000 if married filing jointly; $0
    if married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time during 1999) | 32,000 |  
    | 9. | Subtract line 8 from line 7. If zero or less, enter
    -0- | 13,500 |  
            | Note. If line 9 is zero
              or less, stop here; none of your benefits are taxable. (Do not enter
              any amounts on Form 1040, line 20a or 20b, or on Form 1040A, line
              13a or 13b. But if you are married filing separately and you lived
              apart from your spouse for all of 1999, enter "D" to the
              left of line 20a, Form 1040, or to the right of the word "benefits
              "on line 13a, Form 1040A. Also enter -0- on Form 1040, line
              20b or on Form 1040A, line 13b.) Otherwise, go on to line 10. |  
    | 10. | Enter $9,000 ($12,000 if married filing jointly; $0
    if married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time in 1999) | 12,000 |  
    | 11. | Subtract line 10 from line 9. If zero or less, enter
    -0- | 1,500 |  
    | 12. | Enter the smaller of line 9 or line 10 | 12,000 |  
    | 13. | Enter one-half of line 12 | 6,000 |  
    | 14. | Enter the smaller of line 2 or line 13 | 5,000 |  
    | 15. | Multiply line 11 by 85% (.85). If line 11 is zero,
    enter -0- | 1,275 |  
    | 16. | Add lines 14 and 15 | 6,275 |  
    | 17. | Multiply line 1 by 85% (.85) | 8,500 |  
    | 18. | Taxable benefits. Enter the smaller of line 16 or
    line 17 | 6,275 |  
    |  | · Enter the amount from line 1 above on Form 1040,
    line 20a or on Form 1040A, line 13a. |  
    |  | · Enter the amount from line 18 above on Form 1040,
    line 20b or on Form 1040A, line 13b. |  Previous | Next Publication 17 | 1999 Tax Year Archives | Tax Help Archives | Home |