How To Report Dividend Income(p65)

Generally, you can use either Form 1040 or Form 1040A to report your dividend income. Report the total of your ordinary dividends on line 9a of Form 1040 or Form 1040A. Report qualified dividends on line 9b of Form 1040 or Form 1040A.

If you receive capital gain distributions, you may be able to use Form 1040A or you may have to use Form 1040. See Capital gain distributions only in chapter 16. If you receive nondividend distributions required to be reported as capital gains, you must use Form 1040. You cannot use Form 1040EZ if you receive any dividend income.

If you owned stock on which you received $10 or more in dividends and other distributions, you should receive a Form 1099-DIV. Even if you do not receive Form 1099-DIV, you must report all of your taxable dividend income.

See Form 1099-DIV for more information on how to report dividend income.

You must complete Schedule 1 (Form 1040A), Part II, and attach it to your Form 1040A, if:

• Your ordinary dividends (Form 1099-DIV, box 1a) are more than $1,500, or
• You received, as a nominee, dividends that actually belong to someone else.

List on line 5 each payer's name and the amount of ordinary dividends you received. If you received a Form 1099-DIV from a brokerage firm, list the brokerage firm as the payer.

Enter on line 6 the total of the amounts listed on line 5. Also enter this total on Form 1040A, line 9a.

You must fill in Schedule B, Part II, and attach it to your Form 1040, if:

• Your ordinary dividends (Form 1099-DIV, box 1a) are more than $1,500, or
• You received, as a nominee, dividends that actually belong to someone else.

If your ordinary dividends are more than $1,500, you must also complete Schedule B, Part III.

List on Schedule B, Part II, line 5, each payer's name and the amount of ordinary dividends you received. If your securities are held by a brokerage firm (in "street name"), list the name of the brokerage firm that is shown on Form 1099-DIV as the payer. If your stock is held by a nominee who is the owner of record, and the nominee credited or paid you dividends on the stock, show the name of the nominee and the dividends you received or for which you were credited.

Enter on line 6 the total of the amounts listed on line 5. Also enter this total on Form 1040, line 9a.

Report qualified dividends (Form 1099-DIV, box 1b) on line 9b of Form 1040 or Form 1040A. The amount in box 1b is already included in box 1a. Do not add the amount in box 1b to, or substract it from, the amount in box 1a. Do not include any of the following on lines 9b.

• Qualified dividends you received as a nominee. See Nominees under How to Report Dividend Income in chapter 1 of Publication 550.
• Dividends on stock for which you did not meet the holding period. See Holding period earlier under Qualified Dividends.
• Dividends on any share of stock to the extent that you are obligated (whether under a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments for positions in substantially similar or related property.
• Payments in lieu of dividends, but only if you know or have reason to know that the payments are not qualified dividends.
• Payments shown in Form 1099-DIV, box 1b, from a foreign corporation to the extent you know or have reason to know the payments are not qualified dividends.

If you have qualified dividends, you must figure your tax by completing the Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet in the Form 1040 or 1040A instructions or the Schedule D Tax Worksheet in the Schedule D instructions, whichever applies. Enter qualified dividends on line 2 of the worksheet.

If you claim a deduction for investment interest, you may have to reduce the amount of your qualified dividends that are eligible for the 0% or 15% tax rate. Reduce it by the amount of qualified dividends you choose to include in investment income when figuring the limit on your investment interest deduction. This is done on the Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet or the Schedule D Tax Worksheet. For more information about the limit on investment interest, see Interest Expenses in chapter 23.

You may be able to deduct expenses related to dividend income if you itemize your deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040). See chapter 28 for general information about deducting expenses of producing income.

For more information about how to report dividend income, see chapter 1 of Publication 550 or the instructions for the form you must file.