How To Report 
Your Benefits(p82)

If part of your benefits are taxable, you must use Form 1040 or Form 1040A. You cannot use Form 1040EZ.

Report your net benefits (the amount in box 5 of your Form SSA-1099 or Form RRB-1099) on line 20a and the taxable part on line 20b. If you are married filing separately and you lived apart from your spouse for all of 2010, also enter "D" to the right of the word "benefits" on line 20a.

Report your net benefits (the amount in box 5 of your Form SSA-1099 or Form RRB-1099) on line 14a and the taxable part on line 14b. If you are married filing separately and you lived apart from your spouse for all of 2010, also enter "D" to the right of the word "benefits" on line 14a.

If you are filing Form 1040EZ, do not report any benefits on your tax return. If you are filing Form 1040 or Form 1040A, report your net benefits (the amount in box 5 of your Form SSA-1099 or Form RRB-1099) on Form 1040, line 20a, or Form 1040A, line 14a. Enter -0- on Form 1040, line 20b, or Form 1040A, line 14b. If you are married filing separately and you lived apart from your spouse for all of 2010, also enter "D" to the right of the word "benefits" on Form 1040, line 20a, or Form 1040A, line 14a.

If part of your benefits are taxable, how much is taxable depends on the total amount of your benefits and other income. Generally, the higher that total amount, the greater the taxable part of your benefits.

Generally, up to 50% of your benefits will be taxable. However, up to 85% of your benefits can be taxable if either of the following situations applies to you.

• The total of one-half of your benefits and all your other income is more than $34,000 ($44,000 if you are married filing jointly).
• You are married filing separately and lived with your spouse at any time during 2010.

A worksheet you can use to figure your taxable benefits is in the instructions for your Form 1040 or Form 1040A. You can use either that worksheet or Worksheet 1 in Publication 915, unless any of the following situations applies to you.

1. You contributed to a traditional individual retirement arrangement (IRA) and you or your spouse is covered by a retirement plan at work. In this situation, you must use the special worksheets in Appendix B of Publication 590 to figure both your IRA deduction and your taxable benefits.
2. Situation (1) does not apply and you take an exclusion for interest from qualified U.S. savings bonds (Form 8815), for adoption benefits (Form 8839), for foreign earned income or housing (Form 2555 or Form 2555-EZ), or for income earned in American Samoa (Form 4563) or Puerto Rico by bona fide residents. In this situation, you must use Worksheet 1 in Publication 915 to figure your taxable benefits.
3. You received a lump-sum payment for an earlier year. In this situation, also complete Worksheet 2 or 3 and Worksheet 4 in Publication 915. See Lump-sum election next.

You must include the taxable part of a lump-sum (retroactive) payment of benefits received in 2010 in your 2010 income, even if the payment includes benefits for an earlier year.

Generally, you use your 2010 income to figure the taxable part of the total benefits received in 2010. However, you may be able to figure the taxable part of a lump-sum payment for an earlier year separately, using your income for the earlier year. You can elect this method if it lowers your taxable benefits.

If you received a lump-sum benefit payment in 2010 that includes benefits for one or more earlier years, follow the instructions in Publication 915 under Lump-Sum Election to see whether making the election will lower your taxable benefits. That discussion also explains how to make the election.