Internal Revenue Service United States Department of the Treasury
Level Basic Advanced Military International

Social Security

Calculating the Taxable Portion

Figuring Your Taxable Benefits Worksheet (continued)

When completing the Figuring Your Taxable Benefits worksheet, remember to:

  • Include benefits received by both spouses if filing Married Filing Jointly
  • Exclude any dependents' SSA-1099s
  • Ask the taxpayers who received the benefits to consider whether they are taxable
  • Use the same formula to calculate taxes for age-related and disability-related Social Security benefits
  • If taxpayer received a lump-sum payment that includes benefits for prior years, use the appropriate worksheets in Pub. 915 to determine the taxable amount.
  • Give the completed worksheet to the taxpayers for their records
  • After determining the taxable amount of Social Security benefits, use Publication 1321 to determine if the taxpayer must file a U.S. tax return