Common questions about 1040 Schedule B in Lacerte

Below, you'll find answers to frequently asked questions about the 1040 Schedule B in Lacerte.

Table of contents:

Why isn't Lacerte generating the Schedule B?

Lacerte will generate Schedule B if any Interest or Dividend item is greater than $1,500, or if the IRS has instructed to.

Per the IRS Schedule B Instructions (1040):

• You had over $1,500 of taxable interest or ordinary dividends.
• You received interest from a seller-financed mortgage and the buyer used the property as a personal residence.
• You have accrued interest from a bond.
• You are reporting OID in an amount less than the amount shown on Form 1099-OID.
• You are reducing your interest income on a bond by the amount of amortizable bond premium.
• You are claiming the exclusion of interest from series EE or I U.S. savings bonds issued after 1989.
• You received interest or ordinary dividends as a nominee.
• You had financial interest in, or signature authority over, a financial account in a foreign country or you received a distribution from, or were a grantor of, or transferor to, a foreign trust. Part III of the schedule has questions about foreign accounts and trusts."

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How do I force the Schedule B to print?

1. Go to Screen 11, Interest Income.
2. Click on the General Information button.
3. Enter a 1 in 1=force Schedule B to print, 2=when applicable [O] (code 53).

To force the Schedule B to print for a specific client file:

1. Go to Screen 11, Interest Income.
2. Click on the General Information button.
3. Enter a 1 in 1=force Schedule B to print, 2=when applicable [O] (code 53).

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To force the Schedule B to print for all clients:

1. Click Settings.
2. Click Options.
3. Select the Tax Return tab.
4. Scroll down to the Federal Tax Options section.
5. Select Force from the Schedule B option (Lacerte defaults to When applicable).

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Where do I enter excludable series EE and I interest on Schedule B, line 3?

1. Go to Screen 11, Interest Income.
2. Scroll down to the Series EE and I Bonds Issued After 1989 (8815) section.
3. Enter the First name and Last name fields in the Student subsection.
4. Enter any applicable fields under the School, Financial Institution, or QTP subsection:
   • Name
   • Street address
   • City
   • State
   • ZIP Code
   • 1=Coverdell ESA, 2=QTP

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Where do I enter line 7a for financial interests in a foreign country?

1. Go to Screen 11, Interest Income.
2. Scroll down to the Foreign Account and Foreign Tax Credit section.
3. Mark the checkbox labeled Interest in or authority over foreign account.
   • This will mark the first question on Schedule B, line 7a as "Yes."
4. Enter the Name of foreign country (if FinCen Form 114 is required).
   • Entering the country name will mark the second question as "Yes" on Schedule B, line 7a.
     • Don't enter the country name if you need the second question marked "No" on line 7a.
   • Entering the country name will also add the name of the country to Schedule B, line 7b.

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Where do I enter short accrued interest as an adjustment to Interest Income?

To enter short accrued interest as an adjustment to Interest income:

1. Go to Screen 11, Interest Income
2. Select the 1099-INT from the left navigation panel or Click Add to add a new 1099-INT
3. Enter the interest income in Banks, savings & loans, credit unions, etc.
4. Complete all other necessary information from the 1099-INT
5. Enter the amount in Accrued interest under the Adjustments to Federal Taxable Interest subsection

The amount will print below the subtotal on the Schedule B with the description "Accrued Interest" printed to the left. Lacerte reduces the subtotal by the amount entered to arrive at the total interest income.

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Where do I enter Private Activity Bond Interest from a 1099-INT

To enter Private Activity Bond interest from a 1099-INT do the following:

1. On the Detail tab, select Screen 11, Interest Income.
2. In the Section list, Select Form 1099-INT
3. Under Tax-exempt Interest enter the amount of the Post 08/7/86 Private act bonds (incl. above) (6251).

Note: This amount is included in the total Tax municipal bond amount and is an AMT preference item related to Form 6251.

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Related topics

• How to enter 1099-DIV exempt-interest dividends for an individual return in Lacerte
• Entering dividend income from Form 1099-DIV in Lacerte
• Entering 1099-DIV box 9 and box 10 in Lacerte
• How to enter 1099-INT or 1099-DIV tax-exempt interest in Lacerte
• Entering Form 1099-INT interest income in the Individual module of Lacerte