Sources of interest income include the money you put aside in a bank or money market account, as well as on a few not-so-obvious sources: bonds, loans you made to others if the interest you charged exceeded $600 for the year, and even that minuscule amount that your home lease security deposit brought in.
Is There Any Interest That’s Not Taxable?
Interest on U.S. Treasury bonds and savings bonds is taxable on your federal return, but it’s usually tax-free at the state level. And this works in reverse as well—interest on municipal bonds is tax-free at the federal level. Municipal bond interest is also often tax-free at the state level if you invest in a bond that’s issued in the same state where you reside. Interest earned on Series EE and Series I savings bonds may also be excluded from taxes if it was used to pay for qualified higher education expenses. Some municipal bonds are private activity bonds. Interest on those is safe from ordinary tax, but it’s taxable for the alternative minimum tax (AMT). The AMT isn’t something you’d have to worry about unless you’re a single taxpayer who earns more than $75,900 in 2022, or $81,300 in 2023. The tax year threshold for married taxpayers filing jointly is $118,100 for 2022 and $126,500 for tax year 2023.
In What Year Is Interest Taxable?
Interest income becomes taxable when it’s actually paid to you, assuming you use the cash method of accounting—and the vast majority of taxpayers do. It might accrue in 2022 but if it’s not credited to you until 2023 for some reason, you would report it on your 2023 return when you file in 2024. There are also some ways to defer interest income to a future tax year. Some banks and credit unions will pay interest at the maturity of a certificate of deposit, also called a time deposit, typically on maturities under one year. You can also defer reporting interest on U.S. savings bonds until the savings bond matures or is redeemed.
Form 1099-INT and Interest Income
Interest income is reported by banks and other financial institutions on Form 1099-INT, a copy of which is then sent to you and to the IRS. You’ll receive a 1099-INT from each institution that paid you $10 or more in interest during the year, usually in late January. Look at box 1 of any 1099-INT forms you receive; taxable interest is reported there. Interest from U.S. savings bonds and treasury notes and bonds is reported in box 3 of Form 1099-INT. Municipal bond interest is reported in box 8. The portion of municipal bond interest that’s generated from private activity bonds is reported in box 9.
Reporting Your Interest Income
You’ll report interest income in different places when it comes time to file your tax return, depending on the type of interest you earned.
Taxable interest goes on Schedule B of Form 1040. You would then enter the total from Schedule B on line 2b of your Form 1040. Tax-exempt municipal bond interest is reported on Line 2a of Form 1040.Private activity bond interest is reported on Line 2g of Form 6251 as an adjustment for calculating the alternative minimum tax.
What Is Schedule B?
Schedule B is a supplemental tax form used to tally up interest and dividend income, particularly if you receive it from multiple sources. You can also use the schedule to total your interest and dividend incomes so you can report them on your Form 1040, even if you’re not required to file it.
