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403(b) Plan - Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plan
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Generally, you do not report contributions to your 403(b) account (except Roth contributions) on your tax return. Your employer will report contributions on your Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement. Elective deferrals are reported in Box 12 and the Retirement plan box will be checked in Box 13. If you are a self-employed minister or chaplain, see the discussions below.

Per IRS Publication 571 Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plans (403(b) Plans), page 4:

Self-employed ministers. If you are a self-employed minister, you must report the total contributions as a deduction on your tax return. Deduct your contributions on line 15 of the 2020 Schedule 1 (Form 1040).


To report this in the TaxAct® program, go to our Self-Employed Retirement Plans FAQ. Refer to IRS Publication 560 Retirement Plans for Small Business to determine the contribution amount that can be deducted on Schedule 1 (Form 1040) Additional Income and Adjustments to Income, Line 15.


Per IRS Publication 571 Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plans (403(b) Plans), page 4:

Chaplains. If you are a chaplain and your employer doesn’t exclude contributions made to your 403(b) account from your earned income, you may be able to take a deduction for those contributions on your tax return.

However, if your employer has agreed to exclude the contributions from your earned income, you won’t be allowed a deduction on your tax return.

If you can take a deduction, include your contributions on line 22 of the 2019 Schedule 1 (Form 1040 or 1040-SR). Enter the amount of your deduction and write "403(b)" on the dotted line next to line 22.


To report this in the TaxAct program:

  1. From within your TaxAct return (Online or Desktop), click Federal (on smaller devices, click in the top left corner of your screen, then click Federal).
  2. Click the Other Adjustments dropdown, then click Other adjustments.
  3. Enter the Contributions by certain chaplains to a 403(b) plan amount (the TaxAct program will transfer the information to Schedule 1 (Form 1040), Line 22.
  4. Continue with the interview process to enter your information.

Note that any link in the information above is updated each year automatically and will take you to the most recent version of the webpage or document at the time it is accessed.