Updated October 17, 2026. Quick answer: Line 5a is for the total pension or annuity payments you received, and line 5b is for the taxable part. Both numbers start with box 1 of Form 1099-R. The instructions treat fully taxable payments, partially taxable payments, rollovers and lump-sum distributions differently, so which line gets what depends on your situation.
More state retirement-income schedules, line by line: Ohio retirement income credit, Oregon federal pension subtraction and Pennsylvania PA-40 retirement income.
More IRS forms and schedules for individual filers, read line by line: Schedule R instructions and Schedule R Part III credit calculation.
More state retirement-income schedules, line by line: Wisconsin Schedule SB, Rhode Island Schedule M and Nebraska Schedule I.
State retirement-income forms, line by line: Michigan Form 4884, Maryland Form 502R and Minnesota Schedule M1R.
Related reading on this site: IRS Publication 575.
More IRS forms and schedules, read line by line: Form 4852 substitute W-2 or 1099-R.
Read box by box from the IRS form text: Form RRB-1099-R boxes explained, Form RRB-1099-R boxes 5 and 6 and Form RRB-1099-R boxes 7 to 12.
Related reading on this site: IRS Notice CP2501 (income mismatch, response required) and IRS Notice CP3219A (statutory notice of deficiency).
Retirement forms read line by line: Form 8915-F lines 8 to 15, Form 8915-F lines 27 to 32 and Form W-4P Step 4.
IRS worksheets from the 2025 Form 1040 instructions, read line by line: Simplified Method Worksheet.
What goes on line 5a and line 5b
The instructions begin with where the figure comes from: “You should receive a Form 1099-R showing the total amount of your pension and annuity payments before income tax or other deductions were withheld.” “This amount should be shown in box 1 of Form 1099-R.” They also say what counts: “Pension and annuity payments include distributions from 401(k), 403(b), and governmental 457(b) plans.”
On the form, line 5a is captioned “Pensions and annuities” and line 5b is captioned “Taxable amount”. This page is one of the Form 1040 income line pages; the whole return is mapped on Form 1040 line by line. Neighboring lines are explained on the lines 4a and 4b page and the lines 6a and 6b page.
Not every retirement-plan payment belongs here. The instructions say “Don’t include the following payments on lines 5a and 5b. Instead, report them on line 1h.” The first example listed is “Disability pensions received before you reach the minimum retirement age set by your employer.” Line 1h is covered on the line 1z page.
Which line gets which number
The answer depends on how much of the payment is taxable. The table sets out the cases the instructions describe, in their own words.
| Situation | What the instructions say to enter |
|---|---|
| Payments that are fully taxable | “If your pension or annuity is fully taxable, enter the total pension or annuity payments (from Form(s) 1099-R, box 1) on line 5b; don’t make an entry on line 5a.” |
| Payments that are partially taxable | “Enter the total pension or annuity payments (from Form 1099-R, box 1) on line 5a.” |
Fully taxable or partially taxable
The instructions define the fully taxable case: “Your payments are fully taxable if (a) you didn’t contribute to the cost (see Cost, later) of your pension or annuity, or (b) you got your entire cost back tax free before 2025.”
If your payments are only partly taxable, the Form 1099-R may already tell you the taxable part. The instructions say “If your Form 1099-R shows a taxable amount, you can report that amount on line 5b.” “But you may be able to report a lower taxable amount by using the General Rule or the Simplified Method or if the exclusion for retired public safety officers, discussed next, applies.”
The Simplified Method pointer
The instructions send some readers to a worksheet. They say “But if your annuity starting date (defined later) was after July 1, 1986, see Simplified Method, later, to find out if you must use that method to figure the taxable part.” The later section lists the cases where the method is required. The first is “Your annuity starting date was after July 1, 1986, and you used this method last year to figure the taxable part.”
If the method applies to you, the instructions direct: “If you must use the Simplified Method, complete the Simplified Method Worksheet in these instructions to figure the taxable part of your pension or annuity.”
Rollovers and line 5c
A rollover is defined in the instructions: “Generally, a rollover is a tax-free distribution of cash or other assets from one retirement plan that is contributed to another plan within 60 days of receiving the distribution.” “However, a rollover to a Roth IRA or a designated Roth account is generally not a tax-free distribution.”
To report one, “Use lines 5a and 5b to report a rollover, including a direct rollover, from one qualified employer’s plan to another or to an IRA.” The steps are “Enter on line 5a the distribution from Form 1099-R, box 1. From this amount, subtract any contributions (usually shown in box 5) that were taxable to you when made. From that result, subtract the amount of the rollover. Enter the remaining amount on line 5b.” “If the remaining amount is zero and you have no other distribution to report on line 5b,” enter zero (-0-) there. “Also check box 1 on line 5c.”
A labelled illustration, not an IRS example: suppose box 1 shows $20,000 and no contribution that was taxable to you when made applies, and all $20,000 was rolled over. Then $20,000 minus $0 minus $20,000 is $0 and, with nothing else to report on line 5b, the entry is -0-.
Lump-sum distributions and the public safety officer election
For a lump sum, the instructions say “If you received a lump-sum distribution from a profit-sharing or retirement plan”, the Form 1099-R should have the total distribution box in box 2b checked. They then say “Enter the total distribution on line 5a and the taxable part on line 5b.”
The public safety officer election is limited: “You can exclude from income the smaller of the amount of the premiums paid or $3,000.” “The amount shown in box 2a of Form 1099-R doesn’t reflect the exclusion.” “Also check box 2 on line 5c.” Early-distribution questions on a 1099-R sometimes also involve Form 5329.
Where the number comes from
Both lines start with Form 1099-R. The first paragraph of the instructions points to box 1 for the total payments, and the rollover and lump-sum rules point to boxes 5 and 2b. The distribution codes in box 7 are decoded on the 1099-R box 7 codes page. IRA payments are on the lines 4a and 4b page.
Where it goes next
Line 5b, not line 5a, feeds the income total. Line 9 on the form reads “Add lines 1z, 2b, 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b, 7a, and 8. This is your total income”. Line 5a is the gross figure and line 5b is the taxable part carried forward. The total is described on the lines 9, 10 and 11 page, and the full return is on the Form 1040 page.
Edition and line numbers
This page reads the 2025 Form 1040 and its 2025 instructions. Those are the files irs.gov was serving as the current ones on 2026-10-17, and they are for the tax year 2025 return, filed in 2026. Check the tax year printed on the form in front of you and use the line numbers on that year’s form. For the 2025 edition, the instructions state: “The lines on Forms 1040 and 1040-SR are the same.” Lines 5a, 5b and 5c carry the same numbers on the form as the page describes.
Common mistakes
- Entering a fully taxable pension on line 5a as well as 5b. The instructions say to enter it on line 5b and, for that case, “don’t make an entry on line 5a”.
- Leaving a rolled-over amount off line 5b without checking the box. The instructions say that when the remaining amount is zero you “enter -0- on line 5b. Also check box 1 on line 5c.”
- Reporting the 1099-R taxable amount without checking whether it is the right one. The instructions say “you may be able to report a lower taxable amount by using the General Rule or the Simplified Method”.
Related: 1099-R box 7 codes, Form 5329, Form 1040, and Schedule 1 Form 1040.
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- Instructions for Form 1040 and Form 1040-SR (2025): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf
- Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (2025): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdf
Read from the IRS documents linked above on October 17, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the account provider or the IRS is the right place to confirm anything consequential.