Instructions for Recipient
Distributions from Coverdell education savings accounts (CESAs) under section 530
and qualified tuition programs (QTPs) under section 529, including rollovers, may be
taxable. Nontaxable distributions from CESAs and QTPs are not required to be
reported on your income tax return. You must determine the taxability of any
distribution. See Pub. 970 and the Instructions for Forms 1040 and 1040-SR for more
information. Also see Form 5329 and its separate instructions.
Recipient’s taxpayer identification no. (TIN). For your protection, this form may
show only the last four digits of your TIN (SSN, ITIN, ATIN, or EIN). However, the payer
or trustee has reported your complete TIN to the IRS.
Account number. May show an account or other unique number the payer has
assigned to distinguish your account.
Box 1. Shows the gross distribution (including in-kind distributions) paid to you this
year from a QTP or a CESA. This amount is the total of the amounts shown in boxes 2
and 3. See Pub. 970 for more information.
Caution: For CESA distributions (other than earnings on excess contributions) made during the
calendar year, the payer/trustee is not required to report amounts in boxes 2 and 3. Instead, the
payer/trustee may report the fair market value of the CESA as of December 31 of the calendar
year in the blank box below boxes 5 and 6. To figure your earnings and basis, use the Coverdell
ESA—Taxable Distributio
ns and Basis worksheet in Pub. 970.
Box 2. Shows the earnings part of the gross distribution shown in box 1. Generally,
amounts distributed that are used to pay for qualified education expenses, transferred
between trustees, or rolled over to another qualified education program or to an ABLE
account, within 60 days, are not included in income.
Under a QTP, the amount in box 2 is included in income if there has been (a) more
than one transfer or rollover within any 12-month period with respect to the same
beneficiary, or (b) a change in the designated beneficiary and the new designated
beneficiary is not a family member.
Under a CESA, the amount in box 2 is included in income if there has been a
change in the designated beneficiary and the new designated beneficiary is not a
family member or is over age 30 (except for beneficiaries with special needs).
Also, an additional 10% tax may apply to part or all of any amount included in
income from the CESA or QTP. See Form 5329 and your tax return instructions for
more information.
If a final (total) distribution is made from your account and you have not recovered
your contributions, see Pub. 970 to determine if you have a deductible loss and how to
claim it.
Box 3. Shows your basis in the gross distribution reported in box 1.
Box 4. This box is checked if a trustee-to-trustee transfer was made from one QTP to
another QTP, from one CESA to another CESA, from a CESA to a QTP, or from a QTP to an
ABLE account. However, in certain transfers from a CESA, the box will be blank.
Box 5. Shows whether the gross distribution was from a QTP (private or state) or from
a CESA.
Box 6. The designated beneficiary is the individual named in the document creating
the trust or custodial account to receive the benefit of the funds in the account. If you
are not the designated beneficiary, see Pub. 970 and the Instructions for Forms 1040
and 1040-SR.
Distribution codes. For the calendar year, the payer/trustee may, but is not required
to, report (in the box below boxes 5 and 6) one of the following codes to identify the
distribution you received: 1—Distributions (including transfers); 2—Excess
contributions plus earnings taxable in the calendar year; 3—Excess contributions plus
earnings taxable in the prior calendar year; 4—Disability; 5—Death; or 6—Prohibited
transaction.
Future developments. For the latest information about developments related to Form
1099-Q and its instructions, such as legislation enacted after they were published, go
to www.irs.gov/Form1099Q.