What this line means
The total unemployment compensation you received during the year, as reported on Form 1099-G. All unemployment benefits are taxable federal income, including state unemployment insurance, Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) benefits, and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act benefits. If you repaid any overpayment of 2025 unemployment benefits, you subtract the repaid amount from the total.
Does this apply to you?
- You received state unemployment insurance benefits at any point during the year
- You received Federal Unemployment (FUTA) benefits
- You received Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act benefits
- You were laid off, furloughed, or had your hours reduced and collected unemployment
Easy to overlook
No automatic tax withholding on unemployment benefits Unlike wages from an employer, unemployment benefits do not have federal income tax automatically withheld unless you specifically request it by filing Form W-4V. 1 Many recipients go months collecting benefits without realizing they owe tax on every dollar. You can request 10% withholding through your state unemployment office, but if you did not, the full tax bill arrives when you file. General filing pattern — unemployment recipients surprised by tax bill
Repaid overpayments reduce your taxable amount If your state determined you were overpaid and you repaid the excess in 2025, you subtract the repaid amount on this line. If you repaid benefits that were taxed in a prior year, you can claim a deduction or credit for the repayment instead. The instructions include a worksheet to determine the correct treatment. 2 IRS Publication 525 — Taxable and Nontaxable Income
Watch out for this
Not reporting unemployment compensation because you think it is a government benefit exempt from tax. Unlike certain public assistance programs, unemployment compensation is fully taxable at the federal level. The IRS receives a copy of every Form 1099-G issued by state unemployment agencies and matches it to your return. Omitting it triggers a CP2000 notice.
Footnotes
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IRS Form W-4V, Voluntary Withholding Request. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4v.pdf ↩
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IRS Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income, Unemployment Compensation. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p525.pdf ↩