May an organization report base pay at full amount on Form 990, Schedule J, including deferrals to 401(k) and 403(b) plans, rather than separating deferrals from other base pay and reporting them in Schedule J as other reportable compensation? A table in the core Form 990 Part VII instructions PDF indicates that employee deferrals to 401(k) and 403(b) plans should be reported in other reportable compensation on Schedule J PDF, column (B)(iii). The sum of the amounts reported by the organization for an individual in Schedule J columns (B)(i) – (iii) must equal the total reportable compensation amount (generally the Form W-2 PDF Box 5 amount) for that person. The organization may report the 401(k) or 403(b) employee deferral in either column (B)(i) as base pay, or in column (B)(iii) as other reportable compensation. For instance, if an employee has Box 5 compensation of $200,000, including $5,000 of 401(k) employee deferrals, the organization may report $200,000 in base pay, or $195,000 in base pay and $5,000 in other reportable compensation in Schedule J, column (B). TIP: Certain pre-tax deductions from Box 5 compensation raise reporting issues not expressly addressed by the instructions. These include pre-tax deductions for certain health insurance premiums, the value of which is not included in Box 5. For example, an employee with base pay of $200,000 before a pre-tax deduction of $5,000 for health insurance premiums might have $195,000 reported in Box 5 of the Form W-2. The organization should report $195,000 in column (B)(i) of Schedule J, and $5,000 in column (D). Additional information Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax PDF Schedule J instructions PDF
