Work one category at a time
Passive, general, foreign branch, treaty-resourced, section 901(j), and lump-sum categories keep separate carryover ledgers. Do not combine them.
Form 1116 Foreign Tax Credit Tracker · free tool
Foreign Tax Credit Carryover Calculator
Track unused foreign tax credits by origin year and income category. Reconcile Form 1116 line 10, the 1-year carryback, 10-year carryforward, expiration, and Schedule B (Form 1116).
Privacy-first: do not enter names, SSNs, addresses, account numbers, or tax documents. The calculator only needs tax-year amounts and categories.
Quick guide
Use the tracker without guessing the Schedule B mechanics.
Copy prior Schedule B line 8
Enter each surviving balance by its original tax year. The tool shifts those balances into current-year Schedule B line 1 and uses the oldest eligible bucket first.
Enter line 12 as a positive reduction
If Form 1116 shows a $500 reduction on line 12, enter 500, not -500. The tool subtracts it: line 9 − line 12 + line 13.
Confirm carryback before carryforward
Current-year excess foreign tax is first tested for the 1-year carryback. Only the remainder becomes a new 10-year carryforward.
Fast check: Form 1116 line 10 is not merely the amount of old credit used this year. For Schedule B reconciliation, compare it with Schedule B line 3, column (xiv), plus any carryback into the current year.
Calculator
Track your Form 1116 carryover
Choose the path that matches the records you actually have. The tool does not guess the full §904 limitation from gross income; it works from prepared Form 1116 amounts.
Ruleset: Form 1116 / Schedule B
01
Choose the tax year and Form 1116 income category
Carryovers are separate by category. Do not combine passive, general, foreign branch, treaty-resourced, or other applicable categories.
Section 951A: this category is intentionally excluded because §904(c) carrybacks and carryovers do not apply.
02
Copy last year's Schedule B, line 8
Enter the ending carryover by origin year. Zero balances can stay blank or zero.
On the prior-year Schedule B (Form 1116), use line 8 for the same income category. The current-year line 1 rolls those amounts forward one column by origin year.
No Schedule B? Use instead.
03
Enter four amounts from the current Form 1116
Enter line 12 as the positive dollar amount shown as a reduction on Form 1116. The tracker computes line 9 − line 12 + line 13 before comparing the result with line 23.
For this tool, enter Form 1116 line 12 as a positive reduction amount. Current-year foreign taxes are calculated as line 9 minus the line 12 reduction plus line 13, then compared with line 23. The tracker does not re-create the full Form 1116 limitation calculation.
Carryback and Form 1116 line 10 reconciliation Recommended when current-year tax exceeds the limitation
If this year generates excess foreign taxes, the tool will not silently assume the required prior-year carryback is zero.
04
Professional adjustments Optional
For amended returns and practitioner reconciliation: Schedule B line 2a carryback adjustments, §905(c) redeterminations, domestic audit adjustments, or other documented changes.
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Result
Foreign tax credit carryover
Professional reconciliation — exact Schedule B lines 1–8
Signs follow the IRS schedule: lines 4, 5 and 7 are negative. Column (xiv) is the total.
01
Choose the years you need to rebuild
Include every tax year in the range, even a year with no foreign income or no credit. The engine needs the continuous history to age carryovers correctly.
02
Enter each year's Form 1116 amounts
Use the same category for every year in this reconstruction. Enter every line 12 reduction as a positive amount. Run another reconstruction for a different category.
| Tax year | Line 9 | Line 12 | Line 13 | Line 23 | Credit / deduction |
|---|
Reconstruction result
Carryover history
Year-by-year reconciliation
| Year | Current taxes | Limitation | Carryover used | Carryback | Expired | Ending carryover |
|---|
Ending origin-year ledger
Scope: the tracker automates ordinary post-2017 Form 1116 Schedule B carryover mechanics. Filing-status allocation changes, unresolved pre-2018 transition issues, bankruptcy/insolvency attribute reductions, §907 oil-and-gas rules, and other flagged cases require professional review rather than an automatic answer.
How it works
Foreign tax credit carryover is a ledger, not one number.
Form 1116 determines the current-year foreign tax credit limitation. Schedule B then keeps the unused tax connected to its income category and origin year so the oldest eligible balance is used first and the 10-year window can be tracked.
Start with Form 1116
For the selected category, the tracker compares current foreign taxes available for credit from lines 9, 12 and 13 with the limitation on line 23.
Use old carryovers in order
If the current year has excess limitation, eligible prior-year carryovers are absorbed from the earliest origin year first.
Track new excess tax
If current foreign taxes exceed the limitation, the excess is tested for a 1-year carryback before the remaining amount moves into the 10-year carryforward window.
Reconcile Schedule B
The tool shows the opening balance, adjustments, amounts used, amounts expired, new carryover, carryback and ending balance by origin year.
Form 1116 line 10
Why does my Form 1116 carryover not match last year?
Line 10 is where eligible foreign taxes from another tax year enter the current Form 1116. A single rolled-forward total can hide which origin year was used, expired, adjusted, or carried back. This tracker rebuilds the schedule behind that number.
Tax software changed
You moved from TurboTax or another program and prior carryover history did not transfer cleanly.
An old credit is expiring
The total balance looks fine, but part of it originated 10 years ago and needs to be identified separately.
A foreign tax refund changed history
A §905(c) redetermination or another adjustment changed a prior-year bucket.
You have several categories
Passive and general category credits were mixed together even though they require separate limitation and carryover tracking.
For EAs, CPAs and return preparers
Use it as a Form 1116 carryover workpaper.
The professional view is designed for review, not black-box tax estimation. It exposes each origin year and the exact Schedule B lines used to arrive at the ending carryover.
Line 10 reconciliation
Compare the Schedule B line 3 total with the amount already reported on Form 1116 line 10.
Origin-year audit trail
See which year was consumed, which balance expired, and what remains available for future years.
Schedule B line 2 adjustments
Document carryback differences, §905(c) redeterminations, domestic audit adjustments, and other changes.
Conservative stopping rules
Cases outside the automated scope are flagged for review instead of being forced through a simplified formula.
Common searches answered
Foreign tax credit carryover, carryforward and Schedule B questions
How long can foreign tax credit be carried forward?
For many Form 1116 categories, unused qualified foreign tax is carried back first to the immediately preceding tax year and then carried forward for up to 10 tax years. The carryforward period does not pause just because there is no room to use the credit in an intervening year.
Where do I find my foreign tax credit carryover?
Start with the prior-year Schedule B (Form 1116), line 8, for the same income category. If you do not have a Schedule B, rebuild the history from prior Forms 1116 and filed returns before relying on a single unexplained carryover number.
What is Schedule B for Form 1116?
Schedule B is the Foreign Tax Carryover Reconciliation Schedule. It tracks opening carryovers, adjustments, utilization, expiration, current-year excess foreign tax, carryback and the amount remaining for following years.
Does foreign tax credit carryover expire?
Yes. A foreign tax credit carryforward generally has a 10-year carryforward window after the origin year. Tracking only the grand total is not enough because older buckets expire before newer ones.
Can I combine passive and general category FTC carryovers?
No. Form 1116 uses separate limitation categories. Carryovers must stay with the applicable category, so passive and general category histories should be tracked independently.
Can section 951A foreign taxes be carried forward?
No. The Form 1116 instructions state that foreign tax carrybacks and carryovers are not allowed for section 951A category income.
FAQ
Form 1116 carryover FAQ
Do I need Schedule B if I have a foreign tax credit carryover?
For an applicable category, Schedule B is generally required when there is a prior-year carryover, a carryover generated in the current year, or both. A narrow carryback-only situation can be different, so check the current Form 1116 instructions for your filing year.
What goes on Form 1116 line 10?
Line 10 includes eligible unused foreign taxes carried from another tax year. For a prior-year carryover, Schedule B line 3, column (xiv), provides the adjusted carryover amount used in the Form 1116 calculation, with special treatment for carrybacks into an amended current year.
Can I skip the 1-year carryback and keep everything for future years?
The general §904(c) ordering is carryback first to the immediately preceding tax year and then carryforward to the next 10 tax years. The tracker therefore does not automatically treat the carryback as zero when the current year generates excess foreign taxes.
Can this rebuild a carryover that TurboTax or another program did not transfer?
It can help reconstruct the ledger if you have the prior Forms 1116, Schedule B schedules, or reliable filed-return amounts. The result should be compared with the filed returns and any amended returns before it is used on a new return.
Does this calculate the entire Form 1116 limitation?
No. That is deliberate. The tool takes the relevant prepared Form 1116 amounts and focuses on the carryover ledger. Full Form 1116 limitation work can involve deduction allocation, capital gain and qualified dividend adjustments, Form 2555 interaction, AMT, treaty resourcing and other rules outside this tracker.
Can a CPA or EA use this as a workpaper?
Yes. The professional output exposes origin-year balances, Schedule B lines 1–8, line 10 reconciliation and documented line 2 adjustments. Practitioners should still review the client's facts and the current IRS instructions.
Primary sources
Built around IRS Form 1116 guidance
Instructions for Form 1116Line 10, carryback and carryforward rules
Instructions for Schedule B (Form 1116)Foreign tax carryover reconciliation schedule
IRS Publication 514Foreign Tax Credit for Individuals
Last reviewed: October 6, 2026 · Current production Form 1116 source set: tax year 2025.
Need more than a tracker?
Turn a difficult Form 1116 issue into one clearly scoped project.
Missing records, filing-status changes, foreign tax redeterminations, AMT, treaty sourcing, or a complete return may need professional review.
IRC §7216 & Privacy Compliance
Data Privacy & Zero-Storage Transparency Notice
We understand the sensitive nature of international tax and foreign tax credit records. This tool adheres strictly to data minimization and stateless computation principles:
What We Never Record (Zero-Storage Guarantee)
- No Personal Identifying Information (No PII): We never request, collect, or store your name, SSN, ITIN, residential address, telephone, or email address.
- No Tax Credit or Financial Data Retention: Form 1116 inputs and prior-year carryover balances are processed strictly in-memory and discarded immediately upon response. No numbers are ever written to server disk or database.
- No Account Registration or Integration: Completely stateless. No login required, and no credentials or integrations with tax preparation software.
What We Record (Security & Operational Metrics Only)
- Abuse Prevention & Rate Limiting: Short-window IP rate limiting to protect computation resources against malicious traffic and automated scrapers.
- Anonymous Reliability Metrics: Anonymized latency, HTTP status codes (e.g. 200/422), and calculation counts to ensure platform reliability.
- Public User Reviews (Optional): If you choose to submit feedback below, your review is published only after manual anti-spam moderation.
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