Public.com 1099-B Export and TurboTax Import: T-Bills, Stocks, and the Apex Question

You've got a Public.com account, you traded some stocks, parked cash in T-bills, and maybe ran a few options. Now it's tax time and you're trying to figure out (a) where to find your tax forms in the Public app, (b) what's actually in the document, and (c) why TurboTax doesn't seem to recognize "Public" as a broker.

Public.com bundles several different tax forms into one Consolidated 1099 PDF, which makes the document longer and more confusing than what you'd get from a stock-only broker. The 1099-B section is just one piece — Public also generates 1099-INT for Treasury bill interest, 1099-DIV for dividends, and (newly) 1099-DA for any crypto activity. Each section gets entered into TurboTax separately.

Here's the full walkthrough, including the Apex Clearing dropdown trick and what to do when the direct import won't connect.

Where to Find Your Public.com Tax Documents

Tax forms are released on a rolling schedule, usually mid-February for stocks and ETFs, late February or early March for securities with adjustments, and mid-March for any corrections.

In the Public mobile app:

1. Tap the profile icon (top left)
2. Tap Settings
3. Scroll to Tax Documents or Documents
4. Select the tax year you need
5. Download the Consolidated 1099 PDF

On the desktop site (public.com):

1. Click your avatar in the top right
2. Click Tax Documents or Statements & Tax Forms
3. Filter by year and document type
4. Download the Consolidated 1099 PDF

If the document doesn't appear, it may not be released yet — Public emails account holders when each form is available. Premium and Treasury accounts sometimes get separate forms posted in different windows.

What's Actually in the Public.com Consolidated 1099

Open the PDF. The first page has issuer info and an account summary. Behind it, you'll see distinct sections:

• 1099-B — proceeds and basis from stock and ETF sales, plus any closed option positions
• 1099-INT — interest paid on Treasury bills, money-market sweep, and any non-Treasury bond interest
• 1099-DIV — qualified and ordinary dividends from stocks held during the year
• 1099-MISC — referral bonuses, promotional credits, and any other miscellaneous income (sometimes)
• 1099-DA — crypto/digital asset proceeds, starting tax year 2025

For most Public users, the 1099-INT section is the largest part of the document because of the heavy T-bill holdings. T-bill interest goes on Schedule B / Form 1040 Line 2, not Form 8949. You're not double-entering anything — interest and capital gains are entirely separate categories.

The 1099-B section is the only one we cover here in detail; the others have their own TurboTax flows.

TurboTax Direct Import — Search "Apex Clearing"

This is the single most common Public.com import question: "Why doesn't 'Public' show up in TurboTax's broker list?"

Public.com doesn't clear its own trades. Equity trades are cleared through Apex Clearing Corporation, the same back-end custodian SoFi Invest and several other newer brokerages use. TurboTax's broker connector indexes by issuer, so the search has to be for Apex, not Public.

To run the import:

1. In TurboTax, go to Wages & Income → Investments and Savings → Stocks, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Other
2. Choose Import from my bank or brokerage
3. Search for Apex Clearing Corporation
4. Select it, then enter your Apex account number (printed on the first page of your Public 1099-B PDF, not the friendly account number in the Public app)
5. Enter the document ID from the 1099, then authenticate

The same Apex backend issue is covered in more depth in the SoFi Invest 1099-B import fix — the dropdown trick and account number gotcha apply to any Apex-cleared brokerage.

When Apex's Connector Won't Work

The Apex direct-import connector is one of the flakiest on TurboTax during peak filing weeks. If you've verified the account number, tried "Apex Clearing Corporation" verbatim, and it still won't connect, you have two file-based fallbacks.

Fallback 1: Convert the PDF to CSV or TXF

Download the Public.com Consolidated 1099 PDF, run it through a 1099-B converter, and upload the resulting CSV or TXF file directly into TurboTax. This bypasses the Apex connector entirely. The IRS-facing result is identical — Form 8949 and Schedule D populate the same way.

Quick file-format primer:

• TXF — TurboTax's native exchange format. Imports directly under "Upload it from my computer" in most TurboTax tiers.
• CSV — works well with TurboTax Premier or Self-Employed; sometimes requires a specific column layout.
• Excel — usually only for previewing/editing; TurboTax doesn't import .xlsx directly.

The differences are spelled out in CSV vs TXF vs Excel for 1099-B.

Fallback 2: Manual Entry from the PDF

If your 1099-B is short (under 20 rows), manual entry is fine. TurboTax will ask for description, dates, proceeds, basis, and any adjustment codes. You can find every one of those columns on the 1099-B PDF.

For 100+ rows, manual entry isn't worth the time — use the file-based approach.

What About T-Bills?

Treasury bill interest is reported on the 1099-INT section, not the 1099-B. To enter T-bill interest in TurboTax:

1. Go to Wages & Income → Interest and Dividends → Interest on 1099-INT
2. Add a new payer, name it "Apex Clearing" or "Public.com" (either works for IRS purposes)
3. Enter the interest amount from Box 3 (federal-only) or Box 1 (general interest) of the 1099-INT
4. Treasury interest goes in Box 3 — it's exempt from state tax in most states, and TurboTax handles the state subtraction automatically once you mark it as Treasury interest

If you bought and sold T-bills before maturity, the difference between purchase and sale price shows up on the 1099-B as proceeds and basis, treated as a short-term capital gain or loss. T-bills held to maturity report only on 1099-INT.

Options Activity on Public.com

Public launched options trading in 2024. If you traded options:

• Closed equity option positions appear in the 1099-B section with the cryptic OCC option symbol as the description
• Expired options show with proceeds (premium received) and $0 basis if you wrote them, or proceeds $0 and a non-zero basis if you bought and they expired worthless
• Assigned and exercised options merge into the underlying stock row's basis or proceeds

The full mechanics are covered in options on your 1099-B: expired, assigned, exercised. One thing specific to Public: their option symbols sometimes import with extra characters that trip TurboTax's "Needs Review" flag. If that happens, the fix is in Needs Review won't clear.

Common Errors, Specific to Public.com

Symptom	Cause	Fix
"Public.com" returns no results in TurboTax broker search	Indexed under issuer name (Apex), not consumer brand	Search "Apex Clearing Corporation"
Account number rejected during import	Used Public app's number, not the Apex one on the 1099	Use the number on the 1099-B PDF
Import succeeds but T-bill interest missing	T-bills are 1099-INT, not 1099-B	Enter under Interest and Dividends, not Stocks
Crypto activity missing from 1099-B	Crypto reports on 1099-DA	Use TurboTax's crypto/digital assets flow
Apex direct import won't connect	Connector flaky during peak weeks	Convert PDF to TXF/CSV and upload that
Option import shows odd characters	OCC symbol formatting quirk	Edit + save row to clear, or re-import via TXF

FAQ

Why doesn't TurboTax let me search for "Public" or "Public.com"?

Because the IRS-facing tax form is issued by Apex Clearing Corporation, not Public. TurboTax keys the broker dropdown to the issuer name on the 1099. Search for Apex.

Where's the account number TurboTax wants — the one in the Public app or somewhere else?

The number on the 1099-B PDF, not the one in the Public app. They're often different. Open the PDF, look near the top under "Account No." or "Account Number," and copy that exactly.

Do I need to enter T-bill interest separately?

Yes. T-bills go on the 1099-INT section, which is its own TurboTax flow under Interest and Dividends. The 1099-B import only handles stock/option sales.

Will my Treasury interest from Public be exempt from state tax?

Most states exempt Treasury interest from state income tax. TurboTax handles this automatically if you flag the interest as Treasury (Box 3 on the 1099-INT) when entering it.

My Public 1099 hasn't been issued yet — when does it come?

Public typically releases 1099s on a rolling schedule starting mid-February. T-bill-heavy accounts and accounts with adjustments come later — sometimes early March. Watch your email for the notification.

Can I import multiple Public.com accounts at once?

If you have separate accounts (taxable + Roth IRA, for example), each gets its own 1099 and needs its own import. Roth IRA activity isn't reported on a 1099-B at all (no taxable events), so only the taxable account flows through Form 8949.

Bottom Line

The Public.com 1099 is a multi-section Consolidated 1099 covering stock sales, T-bill interest, dividends, and (now) crypto. The 1099-B portion imports via Apex Clearing in TurboTax — search "Apex Clearing Corporation," not "Public." Use the account number from the PDF, not the app. T-bill interest gets entered separately on the 1099-INT side.

If the Apex connector won't behave, convert the PDF to a CSV or TXF and upload the file directly. Same Form 8949 result, no broker connector to fight with.

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Public.com 1099-B not showing up in TurboTax under "Public"? Convert your 1099-B PDF free — generates a clean CSV or TXF with every transaction laid out. Skip the Apex connector and upload the file straight into TurboTax.