Things You'll Need:
- Completed federal tax return
- Completed state tax return
- Amended state tax form
- Amended federal tax form (1040X)
- Instruction booklet for the year you are amending
- Documents, if any, to support the change
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Step 1
Amend your federal tax return first if the amended state return will be filed because of a miscalculation of income, itemized deductions or earned income credit adjustment. A good way to know if you need to file both a federal and a state amended return is to complete the federal 1040X first to see if anything changes with this new information. If it doesn't, you won't file a federal amended return, just the state amended return.
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Step 2
Enter the amount from your original federal return in column A of Form 1040X. Enter the net change information in column B. This will be an increase or decrease from the column A amount. Enter the correct amount in column C. For instance, if you forgot to include a W-2 of $2000 on your tax returns and your total on the original return was $12,000, you would enter $12,000 in column A, $2000 in column B and $14,000 in column C.
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Step 3
Continue down the form, entering all information and using Part II of the form to explain each correction on each line that changes. Use the tax tables to correct any tax liability and credits that may change because of the new information. For instance, your earned income credit amount may change because of an increase or decrease in income. Your tax liability may change because of an increase or decrease, as well as the child tax credit.
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Step 4
Complete Form 1040X to determine if you owe money or have an additional refund amount coming. If you made changes to the 1040X form that will affect the information you entered on your state tax return, then you must file a federal 1040X form along with your state amended tax return. If you had no changes on the federal 1040X form because what you're seeking to amend is strictly a state credit that you either forgot to claim originally or claimed in error, then this will not affect your federal return. Consequently, you do not need to file the 1040X form.
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Step 5
Find your state amended return from the state tax forms map.
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Step 6
Use your original state tax return to make corrections on the amended return. Some states have the same style of amended return as the federal 1040X. Use the instruction booklet to adjust any credits or tax liabilities according to the information you change.
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Step 7
Follow the directions in the instruction booklet that explain where to send the form and what, if any, documents you need to send along. Some states require the original return and some don't.
