Instructions for IRS Tax Forms 1040EZ
United States residents are required to file federal income tax returns every year, provided they meet certain income requirements. For those who meet the minimum income requirements, there are certain forms that must be filed, including Form 1040. Some residents must file additional forms based on their income and assets, but others will be able to file a different form of Form 1040--the 1040EZ, which is for residents who have very basic tax information and no dependents.
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Instructions
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Obtain a copy of Form 1040EZ from any post office or from the Internal Revenue Service website listed in the "Resources" section of this article.
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Enter your personal information--and your spouse's, if you are married and filing jointly--including your name, address and social security number, at the top of the 1040EZ form in the boxes provided.
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Enter your income information on lines one through six. Income includes your wages as stated on your W2 and 1099 forms, taxable interest and unemployment funds. Add these numbers together and enter the total on line six.
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Enter your payments, credits and tax information on lines seven through nine. This information includes the federal income tax withheld from your wages, which are located in box four on your W2; Earned Income Credits; making pay work credits; and combat pay. Forms are available with the Form 1040EZ instructions to guide you through figuring out if you qualify for these credits, see the "Resources" section for a link to this information.
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Add the figures on lines seven through nine and enter the total on line 10.
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Figure out the amount of tax you owe by using the federal tax table included in the instruction manual provided with Form 1040EZ. Find the amount you entered on line six in the ranges included in the table and enter the correlated amount of tax you owe on line 11.
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Determine whether or not the amount you entered on line 10 is more than the amount you entered on line 11. If 10 is larger, subtract from it the amount on line 11 and enter the total on line 12. This amount is the refund owed to you by the IRS. If 11 is larger than the amount on 10, subtract the amount on line 10 from the amount on line 11 and enter the total on line 13. This is the amount you will have to pay the IRS when you file your Form 1040EZ.
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Sign and date the bottom of Form 1040EZ and mail to the appropriate address listed on the instruction form. Residents from different states are required to mail their Form 1040EZ to a certain address.
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Tips & Warnings
All federal tax returns must be filed by April 15 of each year. Residents who cannot file their tax returns by the April deadline may submit an Automatic Extension of Time, allowing them an additional six months to file their tax returns.
Only residents whose total income is less than $100,000 and filing as "Single" or "Married Filing Jointly" with no dependents may use Form 1040EZ.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit A young woman holding a pen, doing her taxes image by Christopher Meder from Fotolia.com
