Line 35a

If you were age 65 or older or blind, check the appropriate boxes on Line 35a. If you were married and checked the box on Line 6b of Form 1040 and your spouse was age 65 or older or blind, also check the appropriate boxes for your spouse. Be sure to enter the total number of boxes checked.

Age

If you were age 65 or older on January 1, 2001, check the “65 or older” box on your 2000 return.

Blindness

If you were partially blind as of December 31, 2000, you must get a statement certified by your eye doctor or registered optometrist that:

• You cannot see better than 20/200 in your better eye with glasses or contact lenses, or
• Your field of vision is 20 degrees or less.

If your eye condition is not likely to improve beyond the conditions listed above, you can get a statement certified by your eye doctor or registered optometrist to this effect instead.

You must keep the statement for your records.

Line 35b

If your spouse itemizes deductions on a separate return or if you were a dual-status alien, check the box on Line 35b. But if you were a dual-status alien and you file a joint return with your spouse who was a U.S. citizen or resident at the end of 2000 and you and your spouse agree to be taxed on your combined worldwide income, do not check the box.

Line 36 - Itemized Deductions or Standard Deduction

In most cases, your Federal income tax will be less if you take the larger of:

• Your itemized deductions, or
• Your standard deduction.

If you checked the box on Line 35b, your standard deduction is zero.

Itemized Deductions

To figure your itemized deductions, fill in Schedule A.

Standard Deduction

Most people can find their standard deduction by looking at the instructions to the left of Line 36 of Form 1040. But if you checked any box on Line 35a OR you (or your spouse if filing jointly) can be claimed as a dependent on someone's 2000 return, use the chart or worksheet on page 31 that applies to you to figure your standard deduction. Also, if you checked the box on Line 35b, your standard deduction is zero, even if you were age 65 or older or blind.

Electing To Itemize for State Tax or Other Purposes

If you itemize even though your itemized deductions are less than your standard deduction, enter “IE” next to Line 36.

• Standard Deduction Chart for People Age 65 or Older or Blind--Line 36
• Standard Deduction Worksheet for Dependents--Line 36
• Deduction for Exemptions Worksheet--Line 38 

Line 39 - Taxable Income

If You Want, the IRS Will Figure Your Tax and Some of Your Credits

Tax. If you have paid too much, we will send you a refund. If you did not pay enough, we will send you a bill. For details, including who is eligible and what to do, see Pub. 967.

Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled. If you can take this credit and you want us to figure it for you, see the Instructions for Schedule R.

Earned Income Credit (EIC). Follow the steps that begin on page 40 to see if you can take this credit and, if you can, what to do if you want us to figure it for you. But first, complete your Form 1040 through line 59.

Line 40 - Tax

Use one of the following methods to figure your tax. Also include in the total on Line 40 any of the following taxes.

• Tax from Forms 8814 and 4972. Be sure to check the appropriate box(es).
• Tax from recapture of an education credit. See Form 8863 to find out if you owe this tax and, if you do, how to figure the amount to include on line 40. You may owe this tax if (1) you claimed an education credit on your 1998 or 1999 return, and (2) you, your spouse if filing jointly, or your dependent received in 2000 either a refund of qualified tuition and related expenses or tax-free educational assistance. Enter the amount and "ECR" on the dotted line next to line 40.

Tax Table or Tax Rate Schedules

If your taxable income is less than $100,000, you must use the Tax Table, which starts on page 59. Be sure you use the correct column. If your taxable income is $100,000 or more, use the Tax Rate Schedules on page 71.

Exception. Do not use the Tax Table or Tax Rate Schedules to figure your tax if either of the following applies:

• You are required to use Form 8615, Schedule D, or the Capital Gain Tax Worksheet, or
• You use Schedule J (for farm income).

Form 8615

Form 8615 must generally be used to figure the tax for any child who was under age 14 on January 1, 2001, and who had more than $1,400 of investment income, such as taxable interest or ordinary dividends, or capital gains (including capital gain distributions). But if neither of the child’s parents was alive on December 31, 2000, do not use Form 8615 to figure the child’s tax.

Schedule D

If you had a net capital gain on Schedule D (both Lines 16 and 17 of Schedule D are gains) and the amount on Form 1040, Line 39, is more than zero, use Part IV of Schedule D to figure your tax.

Capital Gain Tax Worksheet

If you received capital gain distributions but you are not required to file Schedule D, use the worksheet below to figure your tax.

• Capital Gain Tax Worksheet--Line 40

Schedule J

If you had income from farming, your tax may be less if you choose to figure it using income averaging on Schedule J.

Line 41 - Alternative Minimum Tax

Use the worksheet on page 34 to see if you should fill in Form 6251.

Exception. Fill in Form 6251 instead of using the worksheet on page 34 if you claimed or received any of the following items.

1. Accelerated depreciation.
2. Stock by exercising an incentive stock option and you did not dispose of the stock in the same year.
3. Tax-exempt interest from private activity bonds.
4. Intangible drilling, circulation, research, experimental, or mining costs.
5. Amortization of pollution-control facilities or depletion.
6. Income or (loss) from tax-shelter farm activities or passive activities.
7. Percentage-of-completion income from long-term contracts.
8. Interest paid on a home mortgage not used to buy, build, or substantially improve your home.
9. Investment interest expense reported on Form 4952.
10. Net operating loss deduction.
11. Alternative minimum tax adjustments from an estate, trust, electing large partnership, or a cooperative.
12. Section 1202 exclusion.

Form 6251 should be filled in for a child under age 14 if the child’s adjusted gross income from Form 1040, Line 34, exceeds the child’s earned income by more than $5,200.

• Worksheet to See if You Should Fill in Form 6251 - Line 41

Line 43 - Foreign Tax Credit

If you paid income tax to a foreign country, you may be able to take this credit. But you must complete and attach Form 1116 to do so.

Exception. You do not have to file Form 1116 to take this credit if all five of the following apply.

1. All of your gross foreign-source income is from interest and dividends and all of that income and the foreign tax paid on it is reported to you on Form 1099-INT or Form 1099-DIV (or substitute statement).
2. If you have dividend income from shares of stock, you held those shares for at least 16 days.
3. You are not filing Form 4563 or excluding income from sources within Puerto Rico.
4. The total of your foreign taxes is not more than $300 (not more than $600 if married filing jointly).
5. All of your foreign taxes were:

• Legally owed and not eligible for a refund, and
• Paid to countries that are recognized by the United States and do not support terrorism.

Note. If you need more information about these requirements, see the Instructions for Form 1116.

Do you meet all five requirements that begin on page 34?

____Yes. Enter on line 43 the smaller of your total foreign tax or the amount on Form 1040, line 40.
____No. See Form 1116 to find out if you can take the credit and, if you can, if you have to file Form 1116.

Line 44 - Credit for Child and Dependent Care Expenses

You may be able to take this credit if you paid someone to care for your child under age 13 or your dependent or spouse who could not care for himself or herself. For details, use Tele-Tax Topic 602 or see Form 2441.

Line 45 - Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled

You may be able to take this credit if by the end of 2000 (1) you were age 65 or older, or (2) you retired on permanent and total disability and you had taxable disability income. But you usually cannot take the credit if the amount on Form 1040, Line 34, is $17,500 or more ($20,000 if married filing jointly and only one spouse is eligible for the credit; $25,000 if married filing jointly and both spouses are eligible; $12,500 if married filing separately). See Schedule R and its instructions for details.

Line 46 - Education Credits

If you (or your dependent) paid qualified expenses in 2000 for yourself, your spouse, or your dependent to enroll in or attend an eligible educational institution, you may be able to take an education credit. See Form 8863 for details. However, you cannot take an education credit if any of the following apply:

• You are claimed as a dependent on someone's (such as your parent's) 2000 tax return.
• Your filing status is married filing separately.
• The amount on Form 1040, line 34, is $50,000 or more ($100,000 or more if married filing jointly).
• You (or your spouse) were a nonresident alien for any part of 2000 unless your filing status is married filing jointly.

Line 47 - Child Tax Credit

What is the Child Tax Credit?

This credit is for people who have a qualifying child as defined in the instructions for line 6c, column (4), on page 20. It is in addition to the credit for child and dependent care expenses on Form 1040, line 44, and the earned income credit on Form 1040, line 60a.

If you only have one or two qualifying children and the amount on Form 1040, line 42, is zero, you cannot take this credit. You also cannot take the additional child tax credit on Form 1040, line 62.

Three Steps To Take the Child Tax Credit!

Step 1. Make sure you have a qualifying child for the child tax credit.  See the instructions for line  6c, column (4), on page 20.

Step 2. Make sure you checked the box in column (4) of line 6c on Form 1040 for each qualifying child.

Step 3. Answer the questions on this page to see if you may use the worksheet on page 37 to figure your credit or if you must use Pub. 972, Child Tax Credit.  If you need Pub. 972, see page 7.

• Pub 972, Questionnaire 
• Child Tax Credit Worksheet--Line 47

Line 48 - Adoption Credit

You may be able to take this credit if you paid expenses in 2000 to adopt a child. See Form 8839 for details.

Line 49 - Other Credits

Include in the total on Line 49 any of the following credits and check the appropriate boxes. If box d is checked, also enter the form number. To find out if you can take the credit, see the form or publication indicated.

• Mortgage interest credit. If a state or local government gave you a mortgage credit certificate, see Form 8396.
• Credit for prior year minimum tax. If you paid alternative minimum tax in a prior year, see Form 8801.
• Qualified electric vehicle credit. If you placed a new electric vehicle in service in 2000, see Form 8834.
• General business credit. This credit consists of a number of credits that usually apply only to individuals who are partners, shareholders in an S corporation, self-employed, or who have rental property. See Form 3800 or Pub. 334.
• Empowerment zone employment credit. See Form 8844.
• District of Columbia first-time home-buyer credit. See Form 8859.

Line 50 Total Credits

If you sold fuel produced from a nonconventional source, see Internal Revenue Code section 29 to find out if you can take the nonconventional source fuel credit. If you can, attach a schedule showing how you figured the credit. Include the credit in the total on Line 50. Enter the amount and “FNS” on the dotted line next to Line 50.

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