How Do I File a Return?

Before filing your return, make sure you have all your wage and other income statements, along with the correct tax form and instructions.

Income statements. In January, each of your employers should give you a Form W-2. It will show the amount of wages you were paid during the past year and how much tax (income, social security, and Medicare) was withheld. Your bank or other financial institution will send you Form 1099-INT or a similar statement showing the interest you earned during the past year.

If you do not receive Form W-2 by January 31, ask your employer for it. If you do not receive your Forms 1099-INT or other statements from your bank by January 31, call your bank and ask for them. If you have not received these income statements by February 15, call the IRS telephone number for your area. The numbers are listed in the tax form instructions.

Tax return forms. You can probably use the shortest, simplest form, Form 1040EZ. You can get it from your local IRS office, post office or library. You can also download it by accessing the IRS web site at www.irs.gov.

You can also receive forms and instructions by fax, using the phone attached to your fax machine and calling 703-368-9694, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To order by phone, call 1-800-829-3676. After you have filed your first return, the IRS will send you blank tax forms for your use in future filing seasons.

If you cannot file Form 1040EZ, file one of the longer forms, Form 1040A or Form 1040, instead. You cannot file Form 1040EZ if your income includes more than $400 of taxable interest or any income other than wages and tips, taxable scholarship or fellowship grants, unemployment compensation, qualified state tuition program earnings, or Alaska Permanent Fund dividends. You cannot file Form 1040EZ or Form 1040A if you had income from self-employment, you are reporting any allocated tips, or you itemize deductions as explained earlier.

Due date of return. If you are required to file a tax return for 2000, you must file it with the IRS by April 16, 2001.

You can receive an automatic 4-month extension to file your return if by the regular due date you do any of the following.

• File a paper Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.
• File Form 4868 electronically by phone or over the Internet.
• Pay part or all of your estimate of tax due electronically by using a credit card. (If you use this option, you do not have to file Form 4868.)

An extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay. See Form 4868 for details.

Penalties. There are penalties for filing your return late and for paying the tax late. If you pay your taxes late, you will also be charged interest on the amount you owe.

Putting Your Return Together

After you have received all your wage and other income statements, and have the correct tax form and instructions, you are ready to complete your return. Because you most likely can use Form 1040EZ, completing Form 1040EZ is discussed here.

Form 1040EZ is only 12 lines long on the front of a single page. The booklet, 2000 Form 1040EZ Instructions, contains instructions for each line. An example of a filled-in Form 1040EZ is at the back of this publication.

Fill in your name, address, and social security number. Or, if you have an IRS label, attach it instead. Make sure you enter your social security number. Enter your total income for the year (from your Forms W-2 and 1099-INT, for example). From that adjusted gross income amount you subtract the amount of your standard deduction and your personal exemption if you can claim one. Then you find the tax on the remaining amount (taxable income) in the Tax Table in the instructions booklet.

Compare the amount of tax shown in the table to the amount of your payments, including the tax your employer withheld. You can find the amount of tax withheld in box 2 of Form W-2. If any tax was withheld from your interest income, you can find that amount in box 4 of Form 1099-INT.

If your payments are more than your tax, the difference between the two amounts is your refund. If your tax is more than your payments, the difference is what you owe. If you owe tax, you must send a check or money order for the amount due with your return. You may also pay by credit card. For more information, get the Form 1040EZ, 1040A, or 1040 instructions booklet.

Attach a copy of all your Forms W-2 to your return. Do not attach Forms 1099-INT, but keep them for your records. Make a copy of your return before you mail it. Keep it in a safe place with the other copies of your Forms W-2 and your Forms 1099-INT.

Alternative Filing Methods

The IRS offers several filing alternatives to make filing your return easier. This section explains IRS e-file (electronic filing).

• Using a tax professional.
• Using your personal computer.
• Using a telephone (TeleFile).

IRS e-file

IRS e-file uses automation to replace most of the manual steps needed to process your paper returns. As a result, processing e-file returns is faster and more accurate than the processing of paper returns. Taxpayers who file electronically and choose direct deposit receive their refunds in less than half the time that paper filers do.

Using a tax professional. Many tax professionals file returns electronically for their clients. You can prepare your own return and have a professional electronically transmit it, or you can have your return prepared and transmitted by a tax professional.

Using your personal computer. If you have a computer and tax preparation software, you can e-file your return electronically from home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Using the telephone (TeleFile). If you receive a TeleFile tax package, you may be able to file your Form 1040EZ information over the phone. You can use TeleFile only if you receive the package. You cannot order it.

More information. For more information on IRS e-file, call TeleTax and listen to topic 252. The TeleTax number for your area is listed in your tax forms package.

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