Tax Forms

What Is Form 1040?

Form 1040 is the main individual income tax return used to report your income, claim deductions and credits, and figure out whether you owe tax or get a refund.

📋The "cover sheet" of your taxes

Think of Form 1040 as the summary page of your entire tax year. All your other forms and schedules (W-2s, 1099s, deduction schedules) roll into this one main form.

On it, you:

💵List your total income from all sources
➖Claim adjustments and deductions
🎁Apply tax credits
🧮Calculate your final tax owed or refund

📝What information goes on a 1040?

A typical Form 1040 includes sections for:

👤Personal Info

•Name, address, filing status
•Dependents you are claiming

💰Income

•Wage income (from W-2s)
•Interest, dividends, unemployment
•Self-employment income
•Retirement distributions

🔧Adjustments & Deductions

•Retirement or HSA contributions
•Standard or itemized deductions

🎯Credits & Payments

•Child tax credit, education credits
•Payments and withholding

📑Schedules that connect to Form 1040

Many details live on separate attachments called schedules. Common ones include:

Schedule 1Additional Income and Adjustments
Schedule 2Additional Taxes
Schedule 3Additional Credits and Payments
Schedule CProfit or Loss from Business (for self-employed)
Schedule DCapital Gains and Losses

💡 Good news: Your software or tax professional will attach the right schedules based on your situation.

✍️Do I fill out a 1040 by hand?

You can, but most people don't.

Modern tax software asks you questions and fills in Form 1040 behind the scenes. At the end, you can view a copy of the form, but you may never manually type on it.

If you mail a paper return, you'll print and sign Form 1040 (and any schedules) and send them to the IRS.

🎯Where Form 1040 fits in the big picture

At a high level, Form 1040 takes you from:

Total income

Everything you made

↓

Minus adjustments and deductions

What the law lets you subtract

↓

Taxable income

The amount your tax is based on

↓

Apply tax credits and payments

See if you owe or get a refund

Key takeaway: Once you understand Form 1040, the rest of the tax return is mainly details that feed into it.

Ready to estimate your taxes?

Use our free calculator to see what your Form 1040 might show.

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