Tax Forms

Common IRS Tax Forms

The Internal Revenue Service has tax forms for different areas of tax law and many individual and business situations. Here's a summary of the most common tax forms. Tax Form 1040 is the main form required for filing income taxes. Individuals use this form for filing personal taxes. Other IRS forms are required for business filers.

There is also a simplified form of the 1040. The 1040EZ is used for single or married filers with no deductions or special circumstances, no dependents, and those having less than $100,000 in taxable income.

1040C is used to calculate profit or loss from a business. It is intended for sole proprietor businesses. It's also used to report expenses or income received as a statutory employee.

Self-employed individuals use 1040SE to calculate the income tax they owe. The Social Security Administration uses this form to calculate your social security program benefits. Anyone with self employed income exceeding $400 needs to file this form.

Other IRS Tax Form Services

You can request that the IRS fax you specific forms or publications. This service is called TaxFax. Call (703) 368-9694 from a fax machine and follow the prompts to request the tax forms you need. This is not a toll free call, and you have to know the catalog number for any forms you want to request.

You can also order any forms for the current year, as well as previous years, by calling (800) TAX-FORM. Tax forms or publications requested through this service will be mailed to you.

You can also pick up many forms at many public libraries, post offices, and IRS offices. You can find the most common forms, instructions, and publications. Some locations even offer electronic kiosks where you can download commonly used forms.

The IRS has recently begun offering a useful method of completing tax forms. Fill-in forms are Adobe Acrobat pdf files that are available online. You can fill in the required information online, save, and print your completed documents. The forms do not do any calculations or validate your answers, but you can create attractive forms using this service.