What are the federal tax forms I'll most likely need to file with the IRS?
Along with Form 1040, which is the main federal tax form almost everyone files, there are a number of other "schedules" you might have to file with the IRS as part of your federal income tax return, including:
- Schedule 1 – For reporting miscellaneous types of income (such as unemployment compensation, gambling winnings, and more) and claiming "above-the-line" deductions (such as for student loan interest, contributions to an IRA, and more).
- Schedule 1-A – Used to claim deductions for tip income, overtime pay, car loan interest, and taxpayers who are at least 65 years old.
- Schedule 2 – File if you owe certain additional taxes or penalties, like the alternative minimum tax, self-employment taxes, penalties for early withdrawals from a retirement account, and more.
- Schedule 3 – For claiming various tax credits and payments, such as for child care costs, education expenses, taxes paid when requesting a tax filing extension, and more.
- Schedule A – File if you claim itemized deductions (such as for state and local taxes, mortgage interest, medical expenses, and charitable gifts) instead of the Standard Deduction.
- Schedule B – Used to report interest and dividend income.
- Schedule C – For reporting profit or loss from a business you run as a sole proprietor.
- Schedule D – File if you have capital gains and losses from selling investments or other property.
- Schedule E – Used for reporting supplemental income, such as rental income, royalties, and income passed through from a partnership or S corporation.
- Schedule F – For reporting profit or loss from farming.
Generally speaking, these schedules are like extensions of your Form 1040. They cover broad categories – like income, deductions, credits, or taxes – and are used because the 1040 itself doesn't have room for all this detail.
You also may have to fill out various other tax forms or schedules before you can complete many of the primary schedules listed above. These forms are generally used to work through the math of a particular credit, deduction, or tax situation. The final result then gets carried over to one of the primary schedules or directly to your 1040 form. Some of the more common forms and schedules that fall into this category are:
- Form 2441 – Used to calculate the Child and Dependent Care Credit, which you then claim on Schedule 3.
- Form 6251 – Complete if you owe the AMT, which you enter on Schedule 2.
- Schedule 8812 – For calculating the Child Tax Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, and Credit for Other Dependents, which all go directly on Form 1040.
- Form 8863 – Two education tax credits – the American Opportunity Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit – are calculated using this form, with the totals being reported on Schedule 3 (non-refundable portions) and directly on Form 1040 (any refundable portion).
- Form 8880 – Use to calculate the Saver's Credit, which you report on Schedule 3.
- Form 8889 – Complete if you're claiming the deduction for contributions to a health savings account, which goes on Schedule 1.
- Form 8962 – For calculating the Premium Tax Credit, which you claim on Schedule 3, and any repayment of advance Premium Tax Credit payments, which you report on Schedule 2.
- Form 8995 – Used to figure the Qualified Business Income Deduction, which you claim directly on Form 1040.
- Schedule EIC – Required when claiming the Earned Income Credit with a qualifying child (report the credit directly on Form 1040).
- Schedule SE – Used to calculate the self-employment tax, which goes on Schedule 2, and the deduction for 50% of your self-employment tax, which you take on Schedule 1.
This is not a complete list – you may need other forms or schedules, too. In fact, having to file multiple forms and schedules with your 1040 is very common, so don't be surprised if the number of forms included in your tax return adds up quickly.
For example, suppose you work a side job, sell some stock, have a kid, and put money in a health savings account during the year – all fairly common things. If that's the case, you could end up filing Schedule 1, Schedule 2, Schedule 3, Schedule C, Schedule D, Schedule SE, Form 2441, Schedule 8812, and Form 8889 with your tax return.
The good news is you don't have to track down or fill out any of these forms yourself – TurboTax figures out exactly which forms and schedules your situation requires and completes them automatically based on your answers to simple questions. Whether it's one form or nine, TurboTax generates, calculates, and files them correctly for you.
Do seniors need to file different tax forms?
If you're at least 65 years old, you can (but don't have to) file Form 1040-SR instead of Form 1040. But otherwise, all the other federal income tax forms and schedules are the same for seniors.
There are only two real differences between Form 1040 and Form 1040-SR:
- Form 1040-SR uses larger print
- Form 1040-SR has a Standard Deduction table right on the form
Other than these formatting differences, the two forms are functionally identical. You use the same line items, instructions, and tax calculations. So, the main reason seniors might want to use Form 1040-SR instead of Form 1040 is they're filing a paper return by hand and prefer the larger text.
Where can I find all the federal tax forms I'll need to file with my return?
The IRS website includes all the forms needed for your federal income tax return. However, TurboTax also includes these forms and schedules, so there's no need to hunt them down separately. Just answer some straightforward questions, and it automatically pulls in and completes whichever forms your situation requires.
Do I use the same tax forms for federal and state filing?
You'll have to use different tax forms to complete your federal and state income tax returns. That's because each state with an income tax has its own set of state tax forms, which are not the same as the IRS forms used for federal returns.
You typically need two sets of forms because the federal and state governments don't tax income the same way. As just one example, a deduction that lowers your federal tax bill might not exist at the state level – or it might work differently. Since each state has its own rules about what counts as taxable income, what can be deducted, and which credits are available, the forms have to be structured around those specific rules.
Plus, some states don't have an income tax at all. So, someone living in Texas or Florida probably only has to file a federal return, while someone in New York or California will need both a federal and a state return.
On the other hand, your federal and state returns aren't completely disconnected. Some documents feed into both. For example, your W-2 form reports wages and withholding you'll need for both your federal and state tax returns.
Where do I find state tax forms to file my state return?
The links below take you to official state tax agency websites, where you can find state tax forms and instructions for all the taxes the state imposes.
TurboTax also has all the forms you'll need to file your state income tax return. It also automatically pulls information from your federal return to populate the matching state fields, flags any state-specific credits or deductions you might otherwise miss, and checks your entries for errors before you file. This means you don't have to track down separate state tax forms on your own or figure out which schedules apply to your situation.
What tax documents do I need to fill out federal and state tax forms?
The exact tax forms and documents you need to file your federal and state income tax returns will vary based on your sources of income, deductions and credits, filing status, state of residence, and more. For instance, an employee who takes the Standard Deduction will need a different set of forms than a self-employed business owner who itemizes.
Most states base their return on your federal return, so you typically don't need separate documents. However, you should still watch for state-specific credit or deduction forms, confirm whether your state requires a copy of your federal return to be attached, and note any state tax withholding listed on your W-2 or 1099 forms.
Using a tax preparation checklist can help when it's time to pull together all your tax documents for the year. For most people, you'll need documents from the following three groups:
Income documents
Anyone who earned wages during the tax year will need a W-2 form from each employer. If you receive other types of income during the year, you may receive one or more 1099 forms, such as:
- 1099-NEC for freelance or contract work
- 1099-MISC for rental income, royalties, or other miscellaneous payments
- 1099-INT for interest income
- 1099-DIV for dividend income
- 1099-B for proceeds from selling investments
- 1099-R for retirement or pension distributions
- 1099-G for unemployment benefits or a state tax refund
- SSA-1099 for Social Security benefits
If you're an owner of a partnership, S corporation, or certain limited liability companies, you should receive a Schedule K-1 showing your share of the business's profits and losses.
Documents supporting deductions and credits
If you're claiming certain tax deductions or credits, you'll need supporting paperwork, such as:
- Form 1098 for mortgage interest payments
- Form 1098-E for student loan interest payments
- Form 1098-T for tuition payments
- Receipts for charitable contributions, medical expenses, or business costs
- Childcare provider information and payment totals for the Child and Dependent Care Credit
- Records of IRA or HSA contributions
Identification and reference information
You should also have certain personal information on hand when filing your tax return, such as:
- Social Security numbers or Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITINs) for yourself, your spouse (if married), and any dependents
- a copy of your tax return for the previous year
- bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit if you're getting a refund
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