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Video: When to Use Tax Form 1040

Written by a TurboTax Expert • Reviewed by a TurboTax CPA

Updated for Tax Year 2025 • August 3, 2026 9:19 PM

OVERVIEW

Choosing which tax form to use can sometimes be tricky. In most cases, filing a 1040 is the way to go. This video will help explain the 1040 form and its updates since tax year 2018.

NEW TAX LAW CHANGES

The One Big Beautiful Bill that passed includes permanently extending tax cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including increasing the cap on the amount of state and local or sales tax and property tax (SALT) that you can deduct, makes cuts to energy credits passed under the Inflation Reduction Act, makes changes to taxes on tips and overtime for certain workers, reforms Medicaid, increases the Debt ceiling, and reforms Pell Grants and student loans. Updates to this article are in process. Check our One Big Beautiful Bill article for more information.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Video Transcript:

Video Transcript:

Ready to file your personal income taxes? It all starts with Form 1040, and we'll explain why on this edition of Tax Tips by TurboTax!

IRS Form 1040 is used to file your personal federal income tax returns. You’ll use it to report your basic information, including:

Your name and address
The tax identification number for yourself, your spouse, and dependents– this is typically your Social Security number
And your filing status– which can be single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household, or qualified surviving spouse.

The form is divided into sections where you report your income and deductions. This helps determine how much tax you owe or the refund you can expect.

In some situations, you may need to file additional forms and schedules to accurately report your income and claim your deductions and credits.

There's also a different version of Form 1040 for people 65 and older called Form 1040-SR. It's similar to the regular 1040, but features a larger font and a Standard Deduction table.

Still unsure about your Form 1040? When you file with TurboTax, we’ll ask simple questions and complete Form 1040 for you!
Visit turbotax.com for more info to help you file your taxes with confidence!

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With TurboTax Expert Full Service, a local expert matched to your unique situation will do your taxes for you start to finish. Or, get unlimited help and advice from tax experts while you do your taxes with TurboTax Expert Assist.

And you can file your own taxes with TurboTax Do It Yourself. Easily start your taxes by adding your forms and answering a few simple questions, then we’ll guide you from there. No matter which way you file, we guarantee 100% accuracy and your maximum refund.

Get started now by logging into TurboTax and file with confidence.

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~37% of filers qualify. Simple Form 1040 returns only (no schedules, except for EITC, CTC, student loan interest, and Schedule 1-A).

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Looking for more information?

What is an IRS 1040 Form?What Is the IRS 1040EZ Form?What is the IRS 1040A Form?What is a Schedule C IRS form?The 10 Most Overlooked Tax Deductions

More in IRS Tax Return

How Do I Request Prior Year Federal Tax Returns?What Are the 2025 and 2026 Federal Tax Brackets and Rates?Who Needs an ITIN or Individual Tax Identification Number?What Is My Income Tax Deduction Based On?Video: How to Find Your Tax Bracket

The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Before taking any action, you should always seek the assistance of a professional who knows your particular situation for advice on taxes, your investments, the law, or any other business and professional matters that affect you and/or your business.

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TurboTax Online: Important Details about Filing Simple Form 1040 Returns

If you have a simple Form 1040 return only (no forms or schedules except as needed to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, student loan interest, and Schedule 1-A), you can file for free yourself with TurboTax Free Edition, or you can file with TurboTax Expert Assist Basic at the listed price. Roughly 37% of taxpayers are eligible.

Examples of situations included in a simple Form 1040 return (assuming no added tax complexity):

W-2 income
Interest, dividends or original issue discounts (1099-INT/1099-DIV/1099-OID) that don’t require filing a Schedule B
IRS standard deduction
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
Child Tax Credit (CTC)
Student loan interest deduction
Schedule 1-A deductions for qualified tips, overtime pay, car loan interest, and seniors (65+)
Taxable qualified retirement plan distributions

Examples of situations not included in a simple Form 1040 return:

Itemized deductions claimed on Schedule A, such as charitable contributions, medical expenses, mortgage interest and state and local tax deductions
Unemployment income reported on a 1099-G
Business or 1099-NEC income (often reported by those who are self-employed, gig workers or freelancers)
Stock sales (including crypto investments)
Income from rental property or property sales
Credits, deductions and income reported on other forms or schedules

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You will not be eligible for the loan if: (1) your physical address is not included on your federal tax return, (2) your physical address is located outside of the United States or a US territory, is a PO box or is a prison address, (3) your physical address is in one of the following states: IL, CT, or NC, (4) you are less than 18 years old, (5) the tax return filed is on behalf of a deceased person, (6) you are filing certain IRS Forms (1310, 4852, 4684, 4868, 1040SS, 1040PR, 1040X, 8888, or 8862), (7) your expected refund amount is less than $500, or (8) you did not receive Forms W-2 or 1099-R or you are not reporting income on Sched C. Additional requirements: You must (a) e-file your federal tax return with TurboTax and (b) currently have or open a Credit Karma Money™ Spend (checking) account with MVB Bank, Inc., Member FDIC. Maximum balance and transfer limits apply. Opening a Credit Karma Money™ Spend (checking) account is subject to eligibility. Please see Credit Karma Money Spend Account Terms and Disclosures for details.

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If you are approved for a loan, your tax refund after deducting the amount of your loan and agreed-upon fees (if applicable) will be placed in your Credit Karma Money™ Spend (checking) account. Tax refund funds are disbursed by the IRS typically within 21 days of e-file acceptance. If you apply for a loan and are not approved after the IRS accepts your e-filed federal tax return, your tax refund minus any agreed-upon fees (if applicable) will be placed in your Credit Karma Money™ Spend (checking) account.

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You will not be eligible for the loan if: (1) your physical address is not included on your federal tax return, (2) your physical address is located outside of the United States or a US territory, is a PO box or is a prison address, (3) you are less than 18 years old, (4) the tax return filed is on behalf of a deceased person, (5) your federal tax balance owed is less than $200 or greater than $6,000, or (6) you do not have a social security number. Additional requirements: You must (a) e-file your federal tax return with TurboTax and (b) authorize Intuit Financing Inc. to open a Router Account in your name with an FDIC insured bank. Opening a Router Account is subject to identity verification.

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TURBOTAX EXPERT 365 BUSINESS Subscription Terms:

Who’s Eligible for Expert 365 Business:

Expert 365 Business is available to new QuickBooks customers with the following entity and business tax situations: sole proprietorships and single-member LLCs.
At this time, the following entity types and business tax situations are not eligible for Expert 365 Business: C-Corps, S-Corps, partnerships.

Your Expert 365 Business subscription includes access to the following services and features:

Tax-Ready Bookkeeping: You must connect your business accounts to QuickBooks in order for your Expert to be able to review and reconcile your books on a quarterly basis. The expert will update bookkeeping to be tax-ready on a quarterly basis, so the expert can calculate your quarterly tax payments and develop personalized tax advice. All advice and information made available by Expert 365 Business in connection with the bookkeeping service is based on the information you provide to Intuit or authorize Intuit to obtain from your banks and other third party platforms that sync data into our bookkeeping services, so it is important for you to make sure that information is complete and accurate. The bookkeeping service cannot be relied upon to discover errors, fraud deflections or other irregularities, should any exist.
Business Tax Advisory Sessions: You can meet with your Expert on a quarterly basis to obtain personalized tax planning recommendations based on your information provided.
Quarterly Expert Reviews: Your Expert will be available to meet with you at least once per calendar quarter to deliver quarterly tax estimates, and review and reconcile your books.
TurboTax Expert Full Service: TurboTax Experts are available to prepare 2026 tax returns starting January 5, 2027. One-day preparation and filing availability depends on start time, the complexity of your return, is based on completion time for the majority of customers, and may vary based on Expert availability. A tax preparation assistant will validate the customer’s tax situation during the welcome call and review uploaded documents to assess readiness and ability to file same-day. All tax forms and documents must be ready and uploaded by the customer for the tax preparation assistant to refer the customer to an available Expert for live tax preparation. The TurboTax Terms of Service apply to your use of TurboTax Expert Full Service and Expert 365 Business. As described more in those Terms, the following Guarantees apply to your use of TurboTax Expert Full Service: TurboTax Accurate Calculations Guarantee - Business Tax Returns, TurboTax Maximum Savings Guarantee - Business Tax Returns, and TurboTax Audit Support Guarantee - Business Tax Returns.

In addition to the above Expert 365 Business subscription features, you have access for 1 user license to the QuickBooks Simple Start product. QuickBooks Simple Start offers features such as receipt capture, tracking income and expense, tracking miles and running financial reports on any device (mobile and web). The cost of QuickBooks Simple Start is included in the displayed pricing, but this subscription is sold separately from Expert 365 Business. The QuickBooks Terms of Service apply to your use of QuickBooks Simple Start.

Cancelation: Expert 365 Business is billed on a monthly basis of $61, and QuickBooks Simple Start is billed on a monthly basis of $38, your subscription will automatically renew each month on your account’s billing date until you cancel. You may cancel your subscription at any time by navigating to the Account & Settings section of your Expert 365 Business account and selecting “Cancel.” You will not receive a pro-rated refund; your access and subscription benefits will continue for the remainder of the billing period.

Cancelation of your Expert 365 Business subscription will not impact your QuickBooks subscription. You will continue to receive all QuickBooks benefits and incur ongoing monthly charges until you separately cancel your QuickBooks subscription. Your Expert 365 Business subscription is dependent upon maintaining an active QuickBooks subscription. As a result, cancelation of your QuickBooks subscription will result in a concurrent cancelation of your Expert 365 Business subscription.

TURBOTAX DESKTOP GUARANTEES

TurboTax Desktop Individual Returns:

100% Accurate Calculations Guarantee - Individual Returns: If you pay an IRS or state penalty or interest because of a TurboTax calculation error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. You are responsible for paying any additional tax liability you may owe. Excludes payment plans. This guarantee is good for the lifetime of your personal, individual tax return, which Intuit defines as seven years from the date you filed it with TurboTax Desktop. Excludes TurboTax Desktop Business returns. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
Maximum Refund Guarantee / Maximum Tax Savings Guarantee - or Your Money Back - Individual Returns: If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparation method by filing an amended return, we'll refund the applicable TurboTax federal and/or state software license purchase price you paid. You are responsible for paying any additional tax liability you may owe. This guarantee is good for the lifetime of your personal, individual tax return, which Intuit defines as seven years from the date you filed it with TurboTax Desktop. Excludes TurboTax Desktop Business returns. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
Audit Support Guarantee - Individual Returns: If you receive an audit letter from the IRS or State Department of Revenue based on your 2025 TurboTax individual tax return, we will provide one-on-one question-and-answer support with a tax professional, if requested through our Audit Support Center, for audited individual returns filed with TurboTax Desktop for the current 2025 tax year and, for individual, non-business returns, for the past two tax years (2023, 2024). Audit support is informational only. We will not represent you before the IRS or state tax authority or provide legal advice. If we are not able to connect you to one of our tax professionals, we will refund the applicable TurboTax federal and/or state license purchase price you paid. This guarantee is good for the lifetime of your personal, individual tax return, which Intuit defines as seven years from the date you filed it with TurboTax Desktop. Excludes TurboTax Desktop Business returns. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
Satisfaction Guarantee/ 60-Day Money Back Guarantee: If you're not completely satisfied with TurboTax Desktop software, go to refundrequest.intuit.com within 60 days of purchase and follow the process listed to submit a refund request. You must return this product using your license code or order number and dated receipt. Desktop add-on products and services purchased are non-refundable.

TurboTax Desktop Business Returns:

100% Accurate Calculations Guarantee - Business Returns: If you pay an IRS or state penalty or interest because of a TurboTax calculation error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. You are responsible for paying any additional tax liability you may owe. Excludes payment plans. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
Maximum Tax Savings Guarantee - Business Returns: If you get a smaller tax due (or larger business tax refund) from another tax preparation method using the same data, TurboTax will refund the applicable TurboTax Desktop Business license purchase price you paid. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
Satisfaction Guarantee/ 60-Day Money Back Guarantee: If you're not completely satisfied with TurboTax Desktop software, go to refundrequest.intuit.com within 60 days of purchase and follow the process listed to submit a refund request. You must return this product using your license code or order number and dated receipt. Desktop add-on products and services purchased are non-refundable.

TURBOTAX DESKTOP DISCLAIMERS

Installation Requirements: Product download, installation and activation requires an Intuit Account and internet connection. Product limited to one account per license code. You must accept the TurboTax License Agreement to use this product. Not for use by paid preparers.
TurboTax Desktop Products: Price includes tax preparation and printing of federal tax returns and free federal e-file of up to 5 federal tax returns. Additional fees may apply for e-filing state returns. E-file fees may not apply in certain states, check here for details. Savings and price comparison based on anticipated price increase. Software updates and optional online features require internet connection. Desktop add-on products and services purchased are non-refundable.
Fastest Refund Possible: Get your tax refund from the IRS as fast as possible by e-filing and choosing to receive your refund by direct deposit. Tax refund time frames will vary. The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days.
Average Refund Amount: $3,453 is the average refund amount American taxpayers received in the 2024 filing season based upon IRS data as of February 21, 2025 and may not reflect actual refund amount received. Each taxpayer's refund will vary based on their tax situation.
TurboTax Technical Support: Customer service and technical support hours and options vary by time of year.
Deduct From Your Federal or State Refund: Individual taxes only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Additional terms apply. A $40 Refund Processing Service fee applies to this payment method. Prices are subject to change without notice.
Data Import: Imports financial data from participating companies; Requires Intuit Account. Quicken and QuickBooks import not available with TurboTax installed on a Mac. Imports from Quicken (2023 and higher) and QuickBooks Desktop (2024); both Windows only. Quicken import not available for TurboTax Desktop Business. Quicken products provided by Quicken Inc., Quicken import subject to change.
Live Tax Advice: Access to tax experts to obtain answers to tax questions and to assist with tax year 2025 return(s) prepared with TurboTax Desktop software. Additional fees may apply. Must be purchased and used by October 31, 2026. Excludes TurboTax Desktop Business. See License Agreement for details.
Audit Defense: Audit Defense is a third-party add-on service provided, for a fee, by TaxResources, Inc., dba Tax Audit. See Membership Agreements at https://turbotax.intuit.com/corp/softwarelicense/ for service terms and conditions.

All features, services, support, prices, offers, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.

Unless otherwise stated, strikethrough prices reflect anticipated late-season pricing (4/1–10/31; for S-corps & partnerships, 5/1–10/31).

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