Federal Taxes: Form 1040 and Variants
The form that you choose to file depends on several factors as listed in the headings of the table below. The forms are ordered from easiest to most difficult (top to bottom).
| Filing Status | Exemptions | Income Sources | Taxable Income | Adjustments | Deductions | Tax Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form 1040EZ | Single or Married Filing Jointly. Taxpayer and spouse, if filing a joint return, must both be under the age of 65 and not blind at the end of the filing year. | Personal Exemptions only -- No dependents | Wages, salaries, tips, taxable scholarship or fellowship grants, unemployment compensation, or Alaska Permanent Fund Dividends, and taxable interest not over $1,500 | less than $100,000 | None | Standard deduction only |
Did not receive Advance EITC and eligible for EITC without a qualifying child |
| Form 1040A | Any | Personal and Dependent Exemptions | Wages, salaries, tips, interest, ordinary dividends, capital gain distributions, taxable scholarship or fellowship grants, pensions, annuities, IRAs, unemployment compensation, taxable social security and railroad retirement benefits, and Alask Permanent Fund dividends | less than $100,000 | Educator expenses, IRA deduction, student loan interest deduction, and tuition and fees deduction | Standard deduction only | Child tax credit, additional child tax credit, education credits, earned income credit, credit for child and dependent care expenses, credit for the elderly or disabled, adoption credit or retirement savings contributions credit |
| Form 1040 | Any | Personal and Dependent Exemptions | Same as 1040A plus income from self-employment, certain tips, non-taxable distributions required to be reported as capital gains | any amount | Any adjustment on lines 23 through 33 of this form | Standard or itemized deductions | Same as 1040A plus health coverage tax credit, foreign tax credit, mortgage interest credit, and other credits on lines 51 and 52 of this form |
