U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
The main individual income tax return. Reports income, deductions, credits, and calculates tax owed or refund due.
Who Files This Form
All US residents with income above the filing threshold
Due Date
April 15 (or next business day)
Use Form 1040-SR if you are 65 or older (larger print, standard deduction chart). Use Form 1040-NR if you are a nonresident alien.
Line 1a: Wages from W-2. Line 8: Additional income from Schedule 1. Line 9: Total income. Line 11: Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Line 12: Standard or itemized deduction. Line 15: Taxable income. Line 22: Total tax. Line 25a-25d: Withholding. Line 33: Amount you owe. Line 34: Refund amount.
1) Using the wrong filing status. 2) Forgetting to include all income sources (1099-NEC, 1099-K, 1099-INT). 3) Claiming dependents incorrectly. 4) Math errors (use tax software to avoid). 5) Not signing and dating the return. 6) Using old year forms. 7) Forgetting to attach required schedules. 8) Wrong direct deposit routing/account numbers.
Download from irs.gov/form1040, use tax software (FreeTaxUSA, TurboTax, H&R Block), or get from your local library or post office (limited supply). Tax software auto-fills Form 1040 based on your answers.
Yes, e-file is strongly recommended. Faster refund (8-21 days vs 6-8 weeks for paper), more accurate (software catches errors), and confirmation of receipt. IRS Free File offers free e-file for AGI under $84,000.
Late filing: 5% of unpaid tax per month, max 25%. Late payment: 0.5% of unpaid tax per month. Underpayment: Interest + potential estimated tax penalty. Failure to file penalty is 10x the failure to pay penalty, so always file even if you cannot pay.
Official IRS Source
Always download the current version and instructions from the IRS website before filing.