Instructions for Form 1040-A
taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP4fa0280c | IRS
e-file
offers you the electronic payment option of electronic funds withdrawal (EFW).
EFW can be used to pay your current year balance due and can be used to make up
to four estimated tax payments. If you are filing early, you can schedule your
payment for withdrawal from your account on a future date, up to and including
April 17, 2012. If you file your return after April 17, 2012, you can include
interest and penalty in your payment. Visit
www.irs.gov/e-pay for details. You can also pay using EFTPS, a free tax payment system that allows you to make payments online or by phone. For more information or details on enrolling, visit
www.irs.gov/e-pay or
www.eftps.gov
or call EFTPS' Customer Service at 1-800-316-6541. TTY/TDD help is available by
calling 1-800-733-4829. |
taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP01ab7c44taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP52b51c38 | To save interest and penalties, pay your taxes in full by April 17, 2012. You do not have to pay if line 45 is under
$1. |
Include any estimated tax penalty from line 46 in the amount you enter on line
45.
You can pay by check, money order, credit or debit card, or EFTPS. Do not include any estimated tax payment for 2012 in this payment. Instead, make the estimated tax payment
separately.
taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP46f55109Make your check or money order payable to the
United States Treasury
for the full amount due. Do not send cash. Do not attach the payment to your
return. Write
2011 Form 1040A
and your name, address, daytime phone number, and social security number (SSN)
on your payment. If you are filing a joint return, enter the SSN shown first on
your tax return.
To help process your payment, enter the amount on the right side of the check like this: $XXX.XX. Do not use dashes or lines (for example, do not enter
$XXX—
or
$XXX
XX/100
).
Then, complete Form 1040-V following the instructions on that form and enclose it in the envelope with your tax return and payment. Although you do not have to use Form 1040-V, doing so allows us to process your payment more accurately and
efficiently.
taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP612c80e5
The penalty for writing a bad check to the IRS is $25 or 2% of the check,
whichever is more. This penalty also applies to other forms of payment if the
IRS does not receive the funds. Use TeleTax topic 206 (see
TeleTax Topics, later).
taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP1389c6eb | You may need to (a) increase the amount of income tax withheld from your pay by filing a new Form W-4, (b) increase the tax withheld from other income by filing Form W-4P or W-4V, or (c) make estimated tax payments for 2012. See Income tax withholding and estimated tax payments for 2012 under General Information,
later. |
taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP67cd6302If you cannot pay the full amount shown on line 45 when you file, you can ask for:
- An installment agreement, or
- An extension of time to pay.
Under an installment agreement, you can pay all or part of the tax you owe in monthly installments. However, even if your request to pay in installments is granted, you will be charged interest and may be charged a late payment penalty on the tax not paid by April 17, 2012. You must also pay a fee. To limit the interest and penalty charges, pay as much of the tax as possible when you file. But before requesting an installment agreement, you should consider other less costly alternatives, such as a bank loan or credit card
payment.
To ask for an installment agreement, you can apply online or use Form 9465 or Form 9465-FS. To apply online, go to IRS.gov and click on
Tools
and then
Online Payment Agreement
taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP555f0a36If paying the tax when it is due would cause you an undue hardship, you can ask for an extension of time to pay by filing Form 1127 by April 17, 2012. An extension generally will not be granted for more than 6 months. If you pay after April 17, 2012, you will be charged interest on the tax not paid by April 15, 2012. You must pay the tax before the extension runs out. If you do not, penalties may be
imposed.
taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP2443fcd1taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP2c04def9You may owe this penalty if:
- Line 45 is at least $1,000 and it is more than 10% of the tax shown on your return,
or
- You did not pay enough estimated tax by any of the due dates. This is true even if you are due a
refund.
The
tax shown on your return
is the amount on your 2011 Form 1040A, line 35, minus the total of any amounts
shown on lines 38a, 39, and 40.
taxmap/instr/i1040a-019.htm#TXMP35d4e730You will not owe the penalty if your 2010 tax return was for a tax year of 12 full months and either of the following applies.
- You had no tax shown on your 2010 return and you were a U.S. citizen or resident for all of
2010.
-
The total of lines 36, 37, and any excess social security and tier 1 RRTA tax
included on line 41 on your 2011 return is at least 100% of the tax shown on
your 2010 return (110% of that amount if you are not a farmer or fisherman and
your adjusted gross income (AGI) shown on your 2010 return was more than
$150,000 (more than $75,000 if married filing separately for 2011). Your
estimated tax payments for 2011 must have been made on time and for the required
amount.
The
tax shown on your 2010 return
is the amount on your 2010 Form 1040A, line 37, minus the total of any amounts
shown on lines 40, 41a, 42, and 43.
If the
Exception
just described does not apply and you choose to figure the penalty yourself, use
Form 2210.
Enter any penalty on line 46. Add the penalty to any tax due and enter the total on line 45. However, if you have an overpayment on line 42, subtract the penalty from the amount you would otherwise enter on line 43a or 44. Lines 43a, 44, and 46 must equal line
42.
If the penalty is more than the overpayment on line 42, enter -0- on lines 43a and 44. Then subtract line 42 from line 46 and enter the result on line
45.
Do not file Form 2210 with your return unless Form 2210 indicates that you must do so. Instead, keep it for your
records.
| Because Form 2210 is complicated, you can leave line 46 blank and the IRS will figure the penalty and send you a bill. We will not charge you interest on the penalty if you pay by the date specified on the bill. If your income varied during the year, the annualized income installment method may reduce the amount of your penalty. But you must file Form 2210 because the IRS cannot figure your penalty under this method. See the Instructions for Form 2210 for other situations in which you may be able to lower your penalty by filing Form 2210.
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