Which Form – 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ?

The three forms used for filing individual federal income tax returns are Form 1040-EZ, Form 1040-A, and Form 1040.

Form 1040EZ is the simplest form to fill out. You may use Form 1040EZ if you meet all the following conditions:

1. Your filing status is single or married filing jointly
2. You claim no dependents
3. You, and your spouse if filing a joint return, were under age 65 on January 1, 2012, and not blind at the end of 2011
4. You have only wages, salaries, tips, taxable scholarship and fellowship grants, unemployment compensation, qualified state tuition program earnings, or Alaska Permanent Fund dividends, and your taxable interest was not over $1,500
5. Your taxable income is less than $100,000
6. Your earned tips, if any, are included in boxes 5 and 7 of your Form W-2
7. You do not owe any household employment taxes on wages you paid to a household employee
8. You are not a debtor in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case filed after October 16, 2005
9. You are not claiming the additional standard deduction for real estate taxes, net disaster losses, or qualified motor vehicle taxes
10. You do not claim a student loan interest deduction, an educator expense deduction, or a tuition and fees deduction, and
11. You do not claim an education credit, retirement savings contributions credit, or a health coverage tax credit

If you file Form 1040EZ, you cannot itemize deductions or claim any adjustments to income or tax credits (other than the earned income credit).

References:

“e-filing” your return

If you file Form 1040A, the only credits you can claim are the credit for child and dependent care expenses, the earned income credit, the credit for the elderly or the disabled, education credits, the child tax credit, the additional child tax credit, and the retirement savings contribution credit.

References:

“e-filing” your return

Often used Schedules:

Form f1040sb.pdf - Interest and Ordinary Dividends

Form f1040sr.pdf - Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled

Form f1040sei.pdf - Earned Income Credit

Often used Forms:

Form 8917 - Tuition and Fees Deduction

Form 2441 - Child and Dependent Care Expenses

Form 8863 - Education Credits (American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits)

Form 8812 - Additional Child Tax Credit

Form 8888 - Allocation of Refund (Including Savings Bond Purchases)

Finally, you must use Form 1040 under certain circumstances, such as:

1. Your taxable income is $100,000 or more
2. You have certain types of income such as unreported tips, certain nontaxable distributions, self-employment earnings, or income received as a partner, a shareholder in an "S" Corporation, or a beneficiary of an estate or trust
3. You itemize deductions or claim certain tax credits or adjustments to income, or
4. You owe household employment taxes

A complete list of conditions outlining when Form 1040 must be used is in the Instructions 1040-A.

References:

“e-filing” your return

Often used Schedules:

Form 1040 (Schedule A) - Itemized Deductions

Form f1040sb.pdf - Interest and Ordinary Dividends

Form 1040 (Schedule C-EZ) - Net Profit From Business

Form 1040 (Schedule D) - Capital Gains and Losses

Form 1040 (Schedule E) - Supplemental Income and Loss

Form f1040sei.pdf - Earned Income Credit

Form f1040sr.pdf - Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled

Often used Forms:

Form 8917 - Tuition and Fees Deduction

Form 2441 - Child and Dependent Care Expenses

Form 8863 - Education Credits (American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits)

Form 8812 - Additional Child Tax Credit

Form 8888 - Allocation of Refund (Including Savings Bond Purchases)

If you were a nonresident alien during the tax year and you were married to a U.S. citizen or resident alien, you may use any one of these three forms, based on your circumstances, only if you elect to file a joint return with your spouse. Other nonresident aliens may have to file Form 1040-NR or Form 1040-NR-EZ. For more information on resident and nonresident aliens, refer to Tax Topic 851 and Publication 519, U. S. Tax Guide for Aliens, Chapter 7.