An official website of the U.S. Gov An official website of the U.S. GovMany individuals may not know they can request, receive, and review their tax records via a tax transcript from the IRS at no charge. Transcripts are often used to validate income and tax filing status for mortgage applications, student loans, social services, and small business loan applications and for responding to an IRS notice, filing an amended return, or obtaining a lien release. Transcripts can also be useful to taxpayers when preparing and filing tax returns by verifying estimated tax payments, Advance Child Tax Credits, Economic Income Payments/stimulus payments, and/or an overpayment from a prior year return.
Don’t miss your refund. Learn how to file Form 843, choose between refund and protective claims, and avoid common mistakes before the 2026 deadline.
To file your annual individual income tax return, use Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, or, if you were born before January 2, 1955, you have the option to use Form 1040-SR, U.S. Tax Return for Seniors. You may only need to file Form 1040 or 1040-SR and none of the numbered schedules, Schedules 1 through 3. However, if your return is more complicated (for example, you claim certain deductions or credits or owe additional taxes), you will need to complete one or more of the numbered schedules.
View our interactive tax map to see where you are in the tax process. It could help you navigate your way through the IRS.
I’m proud to announce the launch of Cambios en la Reforma de Impuestos, the Spanish-language version of the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s recently launched Tax Reform Changes website.
Millions may qualify for refunds on COVID-era penalties and interest. Learn how to claim yours and why you must act on or before the July 10, 2026 deadline.
Part I of this two-part blog discussed how to identify penalty relief associated with the IRS’s recently announced broad penalty relief initiative on IRS tax account transcripts and explained the many uses of the transcript transaction code (TC) 290. Part Two continues with more helpful tips I hope you will find useful when trying to understand IRS transcripts.
Most taxpayers can file their tax returns electronically. There are multiple e-filing options for individuals taxpayers — IRS Free File or Fillable Forms; Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or Tax Counseling for the Elderly tax return preparation sites; commercial software; and authorized e-file providers.
Trust fund taxes are income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes withheld from the wages of employees. They are called trust fund taxes because they are held in trust until they are paid by the employer via federal tax deposits (FTDs). If trust fund taxes cannot be collected from the business, the IRS may assert a trust fund recovery penalty (TFRP) against any person who is responsible for collecting or paying withheld income and employment taxes and willfully fails to collect or pay them.
Compliance employees are responsible for determining the correct tax liability, collecting delinquent taxes and securing delinquent tax returns through the fair and equitable application of the tax laws as prescribed by the Internal Revenue Code.
Preparing and filing tax returns can cause anxiety and confusion, but resources are available to help you timely and accurately meet your filing requirements. Free filing and assistance are available through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs, Free File programs, Direct File, MilTax, and many private software companies. Taxpayers may also seek IRS assistance electronically using online accounts or in person at a Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC). Each method of assistance, as discussed below, has different qualifications and features and taxpayers should be comfortable with their choice.
Your tax return may show you’re due a refund from the IRS. However, if you owe a federal tax debt from a prior tax year, the IRS may keep (offset) some or all your tax refund to pay your debt.
