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US tax forms, decoded
Pick the form number from your document. Each guide explains what the important boxes mean, where the amounts flow on your return, and which calculator to use next.
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Search by form number, box, tuition, unemployment, gig payments, retirement distributions, Marketplace coverage, and more.
Open the tax form finder →Form set 1
Income documents
Start with the statement you received from an employer, client, retirement plan, or the Social Security Administration.
Wage and Tax Statement
Understand wages, federal withholding, FICA wages, benefits, and the most-used Box 12 codes.
Read the W-2 box guide
Nonemployee Compensation
Trace contractor income and backup withholding from each box to Schedule C and Form 1040.
Read the 1099-NEC box guide
Retirement Distributions
Check the taxable amount, federal withholding, distribution code, rollover, QCD, and penalty treatment.
Open the 1099-R guide
Social Security Benefit Statement
Find benefits paid, repayments, net benefits, and voluntary federal withholding before using the taxability worksheet.
Open the SSA-1099 guide
Form set 2
Prepare and adjust your return
Use these tools when you are assembling Form 1040, comparing deductions, extending the filing deadline, or correcting a filed return.
Individual Income Tax Return
Estimate a refund or balance due and inspect the Form 1040 lines behind the result.
Build a Form 1040 estimate
Itemized Deductions
Work through medical expenses, state and local taxes, mortgage interest, gifts to charity, and other itemized deductions.
Open the Schedule A worksheet
Extension of Time to File
Estimate the payment to make with an extension and compare filing and payment timing.
Plan a filing extension
Amended Individual Return
Estimate the refund or additional tax from changing income, deductions, credits, or payments on a filed return.
Estimate an amended return
Form set 3
Investments and capital gains
Move from interest, dividend, and broker statements into the schedules that reconcile investment income and capital-asset sales.
Interest Income
Separate taxable, Treasury, and tax-exempt interest, then check withholding, bond premium, and foreign-tax fields.
Read the 1099-INT guide
Dividends and Distributions
Trace ordinary and qualified dividends, capital gain distributions, return of capital, and foreign tax.
Read the 1099-DIV guide
Broker Transactions
Reconcile proceeds, basis, holding period, adjustments, and federal withholding for reported sales.
Decode Form 1099-B
Digital Asset Proceeds
Reconcile reported digital-asset proceeds, basis, holding period, wash-sale information, and federal withholding.
Decode Form 1099-DA
Capital Asset Sales
Group transactions by IRS category, enter adjustments, and calculate short- and long-term subtotals.
Open the Form 8949 worksheet
Capital Gains and Losses
Combine Form 8949 subtotals, capital gain distributions, carryovers, and other capital items.
Follow the Schedule D flow
Form set 4
IRA and retirement account forms
Preserve after-tax IRA basis, reconcile custodian information, and handle additional taxes or exceptions.
Nondeductible IRAs
Track traditional IRA basis, Roth conversions, and the taxable share of applicable IRA distributions.
Open the Form 8606 guide
IRA Contribution Information
Reconcile contributions, rollovers, conversions, fair market value, and RMD information.
Read the Form 5498 guide
Additional Taxes on Tax-Favored Accounts
Find the correct part for early distributions, excess contributions, missed RMDs, and exceptions.
Check the Form 5329 flow
Form set 5
Marketplace health coverage
Reconcile Marketplace policy data and advance Premium Tax Credit payments with the federal tax return.
Health Insurance Marketplace Statement
Check covered individuals, monthly premiums, benchmark premiums, and advance credit payments.
Read the Form 1095-A guide
Premium Tax Credit
Calculate the Premium Tax Credit and reconcile it with advance payments made to the insurer.
Follow the Form 8962 guide
Form set 6
Withholding and special filings
Use these when you need to change federal withholding or check whether a transaction creates a separate filing requirement.
Employee Withholding Certificate
Translate income, dependents, deductions, and other jobs into a practical federal withholding setup.
Follow the W-4 step guide
Voluntary Withholding Request
Compare the permitted federal withholding rates for Social Security benefit payments.
Compare W-4V rates
United States Gift Tax Return
Check common annual-exclusion, gift-splitting, direct tuition or medical payment, and 529 election situations.
Open the Form 709 guide
Estimated Tax for Individuals
Size quarterly payments using projected income, withholding, credits, and safe-harbor rules.
Calculate estimated payments
Not sure what you need?
This directory helps you interpret common individual tax documents and choose a planning tool. For an official blank form, filing instructions, prior-year revision, or business return, use the IRS forms search.
Search official IRS forms and instructions →Frequently asked questions
How do I know which tax form guide to open?
Match the form number printed on the document you received — W-2, 1099-NEC, 1099-R, 1098, and so on — to the guide with the same number. If you're not sure what form you have or only know the payment type (like unemployment or gig income), use the tax form finder above to search by description instead of form number.
What's the difference between an information return and a return I file?
Forms like W-2, 1099s, and 1098 are information returns — a payer sends them to you and to the IRS to report income or payments, but you don't submit them yourself in most e-filed returns. Form 1040 (and its schedules, plus forms like 4868 for an extension or 1040-X to amend) is the return you actually file, built from the amounts reported on your information returns.
I lost a form or never received one — what do I do?
Contact the issuer first; payers are required to furnish most information returns by specific IRS deadlines and can usually reissue a copy. If a form still doesn't arrive in time to file, you can often use your own records (a final pay stub, brokerage statement, or bank record) to estimate the amounts, then correct the return later with Form 1040-X once the actual form arrives.
Do all these forms need to be attached to my tax return?
Generally no if you e-file — the IRS already has a matching copy from the payer. If you file on paper, the Form 1040 instructions specify which forms with federal withholding need to be physically attached; forms without any withholding usually don't need to be attached even on paper.
Which guide should I use to actually prepare my return?
Use the Form 1040, Schedule A, and related preparation guides once you've gathered every income document — they explain how the boxes from your W-2s, 1099s, and 1098s flow onto the return itself. Preparation-stage tools like the extension planner (Form 4868) and amended return calculator (Form 1040-X) apply once the original return is filed or if you're requesting more time.