Is there any difference between IRS form 1040,1040A,1040X?

Please be nice, I'm new at filing my own taxes.

Public Comments

1. Yes, there are differences. The 1040X is probably not what you are looking for right now. The 1040X is used to amend a tax return, because something has changed since the original return was filed. (I.E. Say you did your 2008 taxes on Feb 2nd, and got your money Feb 24th. In March you got a W-2 in the mail, from a job you worked at for a week, so you did not think about it back in Feb. You would have to file a 1040X to show the IRS what the first tax return on Feb 2nd had, show the new income from the W-2 and show what your corrected figures are.) The 1040EZ, 1040A, and 1040 (so called long form) are all different. Depending on what type of income and expenses you have, you use a specific form. For example if it is just you and 1 W-2, where you made less than $100,000, you most likely could file a 1040EZ form. Or if you are a teacher with one W-2, but you had to spend money to by things for the classroom, you might be able to use the 1040A. If you own a home and are paying mortgage interest and real estate taxes, you would need to file the 1040 to claim those types of expenses. Here is a short list from the IRS website that talks about which form to use: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc352.html I hope this helps, Shannon C