When you have a tax “oops” you fix it by filing an Amended Tax Return, form 1040X.
Mistakes happen. You file your return and later get a W2 in the mail for a job you had forgotten about. Maybe your investment firm sent you an amended 1099 because your interest income they reported was wrong. Or maybe you were talking to a friend and learned about a deduction that you should have been claiming for the past three years and you’d like a refund. What do you do?
It’s easy, you need to file an amended return, the form is called a 1040X and you can find it on the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040x.pdf.
An amended return can’t be filed electronically like a regular return. You must mail it in and it’s going to take about 12 weeks to process. That’s a bummer if you’re expecting a refund, but that’s the way it works. If your regular return had a refund, make sure you wait until you’ve received the first refund before you file the amended return. (If they start processing the amended return before your original refund gets paid, it can mess up you getting the original refund. You don’t want that to happen now do you?)
If you have more than one tax return that needs to be amended, you must file separate returns for each year and mail them in separate envelopes. For example, say you found out that you had missed a $1000 deduction on your Schedule A every year and you’re in the 25% tax bracket. You can’t just put $3000 on this year’s return for a $750 refund. You’ll have to amend 2010, 2009, and 2008 separately and you’ll receive three checks for $250 each. It’s too late now to claim a refund that should have gone on 2007.
When you amend your tax return, you’ll have to send in the schedules of anything that changed. In the example above, the thing that changed was on the schedule A, so that form would also have to be attached. Don’t attach any forms that didn’t change. Warning: for many folks, a change in one part of your tax return can cause a change somewhere else-most notably on your schedule A. Before you actually mail anything in, go over it carefully to see if you have any unexpected changes.
When you file a 1040X, make sure you check the box for the tax year that you’re amending. That’s a pretty common mistake. The IRS can’t process the return if they don’t know what year it’s for.
When not to file an amended return: You don’t need to file an amended return for a basic math mistake. The IRS will automatically fix that for you. You also don’t need to file an amended return if your original was missing a schedule. That’s where you get a letter from the IRS saying that you claimed something on your return but that you’re missing the supporting documents. A common example of that would be a capital gain of $2000 on your return, but there’s no schedule D to back it up. You don’t need to amend the return, just mail them the schedule D. The IRS will ask you for whatever schedule they’re looking for, you won’t have to guess at what’s missing.
I’ve talked a lot about filing an amended return because of a refund. Sometimes when you file an amended return you’re going to owe. If you have a balance due, mail the payment check with your 1040X. The IRS will probably send you a bill for interest and maybe even penalties depending upon how much you owed. Be prepared for that.
Often times, people are thinking about filing amended returns because they received an IRS letter. Sometimes, you don’t need to amend, just pay the tax. Sometimes, you really need to amend because you shouldn’t have to pay the tax but you need to submit more information. Sometimes, you don’t need to amend and you don’t need to pay the tax—the IRS made a mistake and they just need to have it pointed out to them. Before you start writing that check, get a professional opinion–you want to pay your fair share, not more than you owe.
Hey Ashley,
Really? Samuel vs. Sameul and they won’t cash the check, but everything else is right? Geez! My mortgage payment somehow got messed up in the mail, went to a different company, and they cashed my mortgage check and nobody blinked! (And it was a nightmare to fix too.)
Sorry, off topic there. Anyway. Samuel is going to have to contact the IRS and explain the situation. There’s a whole process to go through and he’ll need to follow their exact instructions. It’s going to take awhile to sort though the mess. You won’t be able to call for him–they’re going to want to prove his identity and all that–they’ve been dealing with a lot of fraud so let him know he’s going to have to jump through some hoops.
Also–I’m not understanding why your bank is blocking your account. You’ll have to talk to them. Sorry.
Hi Trent,
Your employer can’t add income from a previous year to this year’s W2. That would really be “hanky panky.” He’ll have to amend last year’s W2 and you’ll have to amend last year’s tax return. Sorry.
Forgot. I forgot also add line 12 for the 401k
I have filed my taxes and was accepted. I made an error and their is a little over 200 dollar difference from our box1 on w2 and what we entered on our return. This was a 401k pretax. Will my return be rejected? Also when should I amend my return.
I went and had my return filed yesterday and noticed today that a big mistake was made. Normally i file my own taxes online using hr block, but because alot of changes have been made with filing taxes this year i decided to let someone do it for me. The problem is i had my old w2 with me from 2011 along with the new one from 2012 and the 2011 w2 was filed instead of the 2012 w2. I handed him the wrong w2 by accident. I was surprised that it took me to catch it and not him but it was an honest mistake. I called to let him know and he told me that it was already accepted. What do i do now?
I filed my taxes on tubo tax and then received a 1099 from ss. I need to amend my return but it has already been accepted. Will I get the refund and then be able to pay the owed tax for ss
Also bc of the misspelling of his name my bank has blocked my acct an I have no access to my refund that went thru ok. They say its nothin I can do.
I filed my boyfriends taxes thru Taxslayer and I misspelled his first name. I put Sameul and it should be Samuel and the Irs put the wrong spelling on the check. Everything else is correct and my bank won’t deposit it in our acct bc it don’t match his name on the acct. What do I do?
thank you for replying so fast. the amount is with the EIC . since they have accepted the forms could they still catch it before i receive my refund? do you think i will receive the refund it says or will they change it to the correct amount before i amend it? i am getting my forms together so i can as son as i would receive it. what should i do if i dont receive it when im suppose to get it by? should i call them and see if they changed it? thank you for answering you are very helpful!
Hi Mindy,
Before you try to send a bunch of money back, do this: check to see where you are putting the W2s. Did you prepare them using the information in the 941 forms? Or did they automatically just generate? If your program switched to the 2013 rates–then the social security is all off. (I know, I ran some W2s through the wrong year and went —Oopies!) So–first job is to make sure what printed in the W2s is what was paid.
I’m guessing that’s what happened. But, if you have overwithheld the social security– you should request the abatement from the IRS and then refund the money to the employees.
Hi Jacquie,
In your case, I wouldn’t bother. It’s less than $50 and its more hassle to the IRS than if you didn’t amend.
Chelsie,
Do not mail your 1040X until you receive your refund. Then send it. The IRS wil send you the difference.
About your state–you don’t have to pay until April 15th. Once again, wait for the state return to process (a good guide will be when you get your IRS refund.) Then file your amended state return and send the check you owe then. No need to send in a check now and wait for them to refund your own money.
Hi Janna,
If you took money from your Roth IRA contributions, you probably won’t owe any tax on that–so it shouldn’t affect your refund. You should be okay.
Hi Heather,
Putting the unemployment on the wage line won’t really change the total tax amount unless you’re getting EIC. If you’re getting EIC–then that would change your refund.
Bottom line, you’ll want to amend either way, but the EIC will be the money issue. Prepare your amendment and have it ready to send in as soon as you get your refund. If you owe money back, pay it right away.
Is it possible that an employer can amend the current 2012 W2 by adding “income” from previous years or must they amend the previous year’s W2s? In other words, is the W2 ONLY to show what was actually PAID in that calendar year? There is some hanky-panky going on with a previous employer!
Thanks!
Hi Kirk,
Fix your federal but file the state correctly. (Why amend twice?)
Hi Marcia,
Yes I have seen it happen before. I don’t know how but sometimes they get through. Make a note of it in the file–if his return gets rejected next year then you’ll have to spell the name wrong again.
Hi Justin,
You should have no problem receiving your refund. Do send the IRS a change of address to correct the one on your return.
Hi, Jan! I have a question as an employer. I recently handed out our employees’ W-2s and today got a phone call from one of them saying that we withheld too much Social Security tax. I use a computer program that does regular updates and am not sure how the tax tables (if that’s even the problem) ended up being wrong. All of our payroll is done through the program and we haven’t had a problem before. After checking the other employees’ W-2s, I can see that they are all incorrect…withholding for SS is too high on everyone’s. I have no idea how to fix the problem and get the employees’ money back for them and the money back for the company match. It’s thousands of dollars both ways. Any information you can share would be great! Thanks!
Hey Kayla,
The incorrect W2 probably won’t interefere with your refund. Your company should issue you a corrected W2–and you should file and amended return–but you should be fine for now.
Hey Jessica and Kris–
Just file amended returns after you get your refunds.
Jean,
Sounds like you didn’t update the software before filing. I think you should file an amendment as soon as possible. I wouldn’t trust the IRS to fix it for you, but it might be worth a phone call to them before you amend to see if they will automatically fix it.
Carrie,
Your tax return will probably be rejected. When that happens, just refile using your maiden name. After you get your refund, then change your name with social security. It takes a few weeks for it all to settle out so get your refund before changing your name if you don’t want to wait too long.
I filed my return yesterday & I realized I need to amend it to include some deductions I completely forgot about. I efiled & have a return coming direct deposit already. But with my 1040x I should get back a bigger refund. Should I wait until I get my original refund, then mail the 1040x? Will the IRS send the difference?
Also, I owe state a lot less on my 1040x, when I mail my state payment in, do I include my original & my amended return so they know why I am paying them the lesser amount?
Not sure if this posted the first time? Lol
I just sent in both my federal and state (CA) tax returns and am expecting a refund for both. The next day I received a W-2 for a job I only worked at for a day for $21. I recalculated my tax refund and nothing has changed. Do I still need to file amended returns for state and fed for accuracy even if the refund amounts are the same?
I filed my return yesterday & I realized I need to amend it to include some deductions I completely forgot about. I efiled & have a return coming direct deposit already. But with my 1040x I should get back a bigger refund. Should I wait until I get my original refund, then mail the 1040x? Will the IRS send the difference?
Also, I owe state a lot less on my 1040x, when I mail my state payment in, do I include my original & my amended return so they know why I am paying them the lesser amount?
So I did our taxes and forgot about our 1099r which came in the mail yesterday. We took money out of our Roth IRA but only took out contributions we have made and financial advisor said we would have to pay no penalties on that money. if I add 1099 without saying they are contributions it would make our tax return go down to almost half of what we are owed, will the IRS make the changes themselves and then will we have to amend the return to get the difference or will we get the refund we are expecting and have to send amended return to make sure they know?? Or do you think they will reject altogether?? A little nervous about the whole thing…should of waited a bit longer but we really need this refund!
hi, i had a question. i filed my taxes yesterday through turbotax and i accidently put my wages for unemployment in the regular wage section and not the unemployment section. when i went back to review everything after i already sent it through i noticed what i did. it was the first time i filed by myself and the first time i had to file with unemployment. i got an email saying the irs accepted my forms. im suppose to get roughly 5000 back in the refund but i think thats wrong. what is going to happen? should i amend it? am i going to get the refund since it was accepted still within the 21 days they said i should receive it by or will they automatically fix it even though it was accepted and make the refund the right amount? i know if i have to amend it then i dont send it in till after i receive the refund. i dont know what is going to happen.
I made a mistake on my filed federal return (i failed to add an additional 1098) but have not filed my state return yet. Do i need to file my state first, get both refunds, then file a 1040x on both?
A friend asked me to do his return for him on tax act because he is not very comfortable with computers. I didn’t realize, and he didn’t notice until after the return was e-filed, that I had mis-spelled the last name for him and his children. I thought for sure it would be rejected and I would correct it then, but the message on tax act says that his return was accepted by the IRS. I’m not sure what to do at this point? He has a refund coming and he and his family really need this money. I feel bad for the mistake and I’m afraid this is going to hold his refund up. I was very surprised the IRS did not reject it? Have you seen this happen before?
Hi Audrey,
I’d think that the return would get rejected first. See what happens. If you don’t get the refund you’re expecting, then file an amendment–but wait for the refund first.
I have just e-filed my tax return today. I didn’t realize until afterwards that the address I had entered was wrong. A slight typo in changing one of the numbers in the address. I had requested direct deposit (the info there was correct). I was wondering whether or not I needed to amend my tax return? If not, what should I do instead?
I’ve already E-Filed my Taxes & forgot a W-2 & also the income for that W-2…….What should I do? Will that mess up or delay my Refund? Thank You!
Wow, your article – and the answers to the questions – are really helpful! So generous of you to take the to respond.
Yesterday I filed our taxes (via H&R Block online). Today (of course!) I found out that my firm’s accountant made a mistake on my W-2 – my earnings are off by about $600 (I work part time, so ultimately it probably won’t make a difference in the amount we owe). We are expecting a rather significant refund. Will the incorrect W-2 delay our refund? Am I reading correctly that I should wait to file the amended return AFTER I receive the refund – and does the amended return have to be filed before April 15?
I assume I need to do the same thing for my state (GA) return – wait until I receive that refund, then amend.
Thank you again!
Hey Jan, I filed my taxes, I totally forgot to add a W2 that I just received in the mail?? Oh oh I’m worried what should I do??
Hello, I e-filed yesterday with TaxACT and after filing I realized that there’s an Alternative Minimum Tax due of $1906 but that the form indicates only an exemption in the amount of $55032 for married filing jointly — shouldn’t the exemption amount be $78750? I’ve input our information using online tax calculators and all have indicated that NO Alt Min. Tax is due and thus the amount I owe on Federal Tax is $1050 less (and I’m assuming that will affect my state return as well) If TaxACT made a mistake, will the IRS find that mistake later on or should we file an amended return with another provider ie. H&R Block or Turbo Tax…or better yet, should we go see a tax preparer in person and file amended? Currently, we have it set to pay both the IRS and State returns from our savings account on 4/15/2013. Trying to figure out if we amend or wait until the mistake is found by IRS. Thanks!
Hi there. I got divorced in December 2011 and I forgot to change my social security card back to my maiden name. I just filed my federal income taxes online using my maiden name (which is what is shown on my W-2). How will/could this affect the acceptance of my return and/or my refund? I thank you in advance for any advice on this matter 🙂
Hi Ken,
Don’t do an amendment, file a change of address card. http://www.irs.gov/uac/Moving-Soon%3F-Let-the-IRS-Know!
Hi Amanda,
The W2 has $5000 of income and the federal withholding is off by $2000? Wow. Do try to get the corrected W2 from your employer.
If you can’t, you’ll have to wait until February 15th then call the IRS and issue a complaint. Here’s more information about what to do: http://www.irs.gov/Help-&-Resources/Tools-&-FAQs/FAQs-for-Individuals/Frequently-Asked-Tax-Questions-&-Answers/IRS-Procedures/W-2—Additional,-Incorrect,-Lost,-Non-receipt,-Omitted/W-2—Additional,-Incorrect,-Lost,-Non-receipt,-Omitted-2
Hi Sanjuana,
When you e-file you can’t sign the actual return. You sign the 8879 and you keep that so there’s no problem. You’re okay.
I e-filed today. Then I saw it – On the Earned Income Credit – I did not check Line 4a.
Am I going to have to file an amended return?
Hello;
I made a mistake on an amended return, the PO Box in the address is wrong. Do I file another amendment to fix this or can I call the IRS? Thank you.
Hi John,
You don’t have to be separated to file married filing separately. That’s a piece of hogwash!
Now, you must be separated for the last six months of the year for your wife to claim head of household AND she must also have children living with her.
But I don’t recommend that. If you are together–you may wish to file jointly. You can do that with an amended return. Wait until you receive your refund first.
If you are going to file jointly–don’t have her file separately first–it’s much easier to add her to your return than to amend two MFS returns.
Just a quick question. My boyfriend got his last w2 in the mail last week and when we went to file the company was off of their federal withholding by at least 2000. He keeps contacting them and no one will return his calls or answer the phone. He made less than 5000 on this return as it was a short lived jobl , but I do remember then taxing him every two weeks for about 250 bucks. What should he do?
Hi Morgan,
I’m sorry about your father.
Okay about the taxes–
1. the Turbo tax insurance covers their mistakes–not if your Dad left something off the return. I’m not sure but I don’t think it covers amended returns either (but I don’t know that as fact.)
2. That said, you might get the Turbo Tax person to help with this.
Is your Dad older? Usually, with older people, the most common IRS letter like this is for an unreported stock transaction and they usually don’t owe what the IRS says they owe. (The IRS doesn’t account for basis–I’m speaking Greek, right? But that’s really important if I’m right.)
Your best bet is to call the IRS and talk to them. If he received the notice in January of 2013–then they might not even have the letter yet. Or if they have it, it’s not processed. You might even want to go to your local IRS office and talk to someone in person. Most of them don’t have horns on their head and some of them can even be quite nice and helpful.
But–do make sure you understand what the $9000 is about. I’m guessing (GUESSING-because I don’t know what’s on the return) this it’s unrelated to the $353 mistake.)
Hi Lindsay,
Most likely you don’t have to amend, the IRS already figured the tax for you so just pay it. The only thing to make you amend would be if there was something that would make the amount you owe lower.
Usually with a 1099 form for unemployment–there’s nothing else there so just pay.
Hi I e-filed my taxes but when I saw the finished product I noticed the signature box was empty..will the IRS reject it..I’m soo worried what do I do?
Hi Brandy,
You’ll want to check with Turbo Tax, but if the first return was already sent, then your second return will be rejected.
Call the Turbo Tax people though as it’s in their system.
Hi Angie,
You won’t be getting a refund because your return says that you owe $1400. The first refunds should be out by February 21st. Wait until then and then file your amended return.
Hi Lauren,
Don’t panic, at least you know you messed up. (It’s the folks who don’t realize they messed up that get into trouble.)
You’ll probably get your refund because I doubt the IRS would catch the mistake that fast. When you do, file an amended return and mail the IRS a check right away. No harm, no foul. It won’t go on your “permanent record” because you’re going to fix it before April 15th.
Do not lose sleep over this. You’re okay.