Oops! There’s a Mistake in My Taxes, How Do I Fix It? Amended Returns

Posted on: 05/3/11 762 Comments
When you have a tax "oops" you fix it by filing an Amended Tax Return, form 1040X.

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.

762 thoughts on “Oops! There’s a Mistake in My Taxes, How Do I Fix It? Amended Returns”

  1. Hi Jan,

    I’m in the process of filing my taxes. My in-laws live with me and I pay for more than half of their living expenses. I plan on claiming them as my dependents. The problem is, “someone” already claimed them. What can I do? Another question is, I am a teacher and want to know if I can I claim my cell phone and internet cost since I use them both for my work? I use my phone and internet at least 3 times a day to communicate with parents and find school related materials.

  2. Hi Ariana,
    usually if your name is wrong, the e-file is rejected and you simply fix the name and re-file. If the return got accepted–you should be fine.

  3. Stephen,
    It’s against the law to file your taxes without having your W2. I’d go to jail for that. Fortunately for you, you won’t have to deal with that. But–your refund will now be delayed. Is it because of the W2 though or could it be something else? Did you claim a child? You may have even bigger problems than your W2.

  6. Hi Helen,
    Probably nothing will happen. The big question is–you didn’t check that box–did you put any money into an IRA? If not, then it won’t have any affect on your tax return and no amendment would be necessary.

  7. Hello, I already filed my taxes and while I was going over them I noticed I forgot to check where it says my husband has a retirement plan. What do I do to fix this? Thank you

  8. Hi Dani,
    Go ahead and file your 2012 and mail in your 2011 amended return. I won’t hurt anything. Don’t worry about the state, you’re right, it won’t change anything.

  9. Hi Cassie,
    First, you weren’t denyed your refund this time–the return was just rejected and you fixed it. It won’t delay your refund at all.
    Now about last year–I’d bet you a nickel that it also got rejected with the wrong social at Jackson Hewitt, they got the reject, looked at your paperwork, saw the mistake, fixed it and never told you.
    But–I could be wrong. You’ll want to double check, just to be safe. You can request a transcript of your tax return from the IRS for free. You can order it online: : http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/

    That way you can look and see if it’s right. If it’s not, you’ll want to contact the IRS just to make sure everything is taken care of.

  10. Hi Sarah,
    If you put 10,000 miles for the mileage, you are asking to be audited. I’m assuming that you meant “about 10,000” miles. Using round numbers like 10,000 or 23,000 is asking for trouble.
    Amend your return and use the actual mileage that your husband did for work. Do not round the numbers to make it look nice. I charge a whole lot for audit work and round numbers on mileage is an audit trigger.

  13. Hi Kris,
    Sorry but you’ll note that the last one I answered was at 10pm. I need to sleep sometimes! 🙂

    Wait for your refund and amend.

  14. I did my income but they put my 2nd last name first and my 1st last name second would that be a problem with the irs.

  15. hi, I filed my tax return through taxact long before my w2 came using last check stub. my return was accepted but when I checked where’s refund the sie said IRS wanted more info and would mail something within 30 days. so now I have my w2 and the numbers are way of would that cause the IRS to require more info? and how do I go about fixing it

  16. Jan your Feedback is so important…….you skipped my question, it has been one of the roughest years for me & I’m trying to figure out what to do?

  17. Hello,

    I made a mistake and entered the wrong amount for my federal income tax witholding….What to do.

    IDK

  18. Hi Mariana,
    Something is strange. First, you should talk to your husband. Is he using your social security number for work? You’ll want some answers from him before you pursue any other answers.

  21. Hi Heather,
    You’ll have to call the IRS to find out what the code means. They’ve now made it illegal for me to check on people’s refunds. Not just you–I can’t even call about my own clients that I’ve prepared the returns for! It totally frosts my cookies (a much nicer phrase than my actual thoughts.)
    I just didn’t want you to think I was blowing you off. I really can’t follow up on that.

  22. Hi Heather,
    You’ll just have to wait and see what happens. The Where’s My Refund site has not been 100% reliable. You’ll know what happened soon enough.

  23. Hi Adam,
    for the $3 I wouldn’t bother. You’re right, it won’t change your tax return and it would be a bigger hassle for the IRS than not amending. You’re doing them a favor.

  24. I already filed taxes, but I forgot to check the box that said my husband has a retirement plan. What do I do? Will the IRS catch that mistake? Thanks in advance.

  25. Hi there.

    I received a 1099-R for .73. Yep, 73 cents. I have already filed my 2012 taxes.
    Do I need to send in an amended fed/state returns for this? I re-plugged in the numbers and it appears to have no effect on my return as I am getting a refund.

    Many thanks!

  26. While doing 2012 taxes, I saw that on my 2011 taxes I noted that my my last state estimated payment was sent in 12/12 rather than in 12/11 when I actually sent it. I went through and amended it on turbotax which resulted in me getting a further federal refund amount of $163, but state remains at 0.

    So a couple of questions: 1) do I export the amended info into my 2012 taxes, complete those and send them in BEFORE I send the amended federal/state ones in? Or do I send the amended in now, and finish up the 2012 with new or old info? 2) also, do i need to file the amendment with the state? It shows I receive or owe nothing more (though they did previously charge me a $2 penalty which isnt showing up on amended as a refund, but I dont care about.) Please, any help would be GREAT!

  27. I did my taxs in 2011 and Jackson Hewitt, which I didnt like. I have always went to H&R block. I brought my Jackson Hewitt paperwork with me. When we needed to fill in my sons SSN we took the number off my Jackson Hewitt taxs papers from 2011. Well I got a call from H&R block saying that my sons was being denyed. When looked into it we found that the number we had taken from 2011 taxs was wrong. So we fixed it and sent it back to the IRS, because they found the mistake this year will that mean I will get in trouble for my 2011 return since it was the wrong SSN. Also how much longer will it now take to get my refund since at first they denyed my son?

  28. I efiled last night and for whatever reason I started to second guess the mileage I put for my husbands work vehicle. After checking I found that I had claimed 23,000 instead of the correct 10,000 (looking at the wrong numbers, grrr). If I understand correctly I will need to file an amended return. We are getting a substantial refund, we will still get a refund after this is corrected. Should we wait until we get the refund before filing an amended return?

  29. Ok, so I filed my state tax returns and I forgot to change my exemptions from 0 to 1 exemption. I also didn’t put my property taxes that I payed in there. According to my e file, it didn’t say I was getting a refund or that i owed anything. So, what do I have to do to get my refund?

  30. I left off my unemployment when filing…..will the IRS catch the mistake or do I wait for my Refund & amend it?

  31. i just e-filed my taxes with turbo tax. and when i was reviewing the paperwork afterwards i realized that someone my name had been put on my husband W2 instead of his! he only has one W2 since he is currently serving in the army. so it appears as if all the W2s are under my name and he has none! i go to school so i know that because of my education deductions they IRS wont process our till mid february. what should i do?! im super worried

  32. Thx for the answer. My bank said I just need to send in proof of his name an address an they will deposit. Does he still need to contact the IRS?

  33. Hi,
    We did the efile already and noticed I forgot to add a DD in box 12. It doesn’t change any amounts do we still need to do a 1040X? and put an explanation of changes, as no figures change (I did a sample)
    thanks!!

  35. hi, i had made a previous post about how i had filed my unemployment under the wrong section. the way it was filed the only amount i was suppose to receive back for the refund is the EIC and the child care credit. i know i have to send it back if i get the return and amend it but my question is i have been looking at the irs website for the past week and it was saying my taxes have been accepted but now it says there is no info available and they have no received anything yet. did they find the mistake and fix it? how will they let me know if anything has been changed?since it was accepted can they still reject it?

  36. Hi!

    I recently completed my federal tax return and realized that I had entered the wrong amount for income earned from a 1099-INT form. I entered in $28 when I should have put $31. Is it worth filing an amended tax return? I don’t believe those $3 make any difference, and I owe the same amount even with the $3 calculated in.

    Thanks!

  37. Hi Kimberly,
    The important thing is–what the $876 is for. If you made a math mistake–then when you amend you will say you received a refund for 5247.

    If they took out the $876 because of some debt offset, when you amend you will say you received a refudn of $6123. Yes, you didn’t get 6123–but if it goes towards a debt, it counts as you getting the money. Get that?

    Then, when you prepare the return, it will show the additional amount you owe or the extra that you get back.

    But the key question here is why did the IRS take an extra $876? And you’ll find that out soon. Good luck.

  38. Ok thanks. Can you tell me what you think it would be though, math wise. I’m going a little crazy here, trying to take a nap and can’t because I can’t figure this out.

  41. I am confusing myself because this is how I am seeing it, let me tell you so you can see where I am twist tying stuff up.

    Ok so if I got my original refund of 5,000 and they took out the 876.20 I’m not going to exact it but I would have a refund of 4,000.

    If I am thinking correctly where I am telling myself that I need to pay back the overpayment and the debt owed of 876.20 I would only be looking at 3,000 in the bank so I am confused on what I am doing wrong here.

    Does me paying back the overpayment take care of the overpayment, and my debt owed or am I going crazy lol.

  42. Ok I have royally screwed myself lol and I think I am honestly confusing myself because I have a brain injury and I am not so good at doing math on my own anymore so I need help…………again.

    Ok so let me explain lol…………..

    My refund was for 6123.00 before we realized my husbands W2 was missing. After the W2 missing showed up and I enter the information my refund would be brought down to 5,000 dollars. Wowza I know 🙁 !! Ok so I realize obviously there is a negative here of 1,123.00 I got overpaid which I will be paying back.

    Here is where I am getting confused. IRS says that my refund was reduced (the original 6123 before amending) down to 5,234.80 (So they took out 876.20). I’m still not sure for what because i have to call tomorrow and find out but it says for Tax Topic 201 which is “the collection process” which I believe means I made an error in previous years on my taxes which it could be my fault or the military could have messed up my W2 not sure, at least it’s paid though.

    Ok so with the incorrect refund of 6123 being corrected after I pay back the 1,123.00 it brings it to the correct refund I should have gotten of 5,000, then do I still need to calculate in the 876.20 to also pay back? Or did that just work itself out somehow by me paying back what I was overpaid?

    If i do need to include the 876.20 into it to pay back this amount they reduced from my incorrect refund how do I go about that, will there be a section in the amended form for this, or should I go down to the IRS tax center and get some professional help?

    Thanks for all your help!

  44. Hi Kimberly,
    You will be fine!
    KIMBERLY YOU WILL BE FINE!

    I wanted to make sure you saw that. You made an honest mistake. It happens. You’re going to fix it as soon as you get your refund. It will not go on your permanent record. (I sound like an old school teacher don’t I? “Your permanent record!”

    It’s all good.

  45. Hi my name is Kimberly and I am hoping by posting here I can get a little reassurance and not be freaking out so much. So I filed jointly with my husband. We just returned home from the military (I served) and I had totally forgotten about a job he had for 3 months in the very beginning of the year, until it came in the mail today and the job made him just over 6,000 and he did claim zero so that is good but the overpayment we received was about 1,000 which I plan to pay back. My refund has already been approved and is supposed to be direct deposited on the 6th of February. I realize i need to file an amended return which is fine, my worry is because with this W2 it puts us over the income threshold for the EIC. Before this W2 came we were under and receive the EIC because of our child and I know that they say that if you mess up and get the EIC when you are not eligible you won’t receive it for 2-10 years after that……..is this only for people that fraudulently claim EIC like people claiming kids that aren’t theirs, or could it be for anyone that makes a mistake and gets the EIC when they aren’t supposed to. I already have the money set aside to pay back my overpayment of refund which is about 1,000 the exact amount I got from the EIC and plan to put the amended return in the mail as soon as the refund comes in so that I won’t send it too early and get things confused. Should I be worried, or because I did not intentionally do this everything will be fine? Thank you.

  46. I have all ready been accepted from the irs. Will this hold my refund? so should I start amending now

  48. Hi Ava,
    Usually a tax preparer is supposed to look at the W2s. He should amend your return for free. He’s required by law to keep the 8879 and a copy of the W2–it’s your proof that he made the mistake.

    Of course, if he charges you to fix his mistake, I expect to see you in my office next year at tax time. 🙂

  49. @ Mary,
    yes, you’ll get your refund. Then amend with the social security information and payback whatever you need to send. Do it before April 15th and it won’t even be on your record as ever being wrong.

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