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.
My company issued a corrected W2 form so I have to complete a 1040x form. I know that I will have to include a copy of the corrected W2; but should I include my wife’s original and unchanged w2 too (we file jointly)?
Also, ate there other forms that I should include in my amended return?
I had my 2012 taxes done and filed by a tax preparer. Due to the delay with the form 8863 they efiled it without it and said we would just ammend it. So i received my refund and went in and the prepared my ammendment and printed and had ke sign and told me to mail it in. They said i do not need to attach the form 8863 with it because the irs will see it in the companys tax software is that correct?
Hi,
I want to ammend my filing my wife and I always file married but filing seperate. But going over the papperwork I saw my wife put down single. I always file the return but this time I was not around. We just did it 2 weeks ago when can I ammend it so I won’t be audited.
Thank you
could you please answer my question if possible:
Hello Jan,
I need to amend my 2010 tax return. When I submitted my return I owed the irs 2800 dollars and I paid them right away. I want to amend them because I forgot to include a dependent. The only thing is that this dependent has an ITIN, not a SS#. If I amend my taxes would I get money back if I include him as a dependent even though he has an ITIN? Also, do you think I could amend my taxes using turbotax (on my own) even though my taxes were done by a tax preparer and they efiled them but I have no idea what kind of softwarre they used?
thanks for your time and for all the help you provide
Hi Jan,
I decided to do my own taxes this year and it went pretty good usind tax act.When I looked back over my 2011 return I notice my accountant comepletely forgot to list my real estate taxes paid on my schedule A of my 1040.
I have completed a 1040x but I am not sure what forms I need to mail with it.
I know I need to include the corrected schedule A.Do I need to include w2’s or any coppies of the original 1040?
Thanks for your help.
Hi I filed my return on jan 30th and it got accepted I got a letter from the IRS stating they are processing my return and it can take 60days for me to recieve my return and there verifying information so I took all my information into H&R block personally and they said my wages and federal were inputted incorrectly. My wages were more and my federal with holdings were more .. I asked her what I should so she amended the return for me but I havent recieved any money yet ..the onlt credits I have is for my daughter. But one of my friends did my taxes for me but they were obviously wrong. Am I able to send in the amended return even though the irs are still processing my return? Im upset because my friend put in the wrong information and I dont want this to look bad on me like I did that. What should u do? My ameneded return came out to be about 1200 less then my original return . Do I need to call the irs and let them know im amending the return or can I jus mail it in myself ?
Hi Mary,
So you lied on your tax return and got caught, is that correct? Sorry for being so blunt but most people know the difference between son and nephew. You signed the return, you saw the paperwork. Blaming it on your HR Block person isn’t going to fly with the IRS too well–they’ve heard that one before.
Here’s the thing, if you file an amended return before April 15th, normally you won’t have that on your record. But–you already got caught. Admit it and pay up, that’s your best shot, unless you really are entitled to claim your “nephew” but I’m guessing that you’re not–otherwise you could prove it.
Adam,
Wait. After you get your refund, mail the IRS what they are due with your amended return.
Hi Audra,
I don’t know. It could be nothing. The IRS says that you should expect your refund to take up to 21 days.
Hi Kristi,
yes, technically yous should split your last year’s refund and claim it as income on this year’s taxes–because you itemized. If you hadn’t of itemized, then the refund would not be taxable. Sorry.
Hi Toby,
If there’s a mistake on your W2, you’ll have to go to your boss to fix it. I can’t help you there. Sorry.
Hey there! I efiled my tax return online thinking I was being claimed as a dependent. However I found out after the filing that I am an independent, and also missed out on a credit due to me for being an independent that paid for college. Orignially I was supposed to pay 1100 on april 15th via a withdrawel from my bank account, but my amended tax return form has me recieving a tax refund of 1704. Will I still have to pay the 1100 on april 15th if it takes them that long to process my amended 1040x?
Hi Jan – Yes, I also messed up – I e-filed my return last week and received a 1099-div in the mail today. However, when I make the changes to my 1040, the amount of my refund does not change. Do I still need to file a 1040X? Thanks for your help.
And i did get a refund for 600 but H&R block took 300 of it but my original refund was suppose to be 6139 this is the first time this ever happened to me
Hi i filed my taxes with h&r block this year n the lady made a mistake n put him as my son can this be fixed n will i be in alot of trouble n do this means i wont get a refund at all?? I did get audited but i dont really have any proof saying i took care of my nephew besides my sister consent help please im so worried!
Hey Jan,
Yesterday I received an email that my tax return had finally been processed. However, I realized after I filed that I had factored in a deduction I may not be eligible for. As a result, I amended my return through H&R Block’s site. The site says that I am now due $358 but the amended return says I owe the IRS $445. When you add the two figures together, you get the original amount that I was due. I have not sent in the amended paperwork yet. Will the IRS still continue to process the original amount and then expect me to send a check back to them with the difference? Will they just take the money straight from the return? What should I do at this point?
Hey Tracy,
Did your daughter ever get her refund? If the social security number was wrong it should have rejected. I’d call the IRS on this before filing any kind of an amendment.
Hi Kendra,
You will have to amend your return. I don’t know how much you’ll have to give back, it depends upon what your numbers are.
Hi Juan,
Your tax return should be rejected if it has the wrong social security number on it. Call your tax person and have him correct the mistake and resend the return.
Hi jan, I filed my taxes feb.4th with hrblock and have been checking my refund status at irs.gov since the 5th…it said they received my return and they were processing it the 6th..as of lastnight tho they no longer have any information regarding my return but hrblock says irs is processing it and everyone else I know tht has filed after has been getting an expected date to receive their refund. What’s going on?
Hello Jan,
I need to amend my 2010 tax return. When I submitted my return I owed the irs 2800 dollars and I paid them right away. I want to amend them because I forgot to include a dependent. The only thing is that this dependent has an ITIN, not a SS#. If I amend my taxes would I get money back if I include him as a dependent even though he has an ITIN? Also, do you think I could amend my taxes using turbotax (on my own) even though my taxes were done by a tax preparer and they efiled them but I have no idea what kind of softwarre they used?
thanks for your time and for all the help you provide.
Hi there. I got a divorce halfway through the year. We itemized last years returns and recieved a state refund back. He was told that we needed to split that as it’s taxable this year on our federal filing this year. I did not do this! I filed with the standard deduction. Is this something I need to ammend?? 🙁
Hi my me is Toby I been working for this company for about 7 months when I fist started my boss was taking out taxes the about 3 or 4 months ago he switch to paychex so the started it. Well I have my w2 form and it shows how much I made but it only shows how much taxes have been taken out since my boss switched to paychex I just wanted to know how to fix it and how long will it take..? Please
Hi Jan, Last year we had someone do our daughters taxes and never noticed that her Social Security Number was wrong ..I’m doing them this year luckily she noticed the wrong SSN and we hadn’t file yet..yeah!! Here’s the problem I’m sending an Amendment form for last year for Federal & State do I need to 1.fill out the forms or can I just state the problem ??(Like I said just wrong SSN no calculation errors) The Federal form was an easy one but state wasn’t really clear ? 2. Does my daughter need to sign each of the amendment forms. Thanks for you help!!!!
I was told that I wouldn’t be getting a 1098-t form for 2012 because box 7 on my 2011 was checked and it included information for the spring semester (2012). I filed my taxes accordingly, but I received a 1098-t anyways for 2012 that showed more scholarship money that before. So basically I was awarded an education deduction that I’m not technically qualified for. Will the irs reject my refund or will I have to make an amendment? Also, how and when will I know how much I will have to give back?
Hey Christina,
A schedule C is part of your 1040. Sounds like you’ll still need to amend though. You don’t need to wait 60 days, just until your return has been processed. If you’ve got your refund, you’re okay to amend.
Hi Melanie,
You will need to amend your tax return. Don’t spend the extra money. Just send it back with your amendment.
Hi Mike,
If your return gets rejected, you just have to fix it and refile. It’s pretty easy. You should know within 24 hours after submitting. Maybe even faster.
Hi Maria,
I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask the lady who filed your return. I would think the IRS wouldn’t have accepted your return with the wrong spelling–but sometimes mistakes get through.
Hi Roscoe,
I suspect you’ll get a notice from the IRS about the mistake and then you’ll have to submit the corrected forms. I’d wait a few weeks to see what happens.
Hey Katelyn,
As I understand it, if you already submitted the return, even though the IRS isn’t accepting, it’s too late to get it back. You will have to amend.
Hi Tequila,
If you’ve already received your refund, it’s too late to change which account it goes into. (Even if you’re split the refund.)
Hi Kevin,
that’s funny you filed with H&R Block because it’s illegal for professional preparers to file a tax return without an actual W2. I’m guessing that you must have used the H&R Block software on your own.
It’s quite possible that your return will be rejected–which in your case is probably a good thing–then you just fix it and refile. It only takes a few minutes for you to fix it.
also they sent a letter saying I am up for review
hi Jan this year was my first time doing my own taxes an i mistakenly filed a 1040 instead of a schedule c for my return tried to call the IRS and tell them an they started the 21 day speech an no info was to be given until then so now what do i do my income was correct and my children are mine filed this way for 3 years since i started my business is this something they will correct for me or do i have to wait 60 days an then amend my return?
hi i had already filed my return and it was exepted. then got 1099r . will this hold up my refund? because with the 1099 it takes my refund down like 2000, really need this refund right now.
HI,
I forgot to change my wife’s last name on the taxes this year, will it be ejected? what will happen?
My tax person just got done doing my tax. Its been a few days now and i just notice that ss# is placed in the wrong place. My ss# is ### 87 #### but he has it as ### 78 #### . Do you think i will still get my refund or how can i fix it. Thank you for yourtime.
Hello I filed my income a week ago and I noticed today that the lady misspelled my daughters name. Its yerusalem and she put yerusalum.so I called and she said she would fix it. Does this mean I’m gonna wait even longer for my refund and shouldn’t she have contacted me earlier to tell me it was rejected or did it go thru like that.sorry just wanna know. Thanks in advance
I’m on the board of a local 501c3 non-profit, and I filed 990-EZ for the organization. The return included Schedules A & O and form 4562. On the 990-EZ, I entered an incorrect EIN (entered 56-xxxxxxx, should have been 52-xxxxxxx). All the schedules and 4562 had the correct number. No taxes or refunds were due. The return was mailed, not efiled. Should I do an amended 990-EZ, and if so, when? Thanks
Hello! I submitted my taxes for this year already using the free HR Block thing, however today i received an email from someone i took a paid internship with saying that they JUST sent out a 1099 form to me on Friday. because of the education credit halt on tax processing, is it possible for me to ask them if i can just add that information in when i receive it? or do i have to wait until they process it to amend it? and at that point, will it be to late to amend?
Hello! I’ve asked you a question before about the Injured Spouse Form, but what I’m wanting to know now is, my refund is expected to be in my account on Feb 12. You told me before that I would have to amend my taxes because I filed married but separate. With my refund being scheduled to be In my account tomorrow,is it to late for me to amend my taxes and then file the injured spouse form as well? I’m not familiar with any of this, so I didn’t know if I could do anything once I have received my refund.
I’ve already received my refund, but after getting it in one account and not the other I went back and double checked the info. I noticed that I checked checking instead of savings for the account option. Is it too late to correct that?
Hi, I filed my taxes for 2012 a few days before the Jn 30th irs opening; only to discover that with the education credit my refund would be delayed and my return wont even be filed until Thursday the 14th. On top of more headace I discovered I got my employers FEIN wrong (since in a rush I filed without actually having my W2 and used my last paystub. I know I would have to amend aafter I get the initial refund but will my return be rejected anyway with the wrong FEIN?..can I change it with HR BLOCK before the irs accepts returns with ed creds?..will there be a n even greater dealy
Thanks Jan, I have been frantically working on 1040x. It is proving to be difficult because the eic and child tax will change and I may end up owing 1800. I am looking for 2011 tax tables and working with ‘new’ figures on worksheets. Will they fix it if I am wrong? Usually I can do taxes myself…… I really don’t want to take them anywhere
Okay, I see thank you for the response. I have claimed my niece in 2009 and also received EIC at that time, but I also had supporting W-2s. Am I able to call the IRS potentially tomorrow and see if they are having issues with it, am I even likely to get my refund, or is it more likely I’ll get a notice? WMR seems to offer no information for me and reading your comments I don’t want to send my amended return until I receive something.
Thanks again
Hi Shelly,
if you didn’t also purchase an IRA, then you don’t need to worry about the check box. If you purchased an IRA, then you’ll need to amend. I realize the checkbox is for a teacher penson–I mean if you purchased an IRA in addition to the teacher pension.
Hi Carrie,
You can efile your 2012 taxes. It’s fine.
Jan,
Sorry I see you are answering comments, yet mine still says awaiting moderation and I see others who have comments after me?? Im sorry if I tried putting in smaller versions of my questions, but I see your answering everyone but mine, I’m not sure you, or anyone else sees it!
Hi Derek,
You’ve got a bit of a mess. If you screw up your taxes, the IRS doesn’t fix it for you nicely. They just charge you the absolute maximum that they can. So–you need help. Go the the IRS website and check out the free tax help.
You might also have an issue claiming your niece–so really–get some help with this. Wait until you get your refund, or are notified by the IRS before you actually amend, but you will have to amend.