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 tax preparer only claimed one of my children on my taxes. He said he was going to amend it. Is this fixable or am I out a luck this year.
Hi Tanya,
That’s one of the problems with Turbo Tax, the way they ask the questions in the interview process people often wind up inputting the same numbers in different places. I’ve had to represent people in audits for doing that.
The good thing is that you noticed!
Yes, you’ll want to amend, and since you’re amending, you may as well add in those other receipts to your husbands Schedule C.
You don’t need to send the receipts in with the return, just list them on the C.
On the 1040X, under the explanation part you will say that “taxpayer mistakenly claimed expenses on form 2106 that should not have been there. Additionally, there were expenses omitted from the Schedule C. A copy of the Schedule A, showing the form 2106 numbers that have been removed, and a copy of the Schedule A showing the new expenses is attached.”
Hi Stacy,
That’s probably not going to be a problem as it shouldn’t affect the tax that you pay. (Unless, of course, you put that the property was in Kansas when it really was in California or something like that.)
I think I need to amend my 2013 return, I put same vehicle deduction on both schedule c and form 2106. My husband is a self employed business owner, a truck for work only. I used turbo tax home & business and completed schedule c which included vehicle expenses, standard deduction. Then in the personal part it asked for non-reimbursed job expenses and it had a part for the vehicle expenses which I put in again on this form 2106 giving the standard deduction. The return showing a refund has been accepted and approved by irs. I not sure if I did this right , but I keep thinking I put in the same deduction twice just on different forms??? Can you advise? If I do need to amend, and remove the form 2106, and have found some receipts that I can add to the schedule c do I have to send in a blank form 2106 and schedule c? And do I have to send in the receipts I found? Thank you!
Hi, I filed then noticed I had entered the wrong address for my rental property. Will this be a problem? What should I do? I efiled using turbo tx.
Hi, I sent in my return and noticed that I entered the wrong address for my rental property. Is that going to be a problem? What should I do?
Hi Brian,
If I were you, I’d call the IRS and try to talk to a human. It seems to me that your problem might actually be resolved with a phone call and a fax machine.
Barring that, you still might not even need to file a 1040X since your return was filed correctly, it just was missing the form 2441. Usually the instructions on the letter give you a place to write what happened and send in the proper documents.
There’s usually a place to write “I do not accept the changes because…” and that’s where you’d explain that your taxes were filed correctly, just missing a form which you are enclosing.
Be sure to keep a copy of all of your correspondence with the IRS including your original forms. Good luck.
Hi Darius,
My best guess is that your refund hold up has nothing to do with the missing W2. The IRS doesn’t even have those W2s yet. They’re not due to the IRS until February 28th.
I’m thinking that you claimed children on your tax return and the IRS is going to ask you to prove that you have the right to claim them. I’d start rounding up things like birth certificates, social security cards, medical records and school transcripts to prove you are the father and that they live with you. It sounds like an EIC audit to me.
If you do not have the right to claim the kids, at least you didn’t get the money and spend it already, so that’s a good thing. If you do have the right to claim the kids, you’ll win the audit and eventually get your money. It’s just going to take some time. Good luck.
I have received a communication from the IRS stating that my dependent day care was incorrectly listed as 6K when it should be 5K. I have me the requirements of 2 under 12 dependents and paid well over the 6K allowed. It appears that my CPA file the numbers correctly, but failed to include the 2441. My W2 shows the 5K deduction.
My problem now is that, after waiting for my tax filer to take care of the issue, I’ve just recently discovered that he’s had a stroke and can’t communicate with anyone and sadly has little time remaining. I do have what looks like a brief copy of what he filed with the IRS. Unfortunately, I have no access to any of the other paperwork or documentation. I’ve been researching the information and this leads to my question.
Do I file only the 1040X with the 2441? All of the entries are correct. It was merely a missing 2441 covering the ‘missing $1,000’ the IRS wants paid. This is for 2011 filing.
Ok i sent my tax refund in total f
$9156 fed state IL $209 CA $209 it got accepted a week later $1993 hits my account so im missin $7567 check my refund status they say i might of receive part if not all on my refund and their going to send a notice for additional info so i was wondering what the heck went wrong so stumble across a late w2 in the mail which where i workerd about a week in a half about $35 in taxes witheld is this why they only sent me $1993 of my refund and sending a notice asking for additional info it scares me please help
Hi Carrie,
I’m sorry, you don’t get a deduction for interest paid on a tax debt. Sorry. (But I think that’s a really good idea and should be the rule!–It’s just that the IRS doesn’t listen to me about stuff like that.)
Hi Jan, You are so helpful! I hope this is an easy one… I received a CP22A form in 2013 for interest due. (The interest was for when I amended my 2012 return and owed the IRS more money). I paid it in 2013. Is there anywhere I can deduct this on my 2013 taxes?
Hi Khun,
I’m sorry, but I don’t know what box 7 is. Bottom line, if you go back into your tax return and check that box, does it change anything? If no, then don’t worry about it. If it does change things, then you’ll want to file an amended return. If you file the amendment before April 15th, the mistake won’t even count.
Hi ,
I filed my tax return with turbo tax and forget to check box 7 . I am a student. What should I do next?
I really have no idea since this was my third time to file a tax.
Thank you.
Khun
Hi Sarah,
So your tax return says you’re a student but you’re not. Did you claim tax credits that are for students? It’s probably not a big deal except that there are some tax credits that are not allowed to students, for example the retirment tax credit (if you put money into an IRA) or EIC for people without children. But if you didn’t qualify for any of those, no big deal.
The address on your tax return should be the address you really live at. If you are expecting a check, and haven’t received it yet, then you’ll want to submit a change of address. If you did direct deposit, they’ll get the address change when you file your return next year.
Hi Brandy,
Your refund probably won’t be delayed because the IRS hasn’t processed all those 1098T forms yet. So the question is–does reporting your scholarships change your refund? If yes, then you’ll want to amend your return and send back the excess amount before April 15th. If your refund doesn’t change, it’s not such a big deal.
Hi Neca,
I think you’re fine. I can’t imagine you getting a letter over that. If you do–I’d just call the IRS, it really won’t change your taxes so I’d let it go.
In the unlikely event that the IRS does send you a letter–please post here because I’d really like to know about that. But the bottom line is, it won’t change your taxes. You’re talking about a $3 error. I mean, really, you could have a rounding difference of $3 using IRS rules about rounding.
I think you’re doing the IRS a favor by not filing an amended return.
This might be silly, but I have 2 concerns regarding my 2013 taxes.
I used the free online TurboTax and for some reason, I couldnt edit the student information part. It filled in “Yes” on the question if I was a student in 2013. I couldnt change it because it was in the reviewing process, but I was able to choose “N/A” when it allowed me to choose what type of school I attended. My question is to I have to amend this error?
Also, in the later half of year (2013), I moved out to my own place (in the city). Since 2014, I kept that place (same city) but I moved back to my original location. Should I request a change of address to the IRS? Is the change of address based on the address on my driver’s license? Because currently, I have the address I moved out to on there still.
I appreciate your help!
Heres my problem, I claimed the American Opp. credit on my return, and I left off my amount of grants recieved by accident. Should I do an ammended return or will the IRS catch it. My return was accepted on Jan 31st. Will my refund be delayed?
Hi, I filed my federal tax incorrectly by claiming $19 instead of $22 for the student loan interest I payed. My state tax was properly filed (with $22 amount). Do I need to amend my federal tax return because of this? My refund amount stays the same regardless of this mistake. Thanks a lot!
Hi Laura,
Oops. That’s one of the most common reasons for having to amend a return. If you’ve got a refund coming, wait until you receive your refund before submitting your Amended return. If there is no refund, go ahead and mail your amended return right away because you are enclosing a check for the difference anyway.
If you file your Amended return before April 15, it won’t even count as having been filed incorrectly in the first place. The “permanent record” won’t even show the error.
(You’re probably too young to remember that phrase, but for people of my generation, when we were kids and got in trouble in school the teachers would say, “This will go on your permanent record!” I’m pretty sure that my whispering to Darla Johnson in 1st grade is not really listed anywhere, but according to my teacher it’s supposedly on my permanent record!”
Hi Michelle, it can take up to 12 weeks for an amended return to be processed. You’ll just have to wait. But–first let’s make sure your mom shouldn’t claim you.
1. If you are the only child living at home, and if your mom can’t claim you, she also can’t be head of household, she’s only single.
2. If you are a student under the age of 22, she can probably still claim you.
3. If you’re 22 or over and you make less than $3,900 or are disabled.
Here’s a link to the IRS calculator about claiming dependents: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Who-Can-I-Claim-as-a-Dependent%3F
Now, here’s the link that I think you’ll need more than that, it’s the Where’s My Amended Return link: http://www.irs.gov/Filing/Individuals/Amended-Returns-(Form-1040-X)/Wheres-My-Amended-Return-1
You can use that to follow up the process on your amended return. Oh–and when I went to pull that link off the IRS website, it said that they’ve extended the wait on Amended returns to 16 weeks. I’m sorry.
You may need to file an extension. If you owe, pay with the extension. If you’ve got a refund coming, then you don’t need to worry. I still recommend e-fling over mailing in the return.
Hi Jan,
Thanks for the post. I filed my taxes last Saturday, and then surprise! A W-2 came in the mail from an employer I used to work for: I forgot that I had worked for them a little bit at the beginning the 2013 year.
I submitted my return electronically using a software program. Should I wait to hear a response from the IRS saying that they received my tax return, and THEN submit my amended return (With check to cover any extra payment I need to pay), or should I immediately submit an amended return?
I feel terrible; I’ve never submitted my taxes wrong before – will I be penalized for this?
Thanks,
-Laura
Hi Jan. My mom accidentally claimed me as a dependent on her (e-filed) taxes when she meant to indicate that I simply live in her household (with her as the head). Afterwords I e-filed my own tax return as an independent and of course it was rejected. I know she will have to mail in an ammended 1040x, but how long will I have to wait before I can refile??? Please help!
Hi Linda,
Wait until you receive you refund before you submit your amended return. But if you’ve got and extra $100 coming–you bet you should amend!
Next year, please wait until you have your W2 to file your taxes though. You’d think your paystub would be correct, but there’s mistakes all the time. It’s actually against the law for me to file a return without a W2. (You’re okay, it’s just because I’m a professional, I’ve got all sorts of extra rules.)
Hi Tony,
So first, let me yank your chain a little bit–you PAID H&R Block to do your taxes and then your girl friend PAID Turbo Tax to do her taxes and then you come to my website asking for free advice?
I’m just sayin’ you PAID good money to both of them they should help you.
But since it’s a good question, I’m going for it anyway.
Here’s my question–why do you have to do anything? It sounds to me like you filed first and she got rejected. Why do you have to refile? You should be all set.
But, I’m guessing that you went to H&R Block and even though you filed with them before she filed, her return got to the IRS first. Is that what’s going on. (Which totally begs the question–why didn’t Block efile your return on the day you went in? But that’s a whole other issue.)
So, I’m guessing that her e’filed return got processed first, that’s why she’s got to amend and you’re waiting for that to happen. Personally, I’d wait until her return is processed–it could take about 12 weeks. You may even have to file an extension. But then, once it’s all cleared up, then you should efile. If you mail your return in, and they start to process it before her amended return is processed–you’re setting yourself up for an EIC audit that you don’t need. And–that could delay your refund even more!
But here’s a question I’ve got to ask–and I’m sorry because it’s not the “friendliest” question, but you gotta hear it–How is it she “accidentally” claimed her daughter. It’s not like she just clicks a box and claims her. She’s got to do a lot of inputting, making sure she answers the EIC questions, etc. You can’t just accidentally claim a child any more.
So–maybe she never intended for you to claim the child. You gotta look at that. If she filed the “day after” you did, how did she get her return in first? Now maybe there’s a whole bunch of good answers to those questions. I hope there are for your sake. But you and she should have a little sit down about your family. Be honest with yourselves, are the two of you doing what’s in the best interests of your child? If not, why not? Do you really have the right to claim your daughter? You say you are with your girlfriend now–does that mean you weren’t with her and the child all year? If not, then maybe you shouldn’t be claiming your daughter.
I know you weren’t looking for the mom lecture, but let’s be real, H&R Block could have answered your question about re-filing, so I figured I should do the mom thing.
Oh my goodness, I filed my taxes thinking I had all the payroll conclusive from my federal website, unfortunately the w2 that just came says I am off by $1,500.00. I have already filed, do I amend after the refund is sent? It means probably an extra hundred dollars to my refund. I was positive my payroll was correct 🙁
i filed my taxes from h&r block claiming my daughter like i have for the past years. the next day my girlfriend who i am with now did her taxes on turbo tax and accidently clicked the box that says she was clAIMING our DAUGHTER AS WELL. so now we are being told that she has to amend her taxes and print out a form and mail it in before i can re file my taxes which are the right ones. do i have to wait till her amended taxes are complete by taking our daughter off of her taxes before i can mail mine in. do i have to wait untill it is all processed or can i mail mine in right after she sends in her amend paperwork? please help
Hi Lauren,
I would talk to the Turbo Tax customer service. I’m guessing that he’ll just have to correct his social and refile, but talk to them to make sure that’s all you need.
So my bf e-filed with Turbo tax snap tax about 3 days ago and today got a message saying there was an error with his social. Should I just contact the snap tax cust. serv. to see if they can fix it or will he have to file an amended form?
Hi MiMi,
So you claimed the wrong withholding on your W4. Oops. But the year is over so file you taxes–you most likely will owe something, but that’s the worst of it.
First thing, change your withholding to single 1 exemption (or zero if you’re looking to get a refund.)
Then file your taxes. You need if for your financial aid. Now, you’re in school, even though you live alone and pay your own bills–do your parents still claim you?
If not, you’re still in school, maybe you’ll qualify for an American Opportunity Tax Credit–that could cover you lack of having enough exemptions.
You won’t know until you file. Good luck.
Hi! I’m glad I stumbled across this page. I was wrongly guided on my W4 form. Due to VERY bad advice I was told to basically claim the exemptions!!! 1 for me being single 2 because no one could carry me & 3 because I live alone and pay all my own bills, so I was told to file head of household. I found out today that I am not supposed to file head of household because I have no children, and now it seems I have 3!!! I don’t know, but I’m afraid that things could take a turn for the worst…I’m brand new to all of this, and super confused PLEASE HELP!!! Can or should I file an amended return? Can this even be fixed? I have not filed my 13 taxes yet, but I really need to do so, because I need my tax information to add to my financial aid paperwork
Hi Billy,
Yes, the 8332 should allow you to claim your son’s exemption and the child tax credit.
I just filed my taxes with h&r block forgot to show them the form 8332 my ex gave me to claim my son and receive the tax credit. H&r block told me my son wasn’t a qualifying child and couldn’t get the credit. Will this form help?
Hi Missy,
You’ve got a couple of problems. First, the IRS isn’t accepting efiled returns until January 31 so I honestly don’t know what happened to your return. Now it’s kind of strange because the IRS will let you efile your own return on their free file website–but they’re still not accepting them. They go to some kind of weird “holding tank” until later. Don’t worry, it will get filed, and then when it does it will either get accepted, or rejected.
Bottom line is, your return will get rejected if the names don’t match up. So you kind of have to wait for the reject before you can fix it.
Now, if your return gets rejected, then you don’t need to do an amendment, you can just fix it an refile.
But you won’t know anything until after January 31st.
This is actually better than if you had to file an amendment because you can fix it immediately instead of the months it would take with filing an amendment.
Hi. I am self employed and e-filed my 2013 taxes on January 5, 2014. I claimed my son because I am able to this year because his father is in arrears with child support. My sons name was changed in 2011, but I have not changed it with the social security administration yet. I put his new name on my 1040 when I e filed. Will that delay the processing of my return and refund?? Thank you !
Hi Laura,
Technically, you should amend and made sure that your name is on the Schedule C. You’re paying self employment tax and you should get credit with Social Security for the time that you worked.
Also, it could have an effect on your taxes–either pay more, pay less, or stay the same. Crazy, right?
Example 1: Let’s say your husband makes $200,000 a year. He’s maxed out on his social security so the social security on the self employment would be nothing. If he changes the business to you–there’d be more tax.
Example 2: You live in a state that taxes your income separately, like Missouri. Your first $9,000 of income is taxed at a lower rate–if the only income you made was from the self employment–moving your income to you would reduce your state taxes.
Example 3: There’s no change in the tax status at all, but you get the credit for your social security–this is actually the most likely scenario, but you do want it fixed.
Hi, my husband just filed as married and jointly. I was looking through his taxes and in the schedule c form where the income that I made from that year appeared my husbands name appeared instead of mine is that a problem or that i just because he filed it.
Jessica,
Your going to have to amend the return using a 1040x. You probably will receive an IRS letter down the road because of the document matching system they use. Also, you will want to check with the Social Security Administration to make sure the employer is reporting your wages for social security. This is a big deal. Call the office if you have questions or need help (314) 275 – 9160.
Hi Jessy,
I would definitely amend your return and here’s why–the 1099MISC is kind of a tricky form. I’m guessing that the income on the form was reported in box 7–which is for non-employee compensation. Am I right? Because if so–then the IRS taxes you not only at your tax rate–but also for the self employment tax rate of 15.3% above and beyond any other tax you have.
Now–if the 1099MISC income is not listed in box 7–ignore me and just pay the tax and be done with it.
But–if I’m right about box 7–then you want to amend your return and write off every expense you’ve had generating that income. Let’s say you made that money painting somebody’s office. You would deduct what you paid for your paint, your drop cloths, etc.
If you had no expenses for the work you did, then it’s okay to go ahead and pay–but if you can write of any expenses–you want to. This post about small business expenses for unusual occupations might jar your memory about some of your expenses. I’m guessing that you’ll think of all the “normal” business expenses like office supplies on your own. http://robergtaxsolutions.com/2010/10/business-expenses-for-unusual-occupations/
Hello,
I filled my taxes without claiming a 1099 income. I received it late and didn’t know what to do. I’m being charged now. Can I still amend my taxes for that year? How can this effect me? Is it best to just pay what I owe even though is claimed as miscellaneous not as a contracted business?
Hi Emily,
Usually when you file an amended federal return, you also file an amended state return. Sometimes, you can make changes to one without needing the other, but I’m pretty sure you’ll need to file the California X as well.
Hi Michelle,
Because your husband claimed you as a non-working spouse, he will have to amend his return and take your exemption off. You will still have to paper file your return.
Hi Pam,
Your preparer had a form 2106 attached to your return and you want to know if you can file an amended return yourself. I have a couple of answers for you.
1. before you amend the return, make sure you even have to. As a preparer, I know that I always try to input everything on a return, even if it won’t generate any extra refund. That way when my client says, “did you count my medical expenses?” I can show her, yes, I did, but they didn’t do you any good.
This is especially true for 2106 expenses. So you might have a 2106 form, but it may have done nothing for your return. So I’d check that first.
Where do you check? Well, the 2106 carries over to the schedule A. So if you don’t have a Schedule A–obviously the 2106 didn’t count.
Even if you have a Schedule A, the 2106 might still not make a difference. You’ll want to look at line 21 of the Schedule A. If that’s zero, then the 2106 didn’t count so you won’t need to amend. (There may be numbers on all the other lines in that section, but if there’s nothing or zero on line 27, that’s all that matters.)
So, if you do have to amend, you can do it yourself. Although your preparer should do it for you for free.
One more thing–if the 2106 form didn’t count–did you get charged for the form? Some companies charge by the form–if you got charged for a 2106 form that wasn’t used, that’s something to be mad about.
Hi Sultana,
I think you just asked the million dollar question, “Do I attach the new copy of the 1040 with my 1040X?”
Technically, the answer is no. But I’ve started attaching it anyway. Especially for returns that don’t have any other attachments.
Bottom line, you shouldn’t have a problem for not attaching it, but it’s okay if you do.
Hi Bono,
It could take a couple of years for the IRS to catch onto your missing 1099. I’d amend the return and pay the tax to avoid all the penalties that they’ll assess once they do figure it out.
Hi Vicaren,
You know, sometimes the IRS sends the refund, sometimes they don’t. I’ve had two different clients this year with exact opposite results. I’m thinking you’ll get your refund as I’m guessing that you were just issued a CP 2000 but weren’t assessed the tax yet. Had you been assessed the tax, then you wouldn’t get your refund until the amended return was processed.
Hi SN618,
I would mail in the $10,000 as that’s the correct amount.
Hi Ashley C,
I deleted your last name for privacy. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over that. You’re good.
Hi Pankaj,
Anything extra that you paid was paid in 2013 so it would go on your 2013 return instead.