Chances are that if you don't have time to visit your local IRS office or want to fill out forms for IRS manually, instead of going online, you're going to need to use printable federal tax forms. The Internal Revenue Service that all Americans deal with at some point or another have a number of different forms that taxpayers must fill out when completing their tax returns. For example, one of the most common printable federal tax forms that people use today is form 1040, which encompasses all of the credits, income, and deductions for any one individual in one piece of documentation.

This federal tax form began being used in 1913, and since then, there have been very few changes to the basic principles and set up of the information used. All taxpayers are expected to continue using the same 1040 contents, although the number of other forms and schedules have increased over time.

Accessing Different 1040 Forms

Before you make use of printable federal tax forms such as the 1040, it's important to keep in mind that there are a number of different types of form 1040 to choose from. The first form is known as the "long form", and this is the most regular and commonly used 1040 available. On the other hand, form 1040A is a slightly shorter version of the standard 1040 form, and it is used only by tax payers who have an income of under $100,000, and choose to avoid itemizing their deductions. For individuals in search of an even shorter option, there is 1040EZ, which is a simple, one-page long form that can be used by people with no income adjustments, under the age of 65, and without children.

In regards to the 1040 forms that are not used quite so commonly, we have forms 1040X and 1040NR. Non-residential aliens who have an income source located within the United States typically use for 1040NR to file their tax returns in the U.S. On the other hand, you may use form 1040X for your tax returns if you have to amend your previous submission. This form is usually quite simple, as it only allows for you to make adjustments to your original return. However, the downside to using this form is that processing the 1040X often takes a lot longer than other types, as they must be processed manually.

Why Do We Need Printable Tax Forms?

At one time, Every U.S. citizen responsible for paying tax was simply mailed out their 1040 forms when the tax season rolled around. However, these mailings recently stopped, because of the fact that the majority of people no longer want to file their returns on paper. While paper copies of the tax forms you may need to use are still available and can be obtained from over 400 IRS post offices or centers, they are much easier to obtain when you simply print them out from the IRS website.

Printing out your tax forms helps you to save time. However, you may find that you still need to reach out for assistance when completing new or confusing forms.