How to amend a tax return
If you have filed your federal tax return and realize that you have made a mistake, you will need to file an amended or corrected return using Form 1040X Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. You should include copies of any schedules that have been changed or any W-2 forms.
You may not need to file an amended tax return if you left out forms or schedules because the IRS service center will request the additional information from you. Also, the IRS service center will usually correct any arithmetic mistakes, so if the mistake made on the filed tax return is arithmetic you may not need to amend your tax return. If you sent the IRS too much money, you should not have to do anything. The IRS service center should correct the error. You should receive a refund check of the difference between what you sent in and the correct amount of what you owe.
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You should file an amended tax return, if you did not report some of your income, if you claimed deductions or credits that you shouldn't have, if you did not claim deductions or credits that you should have, or if you need to change your filing status.
You will need to file an amended or corrected return using Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, if you have not received your refund check yet, but made an error on your refund amount, making your refund bigger than it should be. Include any schedules that have been changed or any W-2 Forms you did not originally include. You must pay the balance owed before the due date of the return to avoid owing interest on any amounts that you may owe. You will need to send a check for the full amount payable to the United States Treasury. Include your name, address, daytime phone number, social security number, the tax year, and the type of return.
If the refund amount you claimed on your tax return should be bigger and you haven't received the refund check yet, you may need to file an amended or corrected return using Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Include copies of any schedules that have been changed or any W-2 Forms you did not originally include. Do not wait longer than three years from the time of your original return due date.
Allow twelve weeks for your amended return to be processed. You can check the status of your amended return by contacting the IRS Assistance line at 800-829-1040.
To make corrections to filed forms 1040, 1040A, 1040WEZ, and individual income tax returns submitted through TeleFile or e-file, you will need to use Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. This form, along with instructions can be ordered by calling 800-829-3676 or by visiting the IRS website at www.irs.gov .
You must file Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, within three years after the date of the original return that you filed or within two years after the date you paid the tax, whichever comes last. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Certain items such as net operating losses, general business credit carry backs, worthless securities, and bad debts may be exceptions. You will need to review the instructions to Form 1040X to see if your items qualify.
Common errors to avoid on tax returns include:
1. Incorrect or missing social security numbers.
2. Math errors, both addition and subtraction.
3. Withholding and estimated tax payments entered on the wrong line.
4. Incorrect tax entered from the tables.
Even the smallest mistake can delay the processing of your return.
