The income tax return short form no longer exists as its own document. The IRS retired Form 1040EZ and Form 1040A after the 2017 tax year and folded them into a single redesigned Form 1040 that every individual filer now uses.1Internal Revenue Service. Here Are Five Facts About the New Form 1040 If your finances are straightforward, you file the base Form 1040 without attaching any extra schedules, and that is the modern equivalent of the old short form.
What Replaced the 1040EZ and 1040A
For decades, the IRS offered three versions of the individual return. Form 1040EZ was the simplest, aimed at single or joint filers with no dependents and only wage and interest income. Form 1040A sat in the middle, allowing a few more credits and income types. Form 1040 was the full-length version for anyone with complex finances. Starting with tax year 2018, the IRS consolidated all three into one shorter Form 1040.
The redesigned form works like a base return with optional add-on schedules. Everyone fills out the same core Form 1040. If you have additional income types, adjustments, or credits beyond the basics, you attach the relevant schedule. If you don’t, you skip those schedules entirely. A wage earner with simple finances now fills out roughly the same amount of paperwork as they did on the old 1040EZ.
Who Can Still File the Simple Version
You can file the base Form 1040 by itself when your income comes only from sources reported directly on the main form. In practice, that means wages from a W-2, Social Security benefits, and modest amounts of interest or dividends. You also need to take the standard deduction rather than itemize, since itemizing requires Schedule A.
These situations push you off the simple path and onto an additional schedule:
- Schedule 1 is required for unemployment compensation, self-employment income, rental income, alimony, and adjustments like the student loan interest deduction or educator expenses.2Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Form 1040
- Schedule B is required when taxable interest or ordinary dividends exceed $1,500 for the year.3Internal Revenue Service. About Schedule B (Form 1040), Interest and Ordinary Dividends
- Schedule C is required for any self-employment or freelance income.
- Schedule D is required if you sold stocks, crypto, or other capital assets during the year.
If none of those apply, your return stays on the base Form 1040. The child tax credit, earned income credit, and other common credits are claimed directly on the main form.
Standard Deduction for Tax Year 2025
The standard deduction is a flat amount subtracted from your total income before the tax is calculated. For tax year 2025 returns filed in 2026:
- Single: $15,000
- Married filing jointly: $30,000
- Head of household: $22,500
These figures come from inflation adjustments built into the tax code.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 63 – Taxable Income Defined Taxpayers age 65 or older get an additional standard deduction: $2,000 for single or head of household filers, or $1,600 if married or a qualifying surviving spouse. Blind taxpayers receive the same additional amount, and someone who is both 65 or older and blind gets it twice.5Internal Revenue Service. Standard Deduction – IRS VITA Courseware
Documents You’ll Need
For a basic return, the paperwork list is short:
- Form W-2 from your employer, which is sent by the end of January and shows total wages and federal income tax withheld.6Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement
- Form 1099-INT from your bank or credit union if you earned $10 or more in interest during the year.7Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1099-INT, Interest Income
- Social Security numbers or ITINs for yourself, your spouse if filing jointly, and any dependents.
- Bank account and routing numbers if you want your refund by direct deposit.
- Form SSA-1099 if you received Social Security benefits. That income is reported directly on Form 1040, though some or all of it may be taxable depending on your total income.
Filling Out the Base Form 1040
The form walks through a logical sequence: identify yourself, report your income, subtract your deduction, calculate the tax, and figure out whether you owe or get a refund.
Income
Enter your total wages from Box 1 of your W-2 on the wages line. If you have interest income of $1,500 or less, enter it directly on the interest line without filing Schedule B. Add up all income lines to reach your total income. For most people filing the simple version, that number is wages plus a small amount of interest.
Standard Deduction and Taxable Income
Subtract the standard deduction for your filing status from total income. The result is your taxable income. A single filer with $50,000 in wages and no other income would subtract $15,000 for 2025, leaving $35,000 subject to federal tax.
Tax, Withholding, and Credits
The tax itself comes from the IRS tax table in the Form 1040 instructions, which lists the exact tax for every $50 increment of taxable income. Tax software does this lookup for you. Compare that tax amount to what your employer already withheld, shown in Box 2 of your W-2. If withholding exceeded the tax, the difference comes back as a refund. If it fell short, you owe the balance.
The child tax credit is worth up to $2,200 per qualifying child for tax year 2025 and is claimed directly on the main form, further reducing what you owe.8Internal Revenue Service. Refundable Tax Credits
Filing Deadline and Extensions
Federal income tax returns for tax year 2025 are due Wednesday, April 15, 2026.9Internal Revenue Service. IRS Opens 2026 Filing Season The deadline applies whether you file electronically or on paper.
Filing Form 4868 gives you an automatic six-month extension to October 15.10Internal Revenue Service. Get an Extension to File Your Tax Return The extension gives you more time to file the paperwork, not more time to pay. If you owe taxes, you still need to estimate and pay that amount by April 15 to avoid interest and penalties.
How to Submit Your Return
You have two options: electronic filing or paper mail. Electronic is faster and more accurate.
Free Electronic Filing
IRS Free File lets you prepare and submit your federal return at no cost if your adjusted gross income is $89,000 or less. The program partners with commercial tax software providers that offer guided preparation.11Internal Revenue Service. E-file: Do Your Taxes for Free Above that threshold, Free File Fillable Forms is available to any taxpayer, though it offers less guidance.12Internal Revenue Service. File Your Taxes for Free
The IRS previously offered a Direct File tool for filing simple returns straight on irs.gov. That program is not available for the 2026 filing season, and no relaunch date has been announced.
Paper Filing
If you mail a paper return, send it to the IRS address assigned to your state, listed in the Form 1040 instructions. Paper returns take significantly longer to process. The IRS says to allow six or more weeks from the date it receives your mailed return, compared to roughly three weeks for electronic filings.13Internal Revenue Service. Refunds
Penalties for Filing or Paying Late
Missing the April deadline triggers two separate penalties, and the one for not filing is far worse than the one for not paying.
The failure-to-file penalty is 5% of the unpaid tax for each month your return is late, up to a maximum of 25%.14Internal Revenue Service. Failure to File Penalty If the return is more than 60 days late, the minimum penalty is the lesser of $435 or 100% of the tax you owe.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6651 – Failure to File Tax Return or to Pay Tax The failure-to-pay penalty is a separate 0.5% per month on any unpaid balance, also capped at 25%.16Internal Revenue Service. Failure to Pay Penalty
Both penalties run at the same time. A return three months late with an unpaid balance racks up 16.5% in combined penalties: 15% for not filing plus 1.5% for not paying. Even if you can’t afford to pay the full balance, file the return on time. Doing so eliminates the larger penalty and lets you set up a payment plan with the IRS.
Keeping Your Records
After you file, keep the return and supporting documents for at least three years from the date you filed.17Internal Revenue Service. How Long Should I Keep Records? That window matches the general statute of limitations for the IRS to audit your return. Hold on to your W-2s, any 1099 forms, and a copy of the return itself. Electronic copies are fine.