On a paper return, Schedule 1 is not a page of Form 1040 at all. It’s a separate two-page attachment that sits directly behind the second page of Form 1040, ahead of every other schedule.1Internal Revenue Service. Schedule 1 (Form 1040) – Additional Income and Adjustments to Income In tax software or a downloaded PDF, it shows up as its own clearly labeled section after the main form. So if you’re asking what page Schedule 1 is on your tax return, the short answer is: it isn’t on Form 1040 — it’s the first supplemental page after it, when your return needs one at all.
Finding Schedule 1 in a Paper Return
Every IRS form and schedule has an attachment sequence number printed in its upper-right corner. The IRS asks filers to stack supplemental schedules behind Form 1040 in that order.2Internal Revenue Service. IRS Tax Tip 2001-30: How To Prepare Your Tax Return for Mailing Schedule 1 carries attachment sequence number 01, which puts it immediately behind page 2 of Form 1040 and in front of Schedules 2, 3, A, B, C, and anything else you filed.
If you’re paging through a return you already mailed or received back, look for the pages headed “Schedule 1 (Form 1040)” and subtitled “Additional Income and Adjustments to Income.” Part I fills the first page. Part II fills the second.
Finding Schedule 1 in an E-Filed Return
Tax software generates Schedule 1 as its own labeled section within the PDF of your return. Open the PDF and either scroll past Form 1040 or use your reader’s bookmarks; the schedule will appear right after the main form.
Software only produces Schedule 1 if you entered something that belongs on it. If you’ve searched your PDF and can’t find one, that’s usually not an error. It means your return didn’t need it. A return with only W-2 wages, interest, dividends, capital gains, pensions, and Social Security — and no above-the-line deductions beyond the standard deduction — is complete without Schedule 1.
If you no longer have your copy, you can pull the data by requesting a tax return transcript through your IRS online account. E-filers also receive an acceptance notification, typically within 48 hours of submission, confirming the return was received.3Internal Revenue Service. Form 9325 – Acknowledgement and General Information for Taxpayers Who File Returns Electronically
When Your Return Should Include Schedule 1
Form 1040 has dedicated lines for the common income types: wages, interest, dividends, IRA and pension distributions, Social Security benefits, and capital gains. Anything outside that list rides in on Schedule 1. You need one if any of these apply to you:
- Self-employment, freelance, or gig income (Schedule C flows into Schedule 1)
- Rental, royalty, partnership, or S corporation income (Schedule E)
- Farm income (Schedule F)
- Unemployment compensation
- Gambling winnings
- Cancellation of debt, jury duty pay, prizes, taxable state refunds, or digital assets received as ordinary income
- Above-the-line deductions such as educator expenses, HSA contributions, student loan interest, the deductible half of self-employment tax, self-employed health insurance, or a traditional IRA deduction
If none of that applies, your return is Form 1040 plus whatever other schedules it triggers, and Schedule 1 simply isn’t part of the package.4Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
How Schedule 1 Feeds Back Into Form 1040
If you’re trying to trace numbers between the two forms, Schedule 1 connects at two spots. Line 10 of Schedule 1, the total of your additional income, moves to line 8 of Form 1040 and joins your wages and other income already listed there.1Internal Revenue Service. Schedule 1 (Form 1040) – Additional Income and Adjustments to Income Line 26 of Schedule 1, the total of your adjustments, moves to line 10 of Form 1040 and reduces total income down to adjusted gross income.5Internal Revenue Service. Form 1040 – 2025 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
That AGI figure matters well beyond your immediate tax bill. It sets eligibility for education credits, the child tax credit, Roth IRA contributions, and many other benefits that phase out at higher income levels.
If You Find Your Schedule 1 Is Missing Something
Sometimes the reason people go looking for Schedule 1 is to check whether income or a deduction was reported correctly. If you find something missing, file Form 1040-X to amend the return. You generally have three years from the date you filed the original return, or two years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later; if you filed before the April deadline, the three-year clock starts from the deadline rather than your filing date.6Internal Revenue Service. File an Amended Return
Adding income you left off will mean paying additional tax plus interest, but correcting it yourself avoids the accuracy-related and fraud penalties the IRS can impose when it discovers the omission first.7Internal Revenue Service. Accuracy-Related Penalty Adding a deduction you forgot, such as student loan interest or HSA contributions, gets you a refund.