IRS tax forms facts for kids

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a part of the United States government. It helps collect money called taxes from people and organizations. Taxes help pay for things like roads, schools, and parks. The IRS uses special tax forms to gather information about people's money. These forms help figure out how much tax each person or group needs to pay to the government. There are more than 800 different forms! One of the most famous is Form 1040, which most individual people use.

Different Kinds of Tax Forms

This is the first page of Form 1040 from 2005.

• Form 1040 is for individual people. You use it to show how much money you earned. It also helps you figure out how much tax you have already paid. Then, it shows if you need to pay more or if the government owes you money back. These forms come out every year. Most people need to send their completed form back by April 15 of the next year.

• Form 990 shares financial details about a specific organization. Government groups use it to check on organizations that do not pay taxes. These are often non-profit organizations, like charities. This form helps make sure they are truly not making a profit.

• Form 1040NR is for people from other countries. They use this form if they earned money while working in the United States.

• Informational returns are forms that help you fill out your own tax return. Your employer or bank usually prepares these forms. They also send copies to the IRS. For example, Form 1098 tells you how much interest you paid on your mortgage. A mortgage is a loan you get to buy a house.

• Several forms start with the letter W. Here are a few examples:

• Form W-2 is used by your employer. It shows how much money you earned as wages from your job. It also shows how much tax was taken out of your paychecks. Employers must give a Form W-2 to each employee they pay. They usually mail these forms by January 31. This gives employees about two months to finish their tax forms before the April 15 deadline.
• Form W-9 asks for your identification number. This number helps the IRS know who you are. To get this form, you share basic details. This includes your name, if you are married, and your Social Security number.

Images for kids

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  Form W-9, 2005

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  Form 2553, 2005