Form 1040 individual income tax return preparation in United States

Form 1040 is the annual federal income tax return filed by individuals with the Internal Revenue Service, covering income, deductions and credits for a calendar tax year. It is used by U.S. taxpayers to file an annual income tax return, with Form 1040-SR available as an optional alternative for taxpayers who are age 65 or older. Figures are for tax year 2026. Because the Internal Revenue Service has not yet published the tax-year-2026 version of every process page (the 2026 return is generally filed in 2027), some procedural figures below are still shown as the IRS currently states them for the 2025 return; each such row says so.

Who this is for

This Guide is for individual U.S. taxpayers preparing their own Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR, including those with wage income, self-employment income, or a business or side income requiring a Schedule C. If you have wages, file Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return or Form 1040-SR, U.S. Income Tax Return for Seniors; if you have a business or side income, file Form 1040 with a Schedule C. To file federal taxes, you need a taxpayer identification number (TIN).

Rates, thresholds and deadlines

Standard deduction and related inflation-adjusted amounts (tax year 2026)

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2026-including-amendments-from-the-one-big-beautiful-bill
Standard deduction, married filing jointly	$32,200	"For tax year 2026, the standard deduction increases to $32,200 for married couples filing jointly."
Standard deduction, single / married filing separately	$16,100	"For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction rises to $16,100 for tax year 2026."
Standard deduction, head of household	$24,150	"for heads of households, the standard deduction will be $24,150"
Personal exemption	$0	"For tax year 2026, personal exemptions remain at 0, as in tax year 2025."
Foreign earned income exclusion	$132,900	"For tax year 2026, the foreign earned income exclusion is $132,900 up from $130,000 for tax year 2025."

Filing deadline (as currently published by the IRS, for the 2025 return; the tax-year-2026 process page had not been published at the time of drafting)

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc301
General rule for calendar-year filers	April 15 of each year	"the due date for filing your federal individual income tax return is generally April 15 of each year"
Deadline stated by the page for the 2025 return	April 15, 2026	"For the 2025 tax return, the due date is April 15, 2026."

Extension of time to file (2026 IRS Tax Calendar, applies to the 2025 return filed in 2026)

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p509.pdf
Extended filing deadline after Form 4868	October 15	"file Form 4868 to obtain 4 additional months to file and pay what you estimate you owe in tax...Then, file Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR by October 15."

Self-employment filing threshold

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/who-needs-to-file-a-tax-return
Net earnings from self-employment requiring a return and quarterly estimated tax	$400 or more	"Self-employed individuals are required to file an annual return and pay estimated tax quarterly if they had net earnings from self-employment of $400 or more."

Dependent filing thresholds (as stated by the IRS for the 2025 return; the page's own year, not yet updated for 2026)

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.irs.gov/publications/p501
Gross income above which a person generally cannot be claimed as a dependent (unless a qualifying child)	$5,200 or more	"If your gross income was $5,200 or more, you usually can't be claimed as a dependent unless you are a qualifying child."
Dependent unearned income filing trigger	more than $3,350 (more than $5,350 if 65 or older and blind)	"Your unearned income was more than $3,350 ($5,350 if 65 or older and blind)."

Filing method income limits

What	Value	Note
Source	all figures below	https://www.irs.gov/filing/individuals/how-to-file
IRS Free File adjusted gross income limit	$89,000 or less	"Free File - If your adjusted gross income is $89,000 or less. If higher, you can use Free File Fillable Forms."
IRS-certified volunteer preparation income limit	$69,000 or less	"IRS-certified volunteers – If you earn $69,000 or less, have a disability, are 60 years or older or need language support."

The method, step by step

1. Confirm the taxpayer has a taxpayer identification number, since to file federal taxes, you need a taxpayer identification number (TIN), per the individual tax filing page: https://www.irs.gov/individual-tax-filing
2. Determine whether a return must be filed at all, using the filing-requirement rules on the Publication 501 page (dependent gross-income and unearned-income thresholds are in the table above): https://www.irs.gov/publications/p501
3. Gather income records for the year; if the taxpayer has self-employment net earnings of $400 or more, a return and quarterly estimated tax are required, per: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/who-needs-to-file-a-tax-return
4. Select the correct form: file Form 1040, or Form 1040-SR if age 65 or older, adding a Schedule C if there is a business or side income, per the how-to-file page: https://www.irs.gov/filing/individuals/how-to-file
5. Choose a filing method from those the IRS lists on that same page — Free File, an IRS-certified volunteer, a tax professional, or paper forms mailed to the IRS: https://www.irs.gov/filing/individuals/how-to-file
6. If filing on paper, attach required documents to the front of the return, since if you mail a paper Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR, be sure to attach a copy of all Forms W-2 and, where tax was withheld, Forms W-2G and 1099-R, per: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc301
7. Lodge the return by the deadline in the table above, following the general rule and the currently published date for the 2025 return: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc301
8. Pay any tax due by the same deadline; taxpayers who cannot pay in full should pay what they can and apply for an online payment plan, per: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/act-now-to-file-pay-or-request-an-extension
9. If more time to file is needed, request an automatic extension by filing Form 4868, noting that an extension to file is not an extension to pay and any tax owed must still be estimated and paid by the original deadline, per: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/act-now-to-file-pay-or-request-an-extension
10. If an extension was filed, complete and lodge Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR by the extended deadline shown in the table above, per: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p509.pdf

Ask the client first

• What was your filing status on the last day of the tax year, since this determines which standard deduction figure in the table applies?
• Do you or your spouse have net earnings from self-employment of $400 or more, since this changes whether a return and quarterly estimated tax payments are required?
• Can another taxpayer claim you as a dependent, and if so, what were your gross and unearned income for the year, since separate thresholds apply?
• Are you or your spouse age 65 or older or blind, since this affects the dependent filing thresholds and other age-linked figures?
• Do you have foreign earned income you wish to exclude, since a specific exclusion figure applies?
• Will you be able to pay in full by the deadline, or do you need an extension of time to file?

When to refuse or refer

• Nonresident aliens who must file Form 1040-NR rather than Form 1040 are outside this Guide.
• Business entity returns (partnerships, corporations, trusts and estates filing their own returns) are outside this Guide, which covers only individual Form 1040/1040-SR preparation.
• State or local individual income tax returns are outside this Guide, which addresses only the federal Form 1040 process.
• Decedents' final returns, gift tax (Form 709), and expatriation filings (Form 8854) involve additional rules not addressed here.
• Any figure for tax year 2026 that the IRS has not yet published on an allowed host (so that only a 2025-year figure could be sourced) should be flagged to the reviewing accountant before the return is finalized.

Sources

• https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2026-including-amendments-from-the-one-big-beautiful-bill
• https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc301
• https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p509.pdf
• https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/who-needs-to-file-a-tax-return
• https://www.irs.gov/publications/p501
• https://www.irs.gov/filing/individuals/how-to-file
• https://www.irs.gov/individual-tax-filing
• https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/act-now-to-file-pay-or-request-an-extension
• https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040