Tax Amendment, Amended Tax Return

In order to make changes or add additional tax information to an efiled or filed tax return that has been accepted by the IRS, a taxpayer is required to file a tax amendment.

If your federal tax return has been filed or efiled with, and accepted, by the IRS, and you need to add more tax information (e.g., income from a W2 or 1099, an additional dependent, etc.) to your income tax return or correct a mistake, you have to file (MAIL IN) a tax amendment. An amended return is filed using Federal Tax Amendment Form 1040X. You can also amend tax returns from previous years with this same form. You can amend an already filed or efiled tax return at any time.

Currently, you CANNOT efile a tax amendment, since the IRS does not accept tax amendments via electronic submission.

Generally, for a tax credit or tax refund, a tax amendment has to be filed within 3 years of the date the original tax return was efiled or filed or within two years of the date you paid the tax, whichever is later. A tax return filed early is considered filed on the tax due date.

You can open Federal Tax Amendment Form 1040X and complete the form with Adobe Reader, and when you are done, print, sign and mail in the form. The mailing address is on Form 1040X.

How to Change or Amend an IRS Accepted Income Tax Return

1. If you are expecting a refund, you should wait until you receive the refund before you amend your tax return. This allows for any changes or corrections the IRS may have made to your return. Please check the status of your efiled or filed federal tax return.

2. If you efiled your tax return through efile.com and your return has been accepted by the IRS, please download and/or print your accepted return from your efile.com account. Sign in here and click on the PRINT or E-FILE link and download/print your tax return. For record keeping purposes, make sure you store your tax return safely on your computer and as a hard copy.

Once you have your efiled/filed tax return in front of you, then retrieve/open or download the Federal Tax Amendment Form 1040X.

You can open 1040X on your computer screen and fill in the form using your keyboard. Simply move your cursor over the field and use your keyboard to fill in the information.

Make sure you have your tax return (1040, 1040A or 1040EZ) and Form 1040X in front of you.

In column A of Form 1040X, please enter the amounts from your original return.

In column B, enter the adjusted new amounts. When finished, PRINT, SIGN, and MAIL (postal address is listed on Form 1040X) Form 1040X, including any schedules if necessary. You can also call the IRS at 1(800) 829-1040 to find out if your case or tax return requires any additional information.

You are not quite done yet. If you efiled your return through efile.com, please make sure you go back to your stored efile.com tax return and update or correct it to reflect the information that you entered on your amended return--otherwise your data for next year's return will not be up-to-date.

Sign in to your efile.com account and update the different tabs of your current tax return and make your corrections to the original return. Once you have done this, calculate the return and PRINT a copy. As mentioned above, you cannot efile these changes. Making these changes ensures that your tax return reflects the tax amendment you filed.

Download/print this return and keep it with your tax records. Mark the file as "Completed-Tax-Return-with-Amendment."

When you sign off from your return on efile.com, your tax information will be updated. Next year, your return on efile.com will show the correct amounts that you filed for the current tax year return.

Again, remember to keep copies of the amended return and Form 1040X for your files.

If you are filing Form 1040X in response to a notice you received from the IRS, mail it to the address shown on that notice.

More details on eFile and filing a tax amendment.

How to Change or Amend a State Accepted Income Tax Return

Please view the state tax agency pages to find out the specific requirements for amending your state tax return. The state forms and instructions for completing a state amended return are available from each state's tax administration site.

Please contact eFile if you have additional questions.

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