How to file a U.S. Tax Return: documents and new developments in 2025

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The drive for US tax returns has already started. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has stated that citizens will have until April 15, 2025, to submit the required paperwork and prevent penalties from Social Security. But according to the agency itself, this procedure can also be completed independently, preventing mistakes and eliminating the need to physically visit the administration’s offices.

The Internal Revenue Service of the United States itself states that there are free tools available to prepare and determine the outcome of the tax return for the year in question. This allows the employee to determine in advance their income for the tax year and, consequently, determine whether the tax agency will deduct or return money. Additionally, as the IRS itself says, refund delays can be avoided if this process is completed online.

2025 tax return in the United States

Collect the required paperwork.

• If you are a full-time employee, your employers should have sent you Form W-2 by January 31st. It shows the salary you earned during the year, as well as the taxes withheld.
• If you are self-employed or work on a contract basis, you may receive a 1099-NEC form with details of what you earned. You may also receive documents showing dividends or interest earned on investments.
• If you are a university student, you will receive form 1098-T which shows how much you paid in tuition, as well as any amount you received in grants or scholarships, to help you calculate deductions and credits related to educational expenses.
• Receipts for charitable donations, medical expenses and business expenses, if you make an itemized statement.

Finding out if someone is married

According to the IRS, your marital status is used to calculate your correct tax, standard deduction, eligibility for certain credits, and filing requirements for tax returns.

As a result, you will require information regarding your marital status, which is based on whether you are legally married in the United States. Additionally needed is your spouse’s year of death, if appropriate. According to the tax agency, the choice you should select on your return also depends on the percentage of household costs you pay.

How to file your tax return?

For easier and more accurate online return filing, the IRS advises using tax preparation software.

• If your adjusted gross income is $73,000 or less, you have the option of doing it for free and on your own through Free File, a tool that allows you to prepare and file your federal income tax return online on the website of an IRS partner or using Free File Fillable Forms. The software usually includes step-by-step instructions and help for taxpayers.
• You can use an electronic filing provider authorized by the IRS online filing program, which are qualified to prepare, transmit and process returns online.
• Paper tax return sent by regular mail.
• The IRS offers free tax help to people with low incomes, members of the Armed Forces and their families, people with disabilities, the elderly or taxpayers with limited English proficiency.

Settling debts with the IRS

You can use the IRS website to make online tax payments if you owe the IRS money. We accept installment plans and full or partial payments. The tax agency claims that until you pay the entire amount owed, fines and interest will keep mounting.

File your tax return by the deadline

This year, you have until April 15 to file your return. However, because to the Patriots and Emancipation Days holidays, residents of Massachusetts and Maine have until April 17, 2025.