Where Can I Find Free Tax Forms?

You can get most federal tax forms from the Internal Revenue Service’s web site, www.irs.gov. Just be sure to grab the right year’s version of the form. For example, if you’re filing your 2004 individual tax return, use the 2004 version of the 1040 form. Similarly, if you’re filing a 2003 fiscal year tax return for a corporation, use the 2003 1120 form. (Tip: While you’re grabbing the right form, also get the instructions for completing that form.)

Some IRS tax forms aren’t available from the Internal Revenue Service web site. For example, the 1099 and W-2 federal tax forms aren’t really available. You can only grab a facsimile of the 1099 or W-2 form from the IRS’s web site—and that facsimile can’t be used for preparing actual 1099 or W-2 irs tax forms. Instead, you need to use 1099 and W-2 federal tax forms that have been printed using machine readable ink. Therefore, you’ll need to get these forms from your local office supplies store.

Let me share two other tips regarding federal tax forms:

1. If you’re working with the most current version of the QuickBooks software program, you can typically print 1099s and W-2s on regular paper direct from the QuickBooks program. (Refer to the QuickBooks online help for more information.)
2. Forms often aren’t available until late in the tax year or in some cases after the tax year ends. When you need a federal tax form that’s not yet available, you’ll just need to wait until the irs tax form is available.