Tax Form Guides
Plain-English explainers for the IRS forms taxpayers actually search for — updated for 2026, grounded in irs.gov sources, with calculators that do the math.
Wage and Tax Statement
Every box explained, plus the 2026 changes: new codes TA, TP, and TT and the Box 14a/14b split.
Request for Taxpayer ID & Certification
The form contractors give clients so the payer has their TIN for Form 1099. No W-9? The payer still files the 1099 and must backup-withhold 24% on reportable payments. Updated for the 2026 $2,000 threshold.
Employee's Withholding Certificate
How to dial in paycheck withholding for 2026 — every step explained, plus a calculator.
All 1099 Types Explained
NEC, MISC, K, INT, DIV, B, R, G, SA — what each one reports and how it flows into your return.
Schedule K-1 (Pass-through Income)
Partnership, S-corp, and trust K-1s — what each box means and the QBI traps to watch.
Mortgage Interest Statement
When the mortgage interest deduction actually beats the standard deduction in 2026.
Health Insurance Marketplace Statement
Columns A, B, and C decoded — the SLCSP figure that drives Form 8962 and the 2026 return of the 400% FPL cliff.
IRA Contribution Information
Why it arrives in May, what the boxes mean, and the new $7,500 IRA limit for 2026.
Retirement Distributions & Box 7 Codes
Every box 7 distribution code decoded, plus all 23 Form 5329 exceptions to the 10% early-withdrawal tax.
Profit or Loss From Business
The gig and freelance form, line by line — Part II expense categories, home office, and the hobby-loss line.
Self-Employment Tax
The 92.35% factor, the 12.4% wage-base cap, uncapped Medicare, and the deductible half.
1099-NEC vs 1099-MISC
Which form, which box — plus the reporting threshold that rises from $600 to $2,000 for 2026 payments.
Capital Gains Reporting
When you can summarize on Schedule D, when Form 8949 is required, and every adjustment code.
Schedule 1 — Additional Income & Adjustments
Where unemployment, alimony, business income, and above-the-line deductions live on the 1040.
Need the actual PDF?
Our forms library links the most-used IRS forms and instructions, straight from irs.gov. For anything else, use the IRS forms search at irs.gov/forms-instructions.
Open the Forms LibraryFigures on all 13 form guides were checked September 8, 2026 against the IRS forms and instructions each guide cites; every guide lists its sources under its FAQ.
Sources & References
Primary references used for this content
U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
The return itself, plus every numbered schedule
View on irs.gov
Line-by-line instructions
Official line-by-line guidance, including Schedule 1
View on irs.gov
✓2 primary sources; links re-checked on a weekly rotation by the source watcher