Form 1040A Filing Checklist for Tax Year 2014
Overview and Eligibility
Form 1040A provides a simplified filing option for taxpayers with straightforward tax situations. For 2014, you must have taxable income under $100,000, income from approved sources only, no self-employment or business income, and claim the standard deduction rather than itemize.
Income Source Requirements
Your income must come exclusively from wages, salaries, tips, taxable interest, ordinary dividends, capital gain distributions, taxable scholarships, pensions, annuities, IRA distributions, unemployment compensation, Alaska Permanent Fund dividends, and taxable Social Security or railroad retirement benefits. Any self-employment income, partnership distributions, S corporation income, estate or trust income, or business income requires Form 1040.
Deduction and Credit Limitations
You must use the standard deduction and cannot itemize. Permitted adjustments to income include educator expenses of up to $250, IRA deduction, student loan interest deduction of up to $2,500, and tuition and fees deduction of up to $4,000, using Form 8917. Available credits are limited to child and dependent care expenses, elderly or disabled credit, education credits, retirement savings contributions credit, child tax credit, earned income credit, additional child tax credit, and premium tax credit.
Key 2014 Tax Provisions
The personal exemption amount for 2014 is $3,950 per exemption. Standard deduction amounts are $6,200 for single or married filing separately, $12,400 for married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er), and $9,100 for head of household. Taxpayers aged 65 or older or blind receive an additional standard deduction of $1,550 for single filers or the head of household, or $1,200 for married individuals filing jointly or separately, per condition.
The 2014 tax year introduced individual responsibility requirements for healthcare. You must indicate health care coverage on line 38, claim an exemption using Form 8965, or make a shared responsibility payment. The premium tax credit became available for those enrolling through the Health Insurance Marketplace, requiring Form 8962 if advance payments were made.
Ten-Step Filing Process
Step 1: Verify Eligibility and Gather Documentation
Confirm that your taxable income will not exceed $100,000, and you have no self-employment income. Collect all Forms W-2 from employers, Forms 1099-INT for interest income, 1099-DIV for dividends, 1099-R for retirement distributions, 1099-G for unemployment compensation, and SSA-1099 for Social Security benefits. Verify you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien. If you received payments under a Medicaid waiver program for caring for someone in your home, determine if these payments may be excludable from income.
Step 2: Determine Filing Status
Select your filing status: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household, or qualifying widow(er) with dependent child. Confirm your status qualifies for Form 1040A use. If you were born on January 1, 1950, you are considered age 65 at the end of 2014 for standard deduction purposes.
Step 3: Report All Income Sources
Enter wages from all Forms W-2 on line 7. Attach all W-2 forms to the front of your return. Report taxable interest on line 8a in Form 1099-INT. Enter ordinary dividends on line 9a and qualified dividends on line 9b from Form 1099-DIV. Report capital gain distributions on line 10.
Report total IRA distributions on line 11a and the taxable portion on line 11b using the instruction worksheets. Enter total pension or annuity distributions on line 12a and the taxable amount on line 12b. Report unemployment compensation and Alaska Permanent Fund dividends on line 13 from Form 1099-G.
Calculate and enter total Social Security benefits on line 14a and the taxable portion on line 14b using worksheets in the instructions. Social Security benefits become taxable when combined income exceeds $32,000 for married couples filing jointly or $25,000 for single filers.
If combined taxable interest and ordinary dividends exceed $1,500, complete and attach Schedule B, listing each source with payer information and amounts received. Total all income lines and enter them on line 15.
Step 4: Claim Permitted Adjustments to Income
Enter educator expenses on line 16 if you are a kindergarten through grade 12 teacher, instructor, counselor, principal, or aide who worked at least 900 hours during 2014 and purchased unreimbursed classroom supplies. Maximum deduction is $250 per eligible educator. If married filing jointly with both spouses as eligible educators, the maximum combined deduction is $500, but neither spouse can exceed $250 individually.
Enter IRA deduction on line 17 for contributions to traditional IRAs. Use instruction worksheets if you or your spouse has employer retirement plan coverage to determine deductible amounts based on income limitations.
Enter the deduction for student loan interest on line 18, limited to $2,500 for qualified education loan interest paid in 2014. This deduction phases out at higher income levels, as per the instruction worksheets.
Enter the tuition and fees deduction on line 19 for qualified higher education expenses—complete Form 8917 to calculate the allowable deduction, maximum $4,000, and attach it to your return. Total lines 16 through 19 and enter on line 20. Subtract line 20 from line 15 to calculate adjusted gross income on line 21.
Step 5: Apply Standard Deduction
Enter adjusted gross income from line 21 on line 22. Select the appropriate boxes on line 23 if you or your spouse was age 65 or older or blind as of December 31, 2014. Enter the standard deduction on line 24 based on your filing status. For 2014, base amounts are $6,200 for single or married filing separately, $12,400 for married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er), and $9,100 for head of household.
If you were age 65 or older or blind, add $1,550 per condition if single or head of household, or $1,200 per condition if married. If both are age 65 or older and blind, claim both additional amounts. Subtract line 24 from line 22 and enter the result on line 25. If the standard deduction exceeds adjusted gross income, enter zero.
Step 6: Calculate Exemptions
Multiply the number of exemptions from line 6d by $3,950 and enter on line 26. Each personal and dependency exemption equals $3,950 for 2014. Subtract line 26 from line 25 and enter taxable income on line 27. If exemptions exceed line 25, enter zero.
Step 7: Calculate Tax and Claim Nonrefundable Credits
Calculate tax on line 28 using the tax tables provided in instructions or Publication 17. Check if you owe an alternative minimum tax or a refund of education credit. Claim the child and dependent care expenses credit on line 29—complete Form 2441 documenting provider names, identification numbers, addresses, and amounts paid. Attach Form 2441.
Claim credit for the elderly or disabled on line 30 if age 65 or older, or under 65 and retired on permanent disability. Complete Schedule R with the required worksheets and attach it. Claim education credits on line 31. Complete Form 8863 for American Opportunity Credit, providing up to $2,500 per eligible student enrolled at least half-time in the first four years of post-secondary education, with a 40 percent refundable up to $1,000, or Lifetime Learning Credit providing up to $2,000 per return. Both credits phase out between $80,000 and $90,000 modified AGI for single filers, $160,000 to $180,000 for married filing jointly. Attach Form 8863.
Claim retirement savings contributions credit on line 32 if you made eligible retirement contributions and meet income limitations. Maximum modified AGI is $28,750 for single, $43,125 for head of household, or $57,500 for married filing jointly. Complete Form 8880 and attach.
Claim child tax credit on line 33, providing $1,000 per qualifying child under age 17 with a valid Social Security number who lived with you more than half the year—total credits on line 34. Subtract line 34 from line 28 and enter on line 35. If credits exceed tax, enter zero.
Step 8: Complete Health Care Requirements
On line 38, indicate whether you and your dependents had qualifying health care coverage for all of 2014, claim an exemption, or make a shared responsibility payment. If claiming an exemption, attach Form 8965. This requirement applies to all U.S. citizens and resident aliens, regardless of location.
Step 9: Report Payments and Refundable Credits
Enter federal income tax withheld from Forms W-2 and 1099-R on line 40. Enter 2014 estimated tax payments plus any 2013 overpayment applied to 2014 on line 41.
Claim earned income credit on line 42 if eligible. For 2014, income limits are $14,590 for a single with no children ($20,020 for married couples), $38,511 for one child ($43,941 for married couples), $43,756 for two children ($49,186 for married couples), and $46,997 for three or more children ($52,427 for married couples). Maximum credits are $496 for no children, $3,305 for one child, $5,460 for two children, and $6,143 for three or more children. Investment income must not exceed $3,350. Complete Schedule EIC if claiming with children and attach.
Claim the additional child tax credit on line 43—complete Schedule 8812 for the refundable portion of the child tax credit. Attach Schedule 8812. Claim the refundable American Opportunity Credit on line 44 from Form 8863. Up to $1,000 is refundable when the credit exceeds tax liability after other credits.
Claim the premium tax credit on line 45 if you, your spouse, or a dependent enrolled in health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Complete Form 8962 and attach. If advance payments were made, you must file Form 8962 to reconcile. Total lines 40 through 45 and enter on line 46. Subtract line 35 from line 46 and enter overpayment on line 47. If line 35 exceeds line 46, calculate the amount owed instead.
Step 10: Determine Refund or Amount Owed
For a refund, enter the amount on line 48a. Provide the bank routing number, account type, and account number for direct deposit, which typically processes refunds within 21 business days. Use Form 8888 to split refunds among multiple accounts. Enter any overpayment to apply to 2015 estimated taxes on line 49.
If the amount is owed, subtract line 46 from line 35 and enter the result on line 50. Include Form 1040-V payment voucher when mailing payment. Calculate the estimated tax penalty on line 51 if applicable for underpayment of estimated taxes during 2014.
Assembly and Filing Requirements
Sign and date the return. Both spouses must sign joint returns. Enter occupation and daytime phone number. If using a paid preparer, the preparer must sign, enter their Preparer Tax Identification Number, and complete the paid preparer section.
Attach all Forms W-2 to the front of your return. Include all required schedules: Schedule B if interest or dividends exceed $1,500, Form 8863 for education credits, Form 8917 for tuition and fees adjustment, Form 2441 for dependent care credit, Schedule R for elderly or disabled credit, Form 8880 for retirement savings credit, Schedule 8812 for child tax credit or additional child tax credit, Schedule EIC for earned income credit with children, Form 8962 for premium tax credit, and Form 8965 for health coverage exemption.
Mail the completed return to the IRS address specified in the instructions for your state by April 15, 2015. Request an extension using Form 4868 if additional time is needed, although the extension does not extend the payment deadline.
Need Help With Your Tax Filing?
If you’re missing tax documents or want to ensure the numbers you enter match IRS records, we can help.
We offer:
- Full IRS transcript retrieval (Wage & Income + Account)
- Professional tax form review
- Preparation & filing support
- Tax relief options if you owe the IRS
Call now before filing: (888) 260-9441
Fast transcript pull available
This checklist is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice. Always review official IRS instructions and consult a qualified professional for guidance.
