What’s this tax form?
Look up any form that came in the mail. See what it means, where it goes on your return, and what to do with it.
Not sure which form you have?
Start with your year. Pick what happened, and see the forms it usually brings.
- W-2Your pay and the tax your employer already held back.Sent by: Your employerWhat every box means →
- W-2cA corrected W-2.Sent by: Your employer
- PaystubNot a tax form, but it shows the year so far.Sent by: Your employer
- 3921Incentive stock options you exercised.Sent by: Your employer
- 3922Shares bought through an employee stock plan.Sent by: Your employer
When to expect them
The latest each one should reach you. If it hasn’t by then, ask the sender.
Every tax form, by family
Forms with the same number work the same way. Every 1099 is money paid to you. Every 1098 is something you paid. Find the family, then the letter.
W-2 forms
Pay from a job, a corrected W-2, and gambling winnings.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| W-2 | Your pay and the tax your employer already held back. | Sent by: Your employer | Guide → |
| W-2c | A corrected W-2. | Sent by: Your employer | |
| W-2G | Gambling or lottery winnings. | Sent by: A casino or lottery |
1099 forms
Money paid to you that isn't a paycheck: contract work, interest, sales, benefits, withdrawals.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1099-A | A lender took back property; often arrives with a 1099-C. | Sent by: Your lender | |
| 1099-B | Stocks or funds you sold. | Sent by: Your brokerage | |
| 1099-C | A debt a lender canceled. | Sent by: Your lender | |
| 1099-CAP | Cash or stock you got when a company you own changed hands. | Sent by: The company | |
| 1099-DA | Crypto sold through a broker (new for 2025). | Sent by: Your crypto broker | |
| 1099-DIV | Dividends from stocks and funds. | Sent by: Your brokerage | |
| 1099-G | Unemployment benefits, or a state tax refund. | Sent by: Your state | Guide → |
| 1099-H | Advance payments of the health coverage tax credit. | Sent by: Your health plan | |
| 1099-INT | Interest your bank paid you. | Sent by: Your bank | |
| 1099-K | Card and app payments that reached you. | Sent by: An app or card processor | |
| 1099-LS | You sold a life insurance policy to a buyer. | Sent by: The policy buyer | |
| 1099-LTC | Long-term care insurance benefits. | Sent by: Your insurer | |
| 1099-MISC | Rents, royalties, prizes and other odd payments. | Sent by: Whoever paid you | |
| 1099-NEC | What a client paid you as a contractor. | Sent by: A client | Guide → |
| 1099-OID | Discount interest on a bond, taxed like 1099-INT interest. | Sent by: Your brokerage | |
| 1099-PATR | Dividends from a co-op you belong to. | Sent by: Your co-op | |
| 1099-Q | Money out of a 529 plan. | Sent by: Your 529 plan | |
| 1099-QA | Money out of an ABLE account. | Sent by: Your ABLE plan | |
| 1099-R | Money out of a pension, 401(k) or IRA. | Sent by: Your plan or IRA | |
| 1099-S | Proceeds from selling a home or land. | Sent by: The closing agent | |
| 1099-SA | Money you took out of an HSA. | Sent by: Your HSA provider | |
| 1099-SB | Your basis in a life insurance policy that was sold. | Sent by: Your insurer |
Social Security and railroad benefits
Yearly statements of benefits. Up to 85% can be taxable.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| RRB-1099 | Railroad retirement benefits, like an SSA-1099. | Sent by: Railroad Retirement Board | |
| RRB-1099-R | A railroad pension, reported like a 1099-R. | Sent by: Railroad Retirement Board | |
| SSA-1099 | Your Social Security benefits for the year. | Sent by: Social Security | Guide → |
1098 forms
Things you paid that can lower your tax: mortgage interest, tuition, student loans, donations.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1098 | Mortgage interest you paid. | Sent by: Your mortgage lender | |
| 1098-C | You donated a car, boat or plane. | Sent by: The charity | |
| 1098-E | Student loan interest you paid. | Sent by: Your loan servicer | |
| 1098-F | Fines or settlements you paid to a court or agency. | Sent by: A court or agency | |
| 1098-MA | A state program helped pay your mortgage. | Sent by: Your state housing agency | |
| 1098-Q | A longevity annuity inside a retirement plan. | Sent by: Your retirement plan | |
| 1098-T | Tuition paid, for the education credits. | Sent by: Your school |
1095 forms
Health coverage. Only the 1095-A changes your federal tax.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1095-A | Marketplace insurance, to settle the premium credit. | Sent by: The Marketplace | |
| 1095-B | Proof you had health coverage. | Sent by: Your insurer | |
| 1095-C | Coverage your employer offered. | Sent by: Your employer |
5498 forms
Money you put into an IRA, HSA, ABLE or education account. Usually nothing to file.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5498 | IRA contributions and the account's value. | Sent by: Your IRA provider | |
| 5498-ESA | Contributions to a Coverdell education account. | Sent by: Your Coverdell trustee | |
| 5498-QA | Money into an ABLE account. | Sent by: Your ABLE plan | |
| 5498-SA | Money that went into an HSA. | Sent by: Your HSA provider |
Stock from your employer
Options you exercised and shares you bought. They set your cost when you sell.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3921 | Incentive stock options you exercised. | Sent by: Your employer | |
| 3922 | Shares bought through an employee stock plan. | Sent by: Your employer |
Other IRS forms
Partnerships, foreign income, bond credits and electric cars.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1042-S | US income paid to someone who is not a US resident. | Sent by: Whoever paid you | |
| 1097-BTC | Credits from a tax credit bond. | Sent by: The bond issuer | |
| Form 15400 | The dealer's report for an electric car credit. | Sent by: The car dealer | |
| Schedule K-1 | Your share of a partnership, S corp or trust. | Sent by: The partnership or trust |
From the IRS
Free records of what the IRS already has. The fix when a form is missing.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRS Tax Return transcript | The lines of a return you already filed. | Sent by: The IRS, on request | |
| IRS Wage & Income transcript | Every W-2 and 1099 the IRS has under your name. | Sent by: The IRS, on request |
Your own papers
Not IRS forms, but they prove numbers on your return.
| Form | What it is | Sent by | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closing disclosure | Buying or refinancing: price, points, prorated property tax. | Sent by: Your lender | |
| Depreciation schedule | Last preparer's list of every asset you're writing off. | Sent by: Your last preparer | |
| Donation receipt | Proof of a gift to charity. | Sent by: The charity | |
| Insurance declarations page | Your yearly premium on a rental or business policy. | Sent by: Your insurer | |
| Lease agreement | The rent a tenant agreed to pay you. | Sent by: You and your tenant | |
| Paystub | Not a tax form, but it shows the year so far. | Sent by: Your employer | |
| Platform tax summary | Uber, Lyft or DoorDash's own yearly summary: fees, tips, miles. | Sent by: Uber, Lyft, DoorDash | |
| Property tax bill | What your county charged on a home or rental. | Sent by: Your county |
Hand it over
Drop the pile. We put every box where it goes.
Start a return with the forms you have. You get a filled-in 1040 that you check, sign and mail. Free to start. The print-ready forms cost $99.