Dear All,\n\n In prior years, I have been doing taxes using just the 1040 booklet and calculate all the numbers on my own.  This year, I bought a software and to much of my surprised, I actually should have itemize my deductions vs. taking the standard deductions.  This saved me about $500 in taxes.\n\nI realized that I had overpaid 2004 taxes because I used standard deductions, rather than itemize my deductions.  Can I amend my 2004 tax returns and use itemize deductions so I can get some refund back for both Federal and State(CA)?\n\nIf so, which forms should i use?\n\nThanks\n\nKaya
125051
Yes you have three years from when you file to amend your taxes. You would file a 1040X. You can probably find it on the website www.irs.gov or go to a local H&R Block and have them do a FREE double check challenge. They only charge you if they get you more money back or save you more money on your taxes. If you do it on your own, then the 1040X is what you would file.
202475
Tax laws change from year to year ... best get a new copy and write it off on your taxes. \n\nMake sure the shortcut points to the correct folder. You might have to re-install it but save last year's return first.
557504
Check out the irs.com for all forms and instructions.  If you were a US expat working in India, it was right to file. You can just file an amendment and claim refunds.
164187
I used H&R Block in Chicago (Lincoln Park).  I had complicated tax issues because I had recently changed jobs, sold a mutual fund, and moved from one city to another.  My original try at using TurboTax returned a strange result--it suggested that I owed several thousand dollars, despite my expectation that I should be getting a refund.  The tax professional I worked with at H&R Block was very helpful and when he finished my taxes, it turned out that I was entitled to a significant refund after all.  Well worth the $250 it cost to have my taxes prepared.
34919
I would have your taxes prepared by a professional this year. It will help you with this unusual situation. Try H&R Block, if you don't want to use them, perhaps they can just answer the question over the phone.
527910
I'm an accountant.  You can easily do your taxes yourself.  Now that you have a home you'll probably be itemizing your deductions.  You can now deduct your mortgage interest, property taxes, state income taxes, if any, and charitable contributions.  I use TaxAct.  It's really easy.  All you have to do is answer the questions and fill in the information.  And it's pretty inexpensive.  I think I paid $15 to file both Federal & State last year.  Don't use a professional.  They'll charge you a couple hundred dollars AND they'll use the same kind of software as TaxAct or TurboTax.  Good luck.
17102
You might be able to deduct them, as you would if you had a home office, but only in proportion to the amount you use them for work versus personal use.  If you use them 100% for work, then you could take the total cost.  If you use them also for personal use, it can get tricky and the IRS can come after you to check it out.  (Some years ago they were cracking down on people claiming home offices; not sure what the situation is today).
62924
I used TurboTax since before Intuit bought them out (it used to be a company called ChipSoft).  A couple of years ago I got fed up with the ever-increasing price of TurboTax and the rig-a-ma-role I had to put up with to get my rebates.  I finally switched to TaxCut by H&R Block.  \n\nBut your question is about TurboTax.  Whether it's worth it or not probably depends on your tax situation.  If you typically fill out the 1040-EZ form, TurboTax is definitely a waste of money.  If you typically fill out the 1040 long form, then TurboTax is probably a good investment (and quite possibly tax-deductible on next year's return).\n\nThe deluxe versions of all the programs include a free e-filing with a rebate.
58533
Too many people confuse the tax deductability of mortgage interest with being a huge benefit that one should keep.\n\nYou are always, always, **always** better off not to pay the interest in the first place, whether it is tax deductable or not.\n\nMany people also ignore the fact that if you don't itemize, you still get the standard deduction even if you don't have a mortgage. This new standardized deduction will replace your itemized deduction making the loss of the deduction that much less noticable.\n\nSo do it, and congratulations!
108152
I can HIGHLY recommend Turbottax for this question and ALL your taxes. It will print out all the paperwork for you and you can even send it in online instead of mailing it.\n\nhttp://www.turbotax.com/\n\nI am self-employed and have about four or five forms to fill out and it does them all for me perfectly.\nIt walks you through it and answers all your questions and asks all questions such as "Did you sell any real estate this past year?" It then asks what you paid and what you sold it for. You can answer Yes and see what it does ,if it puts in any amount you have to  pay. This is one great thing about it. You can try different things and dollar amounts and watch and see how it affects how much tax you have to pay. Then you can go back and change it and try some other amount.\nYou can download it online for $20.\n\nI can't do my taxes without it at all. Been using it for years and do mom's taxes with it too.\nYou can also buy it in office supply stores like Staples and Office Depot. It is SO worth the $20!
60462
For most people in your situation: add up all state taxes paid or withheld during the year, property and real estate taxes paid, interest paid on a mortgage, charitable contributions. If greater than $5,000, itemize.\nMedical expenses are only counted if they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.  If you make $40,000, then only the amount of medical expenses over $3,000 can be included as an itemized deduction.\nCar and credit card loan interest do not count towards this.\nDo not use the "average itemized deductions" reported by TurboTax and others.  If you do not have documentation for your expenses and you are audited, you will be paying penalties and interest.\nBusiness expenses will NOT affect your itemized deductions.  They are reported on a separate schedule.  However, unreimbursed expenses you pay as an employee can be included as itemized deductions if they are greater than 2% of your adjusted gross income (line 37).
29466
The safest (and maybe smartest) way to approach this is to look into filing a 1040ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals.  It helps you estimate what your income not subject to withholding (such as your business) will be, and to calculate the estimated tax payment so you can make quarterly payments to the IRS.\n\nThis is advisable because if you under-withhold based on your income, you can be penalized by the IRS for it.  Here is a link to the form and its instructions.  You'll need Adobe Acrobat and/or its web plug-in to view it:
162959
Wow, I wish I had a solid answer for you but tax laws are so squirrelly, and they vary from state to state. I can tell you that you want to be very careful to take the correct steps because nothing hurts you (or your wallet) like IRS trouble. Consider a consultation with a CPA or tax agency. These guys are worth their weight in gold, and usually know what your business needs long before you do.\n\nYou can also ask your questions here: http://www.irs.gov/\n\nAnd here's a real, legal list of deductions for the self-employed: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/arti...\n\n\n\nBest of luck with this,\n~Tia~
204141
You should probably change your withholding so that it is more in line with your new situation.  If done correctly, it will end up so that you get more in your paycheck each week, but a smaller refund next year.\n\nBecause you are now married, you need to either file "married filing jointly" or "married filing separately".  It is tough to tell whether your tax will go up or down without more information, it you were going from single to married, total tax between you/spouse would probably go down.  But since it's HOH->married, it might go up.\n\nTypically, couples are better off filing jointly than separately, but that must be decided based on your circumstances.  I'd try both ways, and file whichever way gets you the lowest taxes.
389947
If you are referring to your W-4 form that you fill out and return to your employer, they are called "withholding allowances", and like most other said, you should be VERY safe claiming 3...one for each person you support including yourself.  You should also enter "Married".\n\nHowever, doing the simple worksheet attached to the form is a wonderful idea.  It will probably have you claim more like 5 or 6.  Why?  Well, depending on your income, you could get certain credits which lower your tax liability.  If you want more now and less when you file your return, you may want to choose a higher withholding allowance.  If you don't need the money now and want a higher refund, choose 3.
219078
First of all, the "marriage penalty" is actually a married benefit now.  The tax rates are different for married couples in a positive way, as you can tell by looking at pages 65-76 of the 1040 instructions (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040.pdf).  \n\nSecond, I'm surprised that $1,600 didn't cover your taxes.  \n\nLooking up your tax in the tax table (assuming you took the standard deduction of $10,000 and the two personal exemptions you were allowed adding up to $6,400) for married filing jointly) the tax on the $8,600 of taxable income would be just $863, which is far less than the $1,600 that you say was withheld.  \n\nAnd yes, as previous answerers have mentioned, it is true that you can claim a zero on your W4, which would have given you withholding of somewhere between $1,850 and $2,000.  \n\nHowever, I think that I have proved that your empoyer did in fact pull out enough money to cover your income tax on the income you received from that employer.\n\nUnless your wife's income and other income in the return totaled over $7000 and you had no additional withholding, you should have got a refund this year.
432359
If you want just a blank form, sure, you can get it online at irs.gov.   I assume you're trying to get a copy of your actual return for that year.  There are instructions at irs.gov for that - type "copy of return" into the search box.  You can get a transcript, which gives the information from your return but not an actual copy, at no charge - for an actual copy, there is a charge.  Check with FAFSA - they'd probably accept the transcript.  It can take several weeks to get either though, you can't get it immediately.