Taxes For Dummies

Introduction 1 Part 1: Getting Ready to File 5 Chapter 1: Understanding the U.S Tax System 7 Chapter 2: Tax Return Preparation Options and Tools 19 Chapter 3: Getting and Staying Organized 31 Chapter 4: What Kind of Taxpayer Are You? 43 Part 2: Tackling the Main Forms 67 Chapter 5: All The Form 1040s: Income Stuff 69 Chapter 6: Form 1040, Schedule 1, Part I: Additional Income 107 Chapter 7: Form 1040, Schedule 1, Part II: Adjustments to Income Stuff 125 Chapter 8: Form 1040, Schedule 2: Additional Taxes 151 Chapter 9: Form 1040, Schedule 3: Adding Up Your Credits and Payments 165 Chapter 10: Finishing Up the 1040 177 Part 3: Filling Out Schedules and Other Forms 195 Chapter 11: Itemized Deductions: Schedule A 197 Chapter 12: Interest and Dividend Income: Form 1040, Schedule B 235 Chapter 13: Business Tax Schedules: C and F 253 Chapter 14: Capital Gains and Losses: Schedule D and Form 8949 295 Chapter 15: Supplemental Income and Loss: Schedule E 327 Chapter 16: Giving Credits Where Credits Are Due 345 Chapter 17: Other Schedules and Forms to File 361 Part 4: Audits and Errors: Dealing with the IRS 381 Chapter 18: Dreaded Envelopes: IRS Notices, Assessments, and Audits 383 Chapter 19: Fixing Mistakes the IRS Makes 405 Chapter 20: Fixing Your Own Mistakes 421 Part 5: Year-Round Tax Planning 445 Chapter 21: Tax-Wise Personal Finance Decisions 447 Chapter 22: Trimming Taxes with Retirement Accounts 457 Chapter 23: Small-Business Tax Planning 477 Chapter 24: Your Investments and Taxes 495 Chapter 25: Real Estate and Taxes 511 Chapter 26: Children and Taxes 529 Chapter 27: Estate Planning 543 Part 6: The Part of Tens 555 Chapter 28: Ten Tips for Reducing Your Chances of Being Audited 557 Chapter 29: Ten Overlooked Opportunities to Trim Your Taxes 563 Chapter 30: Ten (Plus One) Tax Tips for Military Families 569 Chapter 31: Ten Interview Questions for Tax Advisors 575 Appendix: Glossary 581 Index 595

Eric Tyson is the author of all previous editions of Taxes For Dummies, as well as bestselling titles like Personal Finance For Dummies and Investing For Dummies.

Margaret Atkins Munro is an enrolled agent with decades of experience in handling tax cases. She has been a coauthor of Taxes For Dummies since 2005.