1040 forms or booklet not available

[frank]

I was looking in the usual places for federal 1040 forms and instruction booklets and could not find them. there was a card that said call a certain no. and they will be mailed to you. I called that no. and recieved a card in the mail that said what I had requested was unavailable. anyone know what that is about? curious why these and i'm sure other forms aren't available. is this some kind of propaganda to force people to e-file?

 

[rbmrtn]

Probably. I think the library used to have them. They can be downloaded from the website

Forms & Pubs

or they have an order form

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Forms-and-Publications-by-U.S.-Mail

 

[frank]

did the forms and pubs by mail and got the card that said they were unavailable and the local libraries and post offices don't have them.

 

[Lakedog]

did the forms and pubs by mail and got the card that said they were unavailable and the local libraries and post offices don't have them.

I ordered forms/instructions from the IRS website a few weeks ago. I received a card a few days later saying they were not yet available but would be mailed as soon as they were updated. Last week I received all of the docs I ordered. I mainly wanted a hard copy of the instruction booklet since I download the forms (from the IRS website) to complete electronically.

 

[kaneohe]

At least the Feds give you status info so that you know that your order was received. I never got that card after ordering online, but I did get some other forms I ordered (non 1040 series) so I knew that the order was received.

In contrast , my state gives nothing. If they think they're saving money by not confirming, they are wrong. After waiting as long as I could stand(5 wks), I reordered by phone instead of the original online order. As expected, the very next day the original order came and then yesterday the 2nd order.......kind of a waste.

 

[Midpack]

I take it this won't work? http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf

 

[scrabbler1]

I have been able to get most of the forms but not the 1040 instruction booklet. Form 8949, that new form which was part of Schedule D (cap gains) until last year, has never been available at libraries. I did download it and carefully printed it both sides of a single sheet of paper last year.

 

[frayne]

I visited the local IRS office and the Pub 17s are still not out.

 

[meierlde]

I have been able to get most of the forms but not the 1040 instruction booklet. Form 8949, that new form which was part of Schedule D (cap gains) until last year, has never been available at libraries. I did download it and carefully printed it both sides of a single sheet of paper last year.

It should be noted that the IRS will accept forms printed on single sides of paper, thats what the tax programs print out, unless you have a duplex printer. So there is no need to print the forms in duplex, the IRS does it to save paper. Note that another blog says that most forms filled out by tax preparers are single sided also (duplex printing is a PITA). Yes you will add a bit of postage, but the big deal is the certified mail return reciept item. (Done to have proof filed)

 

[gerrym51]

the 1040 instruction book is on irs.gov website we only printed certain pages needed

 

[frank]

the 1040 booklet is what I was looking for. I like to keep one around for checking.

 

[RustyShackleford]

is this some kind of propaganda to force people to e-file?

Well, there's a middle ground between using paper forms and e-filing, i.e. using software and printing and mailing the forms.

Do you really not want to use tax software ? I resisted it for awhile, but really glad I took the plunge - though my taxes are probably more complicated than most. There tons of free tax software (online Turbotax and stuff) and even the purchased versions can be very cheap if you share with friends.

I particularly wonder why you'd want paper instruction booklets since it appears you have internet access.

 

[youbet]

the 1040 booklet is what I was looking for. I like to keep one around for checking.

+1

Yep. I've been using TurboTax for years but still like to have the 1040 instructions and instructions for several of the schedules in paper form. It's easier for this ole dog to make margin notes, underline, highlight, etc. with a paper booklet.

 

[kaneohe]

+1

Yep. I've been using TurboTax for years but still like to have the 1040 instructions and instructions for several of the schedules in paper form. It's easier for this ole dog to make margin notes, underline, highlight, etc. with a paper booklet.

I also find searching for stuff is much easier w/ paper. Always feel like I'm looking thru a small tunnel when doing it online and it either takes forever to scroll to the right place or I zoom past it and miss it if I move too fast.

 

[gerrym51]

the entire 1040 book is at irs.gov. you could print it

 

[youbet]

the entire 1040 book is at irs.gov. you could print it

Yeah, I'm aware of that. It was just much, much simpler (for me anyway) to order the publications I was interested in and they'd arrive, at no cost to me, on my front porch within a week.

Just the preference of a geezer. I'm sure all the young folks are comfortable downloading the pdf's and sitting in their recliners with their laptops doing the reading. In those circumstances, I'm still more comfortable with the booklets in hand.

But, we do what we gotta do......

 

[gerrym51]

Yeah, I'm aware of that. It was just much, much simpler (for me anyway) to order the publications I was interested in and they'd arrive, at no cost to me, on my front porch within a week.

Just the preference of a geezer. I'm sure all the young folks are comfortable downloading the pdf's and sitting in their recliners with their laptops doing the reading. In those circumstances, I'm still more comfortable with the booklets in hand.

But, we do what we gotta do......

i'm 62-i download stuff all the time

 

[Lakedog]

I ordered the 1040 booklet online (irs.gov) - received it a couple of weeks ago so it is available.

 

[youbet]

i'm 62-i download stuff all the time

As do I. Although watching my printer run and run and run isn't all that entertaining.

It's not a matter of knowledge or ability, it'a a matter of preference and getting used to things I guess. For example, if I have a choice between reading a printed book or reading a book on my Kindle, I generally prefer the printed book. But I use the Kindle and do find it handy for bringing several books along while traveling or for reading in bed without a light on.

 

[gerrym51]

As do I. It's not a matter of knowledge or ability, it'a a matter of preference and getting used to things I guess. For example, if I have a choice between reading a printed book or reading a book on my Kindle, I generally prefer the printed book. But I use the Kindle and do find it handy for bringing several books along while traveling or for reading in bed without a light on.

i love my kindle-i got it to download-wait for it-comic books from amazon-anything superman related.

amazon prime is great also

 

[scrabbler1]

I don't mind downloading and printing forms (I do prefer the two-sided pages which are tricky to print; I know the IRS accepts one-sided pages of forms but I find it confusing to work with a mixture of 1-sided and 2-sided forms) but I don't want to print out a 200+ page instruction booklet such as the one for Form 1040 and other forms. It is nice to have a big booklet in PDF form because I can search for words in there. However, one of my searches failed to find all instances of a particular word (which was annoying).

 

[Original Wally]

Doesn't TT have the instructions available?