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IRS cancels postcard-sized income tax return

According to a recent article [1] from The CPA Practice Advisor, plans to provide taxpayers with a postcard-sized Form 1040 have been officially scrapped. The IRS is now working on a version that‘s shorter than the traditional 1040, but looks more like the typical tax return you’re used to.

Proponents of tax simplification have bandied about the idea for a postcard-type 1040 for years. It came closer to fruition when the massive Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was enacted at the end of 2017. Supporters of the legislation, including the Trump administration, bragged that taxpayers would be able to file a return on a single small sheet of paper. Despite the TCJA changes, however, the IRS still requires more information than what can be entered on just a few lines.

After the 2018 tax filing season—the first year most of the TCJA provisions affecting individuals went into effect—the IRS rolled out a prototype replacing old forms 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ. It wasn’t quite the size of a postcard but it was definitely shorter than those other forms. Yet it didn’t really cut down on the paperwork. 

In fact, the new version required taxpayers to complete six additional forms and schedules that would have to be inserted into an envelope. This could lead to additional complexity and confusion and, ultimately, more errors. What’s more, the vast majority of taxpayers now file returns electronically, reducing the need for a postcard-sized 1040.

Taking its cue from the tax community, which generally objected to the prototype as being wasteful and inefficient, the IRS has announced that is abandoning its earlier effort and working on a new version that more closely resembles the traditional 1040.

The IRS is accepting public commentary on the new 1040 until August 15. It expects to have a final form in place by November.