IRS Allows Electronic Filing of Form 1040-X

The IRS has announced that taxpayers can now file their Form 1040-X, Amended U.S Individual Income Tax Return, electronically using available tax software products. This form is used to amend various versions of Form 1040.

Making the 1040-X an electronically filed form had been a goal of the IRS for a number of years, the agency said, noting that tax professionals had long been recommending this change. Until the change, taxpayers had to mail a completed Form 1040-X to the IRS for processing. The new electronic option allows the IRS to receive amended returns faster while minimizing errors normally associated with manually completing the form.

“This new process is a major milestone for the IRS, and it follows hard work by people across the agency,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “E-filing has been one of the great success stories of the IRS, and more than 90% of taxpayers use it routinely. But the big hurdle that’s been remaining for years is to convert amended returns into this electronic process.” According to the IRS, taxpayers file about 3 million Forms 1040-X each year.

The new electronic filing option will provide the IRS with more complete and accurate data in an easily readable format to enable customer service representatives to answer taxpayers’ questions, said the agency. Taxpayers can still use the “Where’s My Amended Return?” online tool to check the status of their electronically-filed 1040-X.

You can now file Form 1040-X electronically with tax filing software to amend 2019 or 2020 Forms 1040 and 1040-SR. To do so, you must have e-filed your original 2019 or 2020 return. Additional enhancements are planned for the future, said the agency.

If there has been a change that you think might require an amended return, let us know, and we can walk you through the simplified process.