Contents
Introduction ........................................................
2
Where Do My Tax Dollars Go? .........................
2
How Is My Tax Figured? ...................................
2
How Do I Pay My Tax? ......................................
3
How Does My Employer Decide How Much To
Withhold? ..................................................
3
What If My Withholding Does Not Match My
Tax? ..........................................................
3
Can I Ask My Employer Not To Withhold Tax?
4
Must I File a Return? .........................................
4
What Kinds of Income Are Taxable? ...............
5
Pay for Services Performed ............................
5
Self-Employment Income .................................
6
Investment Income ..........................................
6
Taxable Scholarships and Fellowships ...........
7
Other Income ...................................................
8
What Can I Deduct on My Return? ..................
8
What Can I Subtract From My Tax? .................
8
How Do I File a Return? ....................................
9
Putting Your Return Together .........................
9
Alternative Filing Methods ...............................
10
What Tax Records Should I Keep? ..................
10
When Will I Get My Refund? .............................
10
Sample Tax Forms .............................................
10
Form W–4 ........................................................
10
Form 1040EZ ...................................................
11
Schedule C–EZ ................................................
12
How To Get More Information? ........................
12
Important Changes
for 1999
Photographs of missing children. The Internal Rev-
enue Service is a proud partner with the National Cen-
ter for Missing and Exploited Children. Photographs of
missing children selected by the Center may appear in
this publication on pages that would otherwise be blank.
You can help bring these children home by looking at
the photographs and calling 1–800–THE–LOST
(1–800–843–5678) if you recognize a child.
Child tax credit. You may be able to claim a tax credit
of up to $500 for each of your qualifying children under
the age of 17. See Child tax credit, later.
Interest on student loans. You may be able to deduct
up to $1,500 for interest paid on a qualified student
loan. See Deductible student loan interest, later.
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Publication 4
Cat. No. 46073X
Student's
Guide
to
Federal
Income Tax
For use in preparing
1999 Returns
