I need info on how to file the telephone tax deduction on my Income tax?

Question

My Mom Is filing and needs to know the info. Thanks

Answer 1

My husband and I thought that we needed special papers for the same deduction. We went to H&R Block and they said you don't need anything, they just automatically take it into consideration.

Answer 2

There's a line on the 1040EZ, 1040A, and 1040 forms in the PAYMENTS section to claim this. But you have to put the amount that you are eligible for on that line, or you won't get it. The line says "telephone excise tax credit" or something very close to that.

If you are eligible for the credit but are not filing a tax return, there's a form 1040EZ-T that you can file to get it. Do NOT file both that form and also file a tax return.

Answer 3

We used H & R Block online, and on one of the pages it had the telephone tax deduction listed and you just had to check the box in order to get it. I'm not sure how it works on a paper form.

Answer 4

if you paid federal excise tax on long-distance service or bundled service b/w March '03 and July '06 you could be entitled to a maximum credit of $60.

You can request a refund of the actual federal excise tax you paid based upon your telephone bills for this period. Or you can request the standard refund amount ranging from $30-$60 based upon the number of exemptions you claim on your individual income tax return.

Choosing the standard amount is optional. Using this option is the easiest way to get your refund and avoid gathering 41 months of old phone records. By choosing the standard amount you will only need to fill out one line on your tax return. The standard amount is based on actual telephone usage data and reflects the long-distance phone tax paid by similarly sized families or households. This is reported on line 71 of Form 1040.

Choosing to request the actual amount paid may be more beneficial for some taxpayers. To request a refund based upon the actual amount you paid, you must determine the amounts paid based on your phone bills. Figure the refund on Form 8913 and attach this form to your 2006 income tax return

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=134768,00.html

Answer 5

You only need the form 8913 if you think you will get back more than they say. But u have to look up in ur past phone bills for the tax.
30.00 for 1 household
40.00 for two in the household
50.00 for three and
60.00 for 4 in the household. Is what they go by to get your credit.

Answer 6

they have a small automatic amount for the credit for those that don't want to go through years of records. My in-laws got a whole $40!

Answer 7

go to the IRS website and put your question in it will tell you exactly how to do this.