Tax Return Transcript

The most common type of tax record is the Tax Return Transcript. Most people will need this when applying for mortgages and student loans. It will show most of the information from your tax return including:

• Your adjusted gross income (AGI)

  Your AGI is the amount of money you made in a year, minus certain deductions. These deductions are most commonly referred to "pre-tax money" such as income you put towards certain retirement accounts, health insurance, and alimony payments.

• Most line items from the tax return you filed (such as how much you put toward retirement plans, amount of alimony paid, and tuition credits)
• Filing status (such as single or "married filing jointly")
• Dependents

It does not show any changes you made after filing your original return.

Wage and Income Transcript

This type of tax record shows information about money you earned in a year including the information provided on:

• W2
• 1099
• 1098
• Form 4598
• IRA Contributions

This information may not be complete until July of the following year.

Verification of Non-Filing Letter

This letter shows that the IRS doesn’t have a tax return (Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040-EZ) filed by you in a certain year. This doesn’t prove that you didn’t owe taxes for that year—it just shows that the IRS did not receive a tax return from you. This may be needed when you’re applying for loans or benefits and services such as housing and food assistance.

Learn about other types of tax records

How do I get a record of my taxes?

Resources

• If you moved since you last filed, submit a Change of Address (Form 8822).

• Get tax records for someone else using Power of Attorney (Form 4506-T).