Seasonal employees and paycheck checkups; When to file an amended tax return

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Issue Number:  2018-17

Inside This Issue

1. Encourage seasonal and part-year workers to check tax withholding amount soon
2. Amended tax returns can fix errors on already filed returns

1.  Encourage seasonal and part-year workers to check tax withholding amount soon

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made major changes to the tax law, which could affect how much an employee needs to have their employer withhold from their pay. Business owners should encourage seasonal and part-year staff to visit the Withholding Calculator on IRS.gov soon to do a “paycheck checkup.”

The calculator asks about the dates of employment and accounts for a part-year employee’s shorter employment rather than assuming that their weekly tax withholding amount would be applied to a full year. If the calculator results suggest the employee needs to change their withholding, the employee should complete a new Form W-4 and submit it to their employer as soon as possible.

More information is available in the May 9, 2018 IRS news release: Seasonal, part-year workers urged to check tax withholding amount.

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2.  Amended tax returns can fix errors on already filed returns

Business owners and self-employed individuals can take advantage of the amended return process to correct any mistakes discovered after filing. This includes errors associated with filing status or reported income, credits or deductions. The instructions for the Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, list more reasons to amend a return.

Amended returns should not be filed to fix math errors because the IRS will correct those. Nor is an amended return required if a required form or schedule was not included with the filed return. The IRS will mail requests for additional information, if needed.

For more information on when to file an amended return, visit the IRS Interactive Tax Assistant page regarding Should I File an Amended Return? on IRS.gov.

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