Getting to Know the IRS Tax Return Transcript

The importance of your income tax forms does notinformation about its taxpayer, including current marital
necessarily end after filing them. In some cases,status, and the final adjusted gross income the
whether you are interested in a mortgage, automobile,taxpayer has paid.
or bank loan to start your own business, a transcript ofBoth of the IRS' transcripts and the account transcripts
your last few income tax returns would often becan be requested by filling out the Form 4506-T, also
requested for them to approve your request. This isknown as the Request for Transcript of Tax Return
often a way by which banks and loan officers canform. This process is free for all taxpayers, and is very
appraise your financial situation and determine whethereasy to obtain. However, these tax return transcripts
or not you are eligible for the loans. It can even helpcan be sent to you by the IRS, at a maximum delivery
you keep track of the money you have used astime of two weeks only if it is for the year you had
expenses for the past few years, or even discoverfiled your tax form, or if you are requesting for tax
any errors in the income tax that you have filed, wherereturns up to three years previously. If you are asking
you could get back a substantial amount of money. Infor a transcript request for a tax form earlier than
these situations, it becomes necessary to request forthree years, it will take as long as a month before
your old IRS transcript, as your proof.these can be sent to you, so it is always advisable to
An IRS tax return transcript is not actually a replicaterequest for final tax return transcript copies of all the
of your income tax form; rather, it is a summary of alltax forms that you have filed for, and keep them in a
the details you may need to know about your incomesafe place.
tax, such as other forms and documents that youIf however, you would like the complete details of your
have sent together with your income tax form, or anytax form, and would like to avail of the actual copy of
tax returns that you may have received. If you wish tothe form rather than just the IRS tax return transcript,
make any adjustments to your income tax, you canthen you will need to fill out Form 4506, which requests
use this form to file for an income tax adjustmentfor a copy of the tax return itself. Along with the copy
form that would enable you to change the previousof the tax form, you will also receive a copy of all the
form you had. Naturally, the new changes will notother documents that you have sent, including
show up on your IRS tax return transcript, and you willschedules and other tax forms needed together with it.
again need to request for an account transcript, whichThis can take as long as up to 60 days for the
would then show any modifications that you haveinformation to be sent to you, and will also cost you
made after. This transcript will also show detailedroughly $39 for each tax form.