Tax Prep: The 1040 Drawn Line by Line

You Can Add. What's Missing Is the Map From the W-2 to the 1040

You spent years at a desk. Numbers don't scare you. So one evening you sit down at the kitchen table with a sample W-2, a blank 1040 and a few hundred pages of IRS text.

An hour later you've read about filing status, adjustments and credits. Then you look back at the W-2 and can't say where Box 1 goes, or why Boxes 1, 3 and 5 show different amounts. Every rule makes sense on its own, and nothing connects them.

And this is only practice. On a real return, it's someone else's money, and that person is waiting for you to have the answer.

Or the client asks for an extension. Form 4868 moves the filing deadline to October 15, 2026, but the payment is still due April 15. The client assumes both can wait. And they're looking at you.

In this book, the W-2 gets an arrow. It leaves Box 1 and lands on Line 1a. The next page picks up where that one stopped, and the eight steps carry you from the client's documents to the refund or balance due.

Now each rule has a place on the route. With the whole path in front of you, you can decide whether this work is for you.

SHOW ME THE 1040 DRAWN

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Trade the Dense Paragraphs for a Route You Can Follow

THE OLD WAY · WITHOUT THE GUIDE

THE NEW WAY · WITH THE GUIDE

Paragraphs about forms you've never seen filled out.

Every W-2 box and 1040 line you need shown in a drawing.

Rules in one place, boxes in another, and no line connecting them.

Eight steps mapped out for the whole return, so you can tell where you are at any line.

Ten videos on the same credit, and you still don't know where it goes on the 1040.

Fictional clients followed from the first document to the refund or balance due.

What's inside Tax Prep: The 1040 Drawn Line by Line

MODULE 1

The Map of a Return

What This Book Is and Isn't
Every Return, the Same Eight Steps
The 1040 Is a Funnel

MODULE 2

Step 1: Client Documents

The Stack on the Table
W-2: Boxes 1 and 2
W-2: Why Boxes 1, 3 and 5 Differ

MODULE 3

Step 2: Filing Status and Dependents

Five Statuses, One Key Date
Joint or Separate
Head of Household: Three Tests

MODULE 4

Step 3: Income

Wages: From Box 1 to Line 1a
Interest: 1099-INT
Dividends: 1099-DIV

MODULE 5

Step 4: Adjustments

Half of Self-Employment Tax
Traditional IRA Deduction
HSA Deduction: Form 8889

MODULE 6

Step 5: The Deduction

Standard Deduction: The 2025 Amounts
Age 65 or Blind: The Extra Amount
Itemize? Compare the Two Totals

MODULE 7

Step 6: Tax and Credits

Brackets Are Stairs, Not One Rate
Qualified Dividends and Long-Term Gains
Self-Employment Tax: Schedule SE

MODULE 8

Steps 7 and 8: Payments and the Result

Everything Already Paid
Estimated Tax: Who Should Pay It
Refund or Balance Due: The Last Subtraction

MODULE 9

The Whole Return and Your Next Step

Full Walkthrough: Single Filer, One W-2
Full Walkthrough: Head of Household with a Child
The Most Frequent Errors, in Order

SHOW ME THE 1040 DRAWN

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Take a look inside the book

Read the caption on each sample: the exact box, line, or Tax Year 2025 figure sits right next to its drawing.

Tax Year 2025 is due April 15, 2026; Form 4868 moves filing, not paying, to October 15, 2026.

Box 12: D 401(k), W employer HSA, DD coverage cost. Box 13 can limit an IRA deduction.

2025: with a 1099-NEC or without one, side income remains taxable.

2025 HSA limits and the catch-up on one page; code W isn't deducted again.

Mortgage debt limit and charity: for 2025, charity counts only on Schedule A, with proof.

Total tax vs. total payments: payments higher means a refund, tax higher means an amount owed.

PTIN renewed annually; 11 or more covered returns generally means e-file; Form 8879 authorizes the signature.

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Plus, 2 free books come with it

GIFT 1: «The 1040 Practice Returns Workbook»

Practice on invented clients with invented numbers and check every line against the answer key before you ever look at a real return.

GIFT 2: «The 1040 Error-Check Cards»

Review any return in the same order every time, with printable cards that walk you through the most frequent errors.

Your bundle: Tax Prep: The 1040 Drawn Line by Line and 2 gifts

Tax Prep: The 1040 Drawn Line by Line: 62 illustrated pagesIncluded
GIFT 1: The 1040 Practice Returns WorkbookFREE
GIFT 2: The 1040 Error-Check CardsFREE
High-quality PDF file, ready to printIncluded

BUNDLE PRICE

US$ 29.90

GET TAX PREP: THE 1040 DRAWN LINE BY LINE · US$ 29.90

📄 Digital book in PDF: it comes by email. Nothing is shipped on paper.

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PDF by email: You receive Tax Prep: The 1040 Drawn Line by Line as a PDF in your inbox, along with the 2 free books. You pay once: no installments, no extra charges.

14DAYS
GUARANTEE

14 days to try it

14-day guarantee: if the book didn't clear up how a return flows, tell us what fell short and you get 100% back, for the book and both bonus books. You pay once, and nothing renews.

Common questions

How do I get the book?

As a PDF by email, sent to the address you enter at checkout. The two bonus books come the same way.

Is this a one-time payment?

Yes. You're charged once for the book and its two bonus books. There's no plan to cancel later.

Will I follow it if I've never done anyone else's taxes?

That's who it's written for. It starts with a map of the return and explains each form as it appears. If you're comfortable with basic arithmetic, you have what you need to begin.

Does this book qualify me to charge for preparing returns?

No. It grants no credential or license and doesn't promise work or income. Anyone who prepares returns for pay needs a PTIN, and some states have their own requirements. The book explains what a PTIN is, how signatures and e-file work, and why state rules matter, so you can check what applies to you.

Which tax year does it cover, and where do the figures come from?

Tax Year 2025, the federal Form 1040 that was due April 15, 2026. It's the latest year with final IRS forms and instructions: when this edition was prepared, the 2026 Form 1040 was still a draft. Figures are checked against IRS sources for 2025, starting with the 2025 Form 1040 instructions, Publication 17, Publication 501 and Rev. Proc. 2024-40. Figures change every year, so check the current IRS instructions before any real return. For state returns, check with your state tax agency.

Is this an official IRS book?

No. It's an independent study book, not affiliated with or endorsed by the IRS or any tax company. It's also not tax advice for your own return or anyone else's.

Does it replace a tax course or professional training?

No. It shows you how a return flows so you can understand the work and decide your next step. If you continue, you may still need formal training, depending on your goals and your state.

Are the practice returns real returns or exam questions?

Neither. They're practice exercises we created, with made-up clients and numbers. None is drawn from an IRS test or official exam.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print the whole PDF, or just the pages you want beside you at the desk.

What if it isn't what I needed?

14-day guarantee: if the book didn't clear up how a return flows, tell us what fell short and you get 100% back. That covers the book and both bonus books.

Before you close this page

Everything your purchase includes

Tax Prep: The 1040 Drawn Line by Line: 62 illustrated pages in 9 parts
Gift 1: “The 1040 Practice Returns Workbook”
Gift 2: “The 1040 Error-Check Cards”
Arrives as a PDF in your inbox: read it on your phone or print it
14-day guarantee

Follow one return from the W-2 to the last line, one step after another. Then decide your next move with the whole route in front of you.

US$ 29.90, paid once · 14-day guarantee · PDF by email

GET TAX PREP: THE 1040 DRAWN LINE BY LINE · US$ 29.90

📄 Digital book in PDF: it comes by email. Nothing is shipped on paper.