filer

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   a person who sends an official document, especially a tax return, to an authority.

   Grammar: Countable: use a/an or a plural — a filer, two filers.

   Patterns

   • a tax filer
   • a filer of something
   • an early/late filer

   Every filer must send the form by April 15.

   The tax office says most filers now submit everything online.

   As a single filer, she pays a lower rate than her married friends.

2. 2nouncountablelegal

   a person or company that officially records a legal case, a claim, or a document with a court or agency.

   Grammar: Countable and often followed by of: a filer of complaints.

   Patterns

   • a filer of a case
   • the original filer
   • a filer with a court

   The filer of the lawsuit asked for a hearing next month.

   Court records list her as the filer of the complaint.

   Companies acting as filers must keep copies of every document they submit.

3. 3nouncountablecomputing

   a piece of computer software or a part of a system that stores and organizes files.

   Grammar: Countable; common in computing, often with a describing word: a file filer, an email filer.

   Patterns

   • an email filer
   • a file filer
   • a filer tool

   This email filer automatically sorts messages into folders.

   The app includes a filer that groups photos by date.

   Our old filer could not handle such large documents.

Word forms

Common combinations

tax filer

A tax filer with one job can usually use the short form.

single filer

Single filers often get a smaller standard deduction.

late filer

Late filers may have to pay a penalty.

file a return

You should file a return even if you owe nothing.

filer status

Your filer status affects how much tax you pay.

Synonyms and how they differ

applicant

An applicant asks for something such as a job or a permit, while a filer is defined by sending in a document.

claimant

A claimant is someone asking for money or rights, often in a legal case; a filer may simply be submitting paperwork.

submitter

Submitter is a general word for anyone handing something in, but filer is the usual term for tax and court documents.

Word family

file verb

to send in an official document or store papers in order.

filing noun

the act of sending in a document, or the document itself.

file noun

a set of papers or computer data kept together.

Commonly confused: filer or filler? filer or filer vs. profile?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “filer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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