income tax return

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   An official form or document in which you report your income and pay the tax you owe.

   Grammar: Countable: you file one return each year, so you can talk about 'my returns' for several years.

   Patterns

   • file an income tax return
   • fill in an income tax return
   • submit an income tax return to someone

   She filed her income tax return online two days before the deadline.

   If you earned money from freelance work, you must send an income tax return to the tax office.

   Keep a copy of your income tax return in case the authorities ask questions later.

2. 2nounsingular

   The official process or occasion of reporting your income to the tax authorities.

   Grammar: Used with 'the' to mean the whole yearly event: 'the income tax return is due in April'.

   Patterns

   • the income tax return is due
   • by the income tax return deadline

   The income tax return is due at the end of April in the United States.

   Many people hire an accountant to handle the income tax return for them.

Word forms

Common combinations

file an income tax return

Employees must file an income tax return every spring.

income tax return deadline

The income tax return deadline falls on April 15.

complete an income tax return

It took him a whole evening to complete his income tax return.

electronic income tax return

An electronic income tax return is processed much faster.

income tax return form

Pick up an income tax return form at the post office.

Synonyms and how they differ

tax return

The shorter, everyday term; use it in conversation when the type of tax is already clear.

declaration

Used in some countries for the same document, but it sounds more formal and is less common in American English.

Word family

income tax noun

The tax itself that you pay on the money you earn.

taxpayer noun

A person who has to pay tax and usually files a return.

taxable adjective

Describes income that the government can charge tax on.

Commonly confused: income tax return or tax refund? income tax return or tax evasion?

Practice

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

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