Filing a Form 1040 Federal Income Tax Return Presentation/Activity

This presentation and accompanying activities are designed to introduce students to federal taxes and guide them through the process of completing a Form 1040 Income Tax Return. I developed this activity as I struggled to find an existing activity which fully guided students through the tax filing process as well as helped them understand ways that that can take advantage of tax credits and incentives available. 

Included is a Google Slide that discusses important concepts related to filing taxes such as:

• The purpose of a W-4
• The purpose of a W-2
• How tax brackets work
• Options for filing federal tax returns
• Tax credits that may apply to students
• How to complete Form 1040

The presentation was developed with an attention to detail, guiding students step-by-step through each line of Form 1040 using a fictitious tax-filer with an accompanying form W-2. After guiding students through completing this 1040, students are provided another fictitious tax-filer and are asked to complete another blank 1040 using their information.

Documents provided in this listing include:

• 27-slide Google Slide presentation
• Fillable Form 1040
• Fillable Standard Deduction Worksheet
• Two example W-2 Forms (used for activities)
• 2021 Tax Tables
• Correctly completed 1040’s and Standard Deduction Worksheet (answer keys)

Some of these documents can be found for free online, but everything needed is included here for convenience. I used documents from tax year 2021. Due to the time I devoted to the presentation, and considering that there are only minor changes made to forms each year, I am only planning on updating the lesson every few years.