What is this that’s called the income tax return? Each spring is income tax return time. We have gotten used to filing our taxes, paying them, and getting our tax refund, but somehow the term “tax return” is not always clearly understood.

The story begins in January through March of every year when workers receive their wage and tax withholding certificate from their employers. Students will receive statements of tuition, scholarship, and aid information covering the previous calendar year. An income tax return form is then used to take the amount of earnings and determine the correct dollar amount of taxes for which the individual is liable.

Although a person filing the documents detailing income, deductions, and taxes may have some or all of their withheld taxes returned to them, that is not what is meant by the term “income tax return”. Actually, what “tax return” refers to is threefold. First, you are letting the government know, or are returning a report on, how much you made in the previous year. Next you are stating how much you have paid in taxes, so far. And then, what amount of tax on your income needs to be paid is calculated and specified. 

So in going through this tax return process many people show that they have overpaid their income tax and therefore have a refund coming. The alternative is of course, that there was not enough money withheld, or that the quarterly payments fell short of estimates and now a payment is owed.

In summary, the phrase “income tax return” is referring to the document that you fill out and send to the IRS and to your state tax department.