Alabama Form Help

The following information has been provided to assist in the preparation of Alabama state tax returns.

Form 40 Resident and Part Year Resident Individual Income Tax Return

File Form 40 if any of the following apply:

The taxpayer:

1. Is a full or part-year Alabama resident

2. Has Alabama income tax withheld form wages

3. Is filing as single and has gross income in excess of $4,000

4. Is filing as married filing joint and both spouses have gross income in excess of $10,500

5. Is a minor that has gross income in excess of the personal exemption plus the standard deduction       based on the filing status

6. Is a resident of Alabama employed out of state

7. Is a resident of Alabama employed in a foreign country on a temporary or transitory basis

8. Is a survivor or representative of a deceased taxpayer

Residency:

1. Resident:

   An individual who:

   - Who thinks of Alabama as his/her permanent home

   - Whose center of financial, social, and family life is Alabama

   - Who intends to come back to Alabama when away

2. Part-Year Resident:

   An individual who:

   - Moved into Alabama during the year to maintain residence from another state or country

   - Moved out of Alabama during the year to maintain residence in another state or country

3. Non-Resident:

   An individual:

   - Whose permanent home is outside of Alabama all year

Filing as Single when Federal filing status is HOH

An individual shall be considered “Head of Family” if and only if such individual is not married at the close of their tax year, is not a surviving spouse and their qualifying dependent is not a foster child.  If Alabama filing status should be single when federal filings status is HOH, enter an “X” in the “Make Alabama filing status single box”.

 

Adjustments to Federal Schedules C and F

Alabama law differs from Federal law treatment in the treatment of some expenses shown on Federal Schedule C and F. These adjustments can be made on Part I, Line 2 Worksheet.

The following expenses may need to be adjusted for Alabama purposes:

-         Percentage Depletion Gas and Oil

-         Cost Depletion Natural Resources Other than Gas and Oil

-         Depreciation

-         Targeted “Jobs Credit” (Payroll expense)

-         Passive Activity Losses

-         Office and Home Expense

-         Federal Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 Bonus Depreciation

Underpayment of Estimated Tax Penalty:

A penalty is applicable if any of the following apply:

The taxpayer:

1. Fails to file the required estimated tax return and pay the tax within the time allowed

2. Underestimated the required amount

 

Penalty:

The penalty rate is 6% per year of the underpayment of tax from the due date to the date of payment.

Late Filing Penalty:

For returns not filed by the due date, Alabama may impose a late filing penalty of 10% of the tax due or $50, whichever is greater.

Late Payment Penalty:

For taxes not paid by the due date, the taxpayer is subject to a late payment penalty of 1% per month or fraction of a month that the tax remains unpaid up to a maximum of 25%.

 

Late Payment Interest:

Interest is charged on any taxes not paid by the return due date even if an Alabama extension of time is granted. Interest will be charged for the period of time from the original return due

date until the tax is paid in full at the same rate of interest currently charged by the Internal Revenue Service.

 

Other Penalties:

There are also penalties for filing a frivolous return,

underpayment due to negligence, underpayment due to fraud,

and for a substantial understatement of estimated tax.

 

Form 40NR Nonresident Individual Income Tax Return

File Form 40NR if:

1. The taxpayer is not a resident of Alabama, and

2. The taxpayer received taxable income from Alabama sources, and

3. The taxpayer's gross income from Alabama sources exceeds the

   allowable prorated personal exemption amount

 

Residency:

1. A resident is an individual who

   - lives in Alabama

   - has their permanent home in Alabama

   - intends to return to Alabama when absent

2. A part-year resident is an individual who

   - moved into Alabama during the year from another state or

     country to maintain residence in Alabama, or

   - moved out of Alabama during the year to maintain residence

     in another state or country

3. A nonresident is an individual who

   - has their permanent home outside of Alabama the entire year

Filing as Single when Federal filing status is HOH

An individual shall be considered “Head of Family” if and only if such individual is not married at the close of their tax year, is not a surviving spouse and their qualifying dependent is not a foster child.  If Alabama filing status should be single when federal filings status is HOH, enter an “X” in the “Make Alabama filing status single box”.

Underpayment of Estimated Tax Penalty:

A penalty is applicable if any of the following apply:

The taxpayer:

1. Fails to file the required estimated tax return and pay the tax within the time allowed

2. Underestimated the required amount

 

Penalty:

The penalty rate is 6% per year of the underpayment of tax from the due date to the date of payment.

Late Filing Penalty:

For returns not filed by the due date, Alabama may impose a late filing penalty of 10% of the tax due or $50, whichever is greater.

Late Payment Penalty:

For taxes not paid by the due date, the taxpayer is subject to a late payment penalty of 1% per month or fraction of a month that the tax remains unpaid up to a maximum of 25%.

 

Late Payment Interest:

Interest is charged on any taxes not paid by the return due date even if an Alabama extension of time is granted. Interest will be charged for the period of time from the original return due

date until the tax is paid in full at the same rate of interest currently charged by the Internal Revenue Service.

Other Penalties:

There are also penalties for filing a frivolous return,

underpayment due to negligence, underpayment due to fraud,

and for a substantial understatement of estimated tax.

 

Form 40 Schedule A, B, CR & DC

File Form 40 Schedule A, B,CR & DC to report any of the following:

1. Itemized deductions

2. Interest income

3. Dividend income

4. Credit for taxes paid

5. Voluntary donation check-offs

SCHEDULE A:

Schedule A should be used to report itemized deductions for an Alabama resident or part-year resident when Form 40 is being filed. In general, if the taxpayer itemized deductions on the federal individual income tax return, the deductions should be itemized on the Alabama individual income tax return. However, if the taxpayer did not itemize deductions on the federal individual income tax return, he or she may still itemize deductions on the Alabama individual income return.

 

FICA Tax on Federal Self Employment Taxes:

FICA tax withheld on income by the taxpayer's employer may be deducted on Alabama Schedule A. Federal self-employment tax paid during the year may also be deducted.

 

Other Taxes:

Other taxes deductible on the Alabama Schedule A include

 - Personal Property Taxes

 - City, county and occupational tax as shown on Form W-2

 - Federal gift taxes paid by the person making the gift and paying the tax

 - Generation-Skipping Transfer taxes

 

State Income Taxes:

State income taxes paid are not deductible as an itemized deduction.

 

Qualified Long-Term Care Coverage:

Premiums paid for qualified long term care coverage may be deducted on the Alabama Schedule A. Qualified long-term care services include care for necessary diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services and maintenance or personal care services which are required by a chronically ill individual in a qualified facility or services which are provided pursuant to a place of care prescribed by a licensed health care practitioner.

 

NOTE:  Part-Year residents of Alabama may claim only

       the itemized deductions actually paid during the

       period of Alabama residency.

 

SCHEDULE B:

 

File Schedule B to report income from interest and dividends of $1,500 or more, when Form 40 is being filed.

 

Interest Income:

 

Report any interest received or credited to an account from which a withdrawal could be made.

 

Interest income includes any of the following:

1. Interest on savings or other bank accounts

2. Interest on promissory notes

3. Interest on a mortgage

4. Interest on a corporate bond

5. Interest on a corporate debenture

6. Interest on state obligations other than the State of

   Alabama or subdivisions thereof

 

NOTE:  Interest income from obligations of the United States Government

              and the State of Alabama and its sub-divisions is exempt from income tax.

 

Dividend Income:

Report any dividends received. Include cash and values of the stock, property, or merchandise received as a dividend.

 

Dividend income includes any of the following:

1. Ordinary dividends

2. Capital gain distributions

3. Nontaxable distributions

 

SCHEDULE CR:

 

File Schedule CR to report credit for tax paid to another state. Residents of Alabama for part of the tax year can claim this credit if the returns filed with Alabama and the other state cover the same time period.

VOLUNTARY DONATION CHECK-OFFS (RESIDENT RETURNS ONLY)

 

You may elect to contribute all or a part of you income tax refund to one or more of the following funds:

 

Alabama Department of Senior Services

 

Donations of all or part of your refund to the Alabama Senior Services Trust Fund will provide additional services to older Alabamians.

 

Alabama Support the Arts Fund

 

Contributions to this fund expand grant making for:

   a. Arts in the Schools

   b. Exhibitions

   c. Performances

   d. Festivals

   e. Touring Programs

   f. Literary Programs

   g. Community Design

   h. Folk Culture and more

 

Alabama Nongame Wildlife Fund

Contributions to this fund are used to help bring back bluebirds, eagles, ospreys, and many other nongame wildlife species in Alabama.

 

Alabama Child Abuse Trust Fund

Contributions to this fund are used for community based child abuse and neglect prevention programs across Alabama.

 

Alabama Disabled Veterans

Contributions to this fund are used to provide the most affordable and efficient skilled nursing care for Alabama disabled veterans in Alabama state veteran homes.

 

Alabama Indian Children`s Scholarship Fund

Contributions to this fund are used to provide for Indian children.

 

Alabama Penny Trust Fund

Contributions to this fund are used to:

a.       Reduce infant deaths

b.      Health care for seriously ill children

c.       Immunizations and children’s disease prevention

 

Alabama Foster Care Trust Fund

Contributions to this fund are used to provide education, athletic, artistic, and special occasion opportunities to children in the custody of the Alabama department of Human Resources.

 

Alabama Mental Health Fund

Contributions to this fund are used by volunteers to advocate for good care and treatment of those affected.

 

Alabama Neighbors Helping Neighbors Fund

Contributions to this fund are used to provide help weatherize homes for persons 60 years and older, families with children and disabled persons.

 

Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Research Program

Contributions to this fund are used to provide cutting edge clinical care to the people of Alabama.

 

Alabama 4-H Club

Contributions to this fund are used to provide for kids of all ethnic groups to explore space, the environment, family issues, agriculture, healthy lifestyle, and communications, while learning the values of leadership and citizenship.

 

Alabama Organ Center Donor Awareness Fund

Giving Life a Second Chance.

 

Alabama National Guard Foundation Incorporated

Contributions to this fund are used to provide for National Guard members during times of hardship because of non-funded needs. The fund will assist with needs for dependents left behind for those guardsmen killed in action or those who die in non-combat status while on active duty

 

Alabama Cancer Research Fund

Contributions to this fund will help the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer institute improve cancer survival rates for patients in the Gulf Coast region through prevention, diagnosis, treatment, research, discovery and development.

 

Form 40NR Schedule A, B, D, & E

File Form 40NR Schedule A, B, D & E to report any of the following:

1. Itemized deductions

2. Interest income

3. Dividend income

4. Income/Loss from Rent and Royalties

5. Income/Loss form Partnerships, Estates, Trusts, and S Corporations

SCHEDULE A (NR):

 

File Schedule A(NR) to report itemized deductions for an Alabama nonresident when Form 40NR is being filed. In general, if the taxpayer itemized deductions on the federal individual income tax return, deductions should be itemized on the Alabama individual income tax return. However, if the

taxpayer did not itemize deductions on the federal individual income tax return, he or she may still itemize deductions on the Alabama individual income return.

 

NOTE:  A nonresident of Alabama must prorate itemized deductions by the ratio of Alabama adjusted gross income to total adjusted gross income from all sources.

 

FICA Tax on Federal Self Employment Taxes:

FICA tax withheld on income by the taxpayer's employer may be deducted on the Alabama Schedule A. Federal self-employment tax paid during the year may also be deducted.

 

Other Taxes:

Other taxes deductible on the Alabama Schedule A include

 - Personal Property Taxes

 - City, county and occupational tax as shown on Form W-2

 - Federal gift taxes paid by the person making the gift   and paying the tax

 - Generation-Skipping Transfer taxes

 

State Income Taxes:

State income taxes paid are not deductible as an itemized deduction.

Qualified Long-Term Care Coverage:

Premiums paid for qualified long term care coverage may be deducted on the Alabama Schedule A. Qualified long-term care services include care for necessary diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services and maintenance or personal care services which are required by a chronically ill individual in a qualified facility or services which are provided pursuant to a place of care prescribed by a licensed health care practitioner.

 

SCHEDULE B (NR):

 

File Schedule B to report income from interest and dividends of $1,500 or more, when Form 40NR is being filed.

 

Interest Income:

 

Report any interest received or credited to an account from which a withdrawal could be made.

 

Interest income includes any of the following:

1. Interest on savings or other bank accounts

2. Interest on promissory notes

3. Interest on a mortgage

4. Interest on a corporate bond

5. Interest on a corporate debenture

6. Interest on state obligations other than the State of   Alabama or subdivisions thereof

 

NOTE:  Interest income from obligations of the United States

       Government and the State of Alabama and its sub-

       divisions is exempt is exempt from income tax.

 

Dividend Income:

Report any dividends received. Include cash and values of the stock, property, or merchandise received as a dividend.

 

Dividend income includes any of the following:

1. Ordinary dividends

2. Capital gain distributions

3. Non-taxable distributions

 

 

SCHEDULE D (NR):

File Schedule D (NR) to report the sale or exchange of real estate, stocks, bonds and other assets, when filing Form 40NR.

 

 

The gain or profit from any sale, exchange or other disposition by a nonresident of real or tangible property located in Alabama is taxable even though it is not connected with a business operated within the State.

 

The gain or (loss) realized from the disposition of property located outside of Alabama is not taxable to a nonresident, but the gain or loss must be included in the total adjusted gross

income from all sources in order to compute the ratio of Alabama adjusted gross income to total adjusted gross income from all sources.

 

 

SCHEDULE E (NR):

Schedule E (NR) is used to report income or (loss) from rents, royalties, partnerships, S corporations, estates and trusts, when Form 40NR is being filed.

 

Form 40ES Estimated Tax Payments

Use Form 40ES to pay Alabama income taxes due on income other than salaries or wages.

 

Estimated tax is only required from individuals whose income, other than wages, can reasonably be expected to be $3,500 or more. If the amount of estimated tax due is less than $100, no estimated tax is required to be filed.

 

Penalties:

Penalties are provided for underestimating the amount of tax OR for failure to pay estimated tax within the time allowed.

 

Form 2210AL Penalty on Underestimate of Individual Income Tax

 

File Form 40 ES to pay Alabama income tax liability not prepaid through withholding.

File Form 2210AL  if all of the following apply:

The taxpayer:

1. Does not have at least 90% of his/her annual Alabama income tax liability prepaid through withholding

2. Has an annual tax liability that exceeds $100

 

Penalty:

Underestimating the required amount of tax or failure to file estimated tax returns and pay the tax within the time allowed will result in an assessment of interest. The interest rate is 1% per month of the underpayment of tax from the due date to the date of payment.

 

Form 40 Schedule D

File Schedule D to report gain or loss from sale of real estate, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.

 

All sales for the entire year should be reported if the taxpayer was a resident for the entire year. If the taxpayer was a resident of Alabama for only part of the year, only report sales made during the taxpayer's period of residence.

 

Under Alabama law, the entire gain is taxable, and the entire loss is deductible in the year in which it occurs.

 

Form 40 Schedule E

File Schedule E, Part I to report income or loss from rental real estate or royalties.

 

File Schedule E, Part II to report income or loss from partnerships, S corporations, estates, and trusts.

 

Form 4952A

File Form 4952A to calculate the investment interest expense deduction allowed for the current year.

 

Form NOL85

 

Use Form NOL-85 to determine the actual net operating loss (NOL) sustained in the loss year, that may be carried back or carried forward.

 

Before completing Form NOL-85, Form 40 or Form 40NR must be completed through the taxable income line for the loss year.

 

The taxpayer may make an irrevocable election to forfeit the carryback of a net operating loss deduction and instead carry the loss forward to the first available year following the

loss year. This election is made in Part III of Form NOL-85.

 

If the taxpayer elects to carry the loss back, attach Form NOL-85 to the loss year return without the signature in Part III. The NOL must be carried back to the earliest year preceding the loss year in which the NOL may be utilized.

 

See Form NOL-85A, Net Operating Loss Carryback or Carryforward to apply a NOL to the tax year in which the loss is being carried.

 

Form NOL-85A

File Form NOL-85A to apply a net operating loss to the tax year in which the loss is being carried.

 

Before Form NOL-85A can be completed, Form NOL-85 must be completed to determine the amount of net operating loss that may be carried back or carried forward.

 

Attach Form NOL-85A to Form 40X, Amended Alabama Individual Income Tax Return for the earliest year available when claiming a carryback. To carry the loss forward, attach Form NOL-85A to the first available year following the loss year.

 

NOTE:  Nonresidents must complete Part III before completing Part II. This is necessary in order to determine the Standard or Itemized Deduction, Federal Income Tax Deduction and exemption amounts allowable after applying the net operating loss. If the taxpayer is married and filing a separate Alabama return and a joint federal return, a separate computation must be made to determine the Federal Income Tax Deduction. Use the worksheet in the Form NOL-85A instructions.

 

Form AL 8453 Declaration for Electronic Filing

 

To comply with Alabama tax laws, a signature document, Form AL8453, must be completed for each electronic return filed.

 

Do not mail Form AL8453 to the Alabama Department of Revenue. The electronic return originator (ERO) must keep the original Form AL8453 and any required attachments for a period of three years from the due date of the return or the date the return is filed, whichever is later. EROs must make the original document available to the Alabama Department of Revenue upon request.

 

Attach the following items to Form AL8453:

- Forms W-2, W-2G, 1099-G, and 1099-R with Alabama withholding

- Copy of the other state's tax return and proof of payment, if claiming a credit for taxes paid to other states.

 

The taxpayer's signature is required on Form AL8453. If any substantive changes are made to the electronic return after Form AL8453 has been signed by the taxpayer (but before it is transmitted), the taxpayer must sign a corrected Form AL8453.