Contents
Introduction ........................................
2
Who Must File .....................................
2
Who Should File .................................
4
Filing Status ........................................
4
Exemptions .........................................
7
Standard Deduction ...........................
16
1999 Standard Deduction Tables ...
17
How To Get More Information ..........
18
Index ....................................................
19
Important Changes
Who must file. Generally, the amount of in-
come you can receive before you must file a
return has increased. Table 1 shows the filing
requirements for most taxpayers.
Exemption amount.
The amount you can
deduct for each exemption has increased
from $2,700 in 1998 to $2,750 in 1999.
Exemption phaseout.
You will lose all or
part of the benefit of your exemptions if your
adjusted gross income is above a certain
amount. The amount at which this phaseout
begins depends on your filing status. For
1999, the phaseout begins at $94,975 for
married persons filing separately; $126,600
for unmarried individuals; $158,300 for heads
of household; and at $189,950 for married
persons filing jointly. See Phaseout of Ex-
emptions, later.
Standard deduction.
The standard de-
duction for taxpayers who do not itemize de-
ductions on Schedule A of Form 1040 is
higher in 1999 than it was in 1998. The
amount depends upon your filing status. The
1999 Standard Deduction Tables are shown
later as Tables 7, 8, and 9.
Itemized deductions.
The amount you can
deduct for itemized deductions is limited if
your adjusted gross income is more than
$126,600 ($63,300 if you are married filing
separately). See Who Should Itemize, later.
Photographs of missing children.
The
Internal Revenue Service is a proud partner
with the National Center for Missing and Ex-
ploited Children. Photographs of missing
children selected by the Center may appear
in this publication on pages that would other-
wise be blank.
You can help bring these
children home by looking at the photographs
and calling 1–800–THE–LOST (1–800–843–
5678) if you recognize a child.
Important Reminders
Social security number for dependents.
You must list either the social security number
(SSN), individual taxpayer identification num-
ber (ITIN), or adoption taxpayer identification
number (ATIN) of every person for whom you
claim an exemption.
Department
of the
Treasury
Internal
Revenue
Service
Publication 501
Cat. No. 15000U
Exemptions,
Standard
Deduction,
and Filing
Information
For use in preparing
1999 Returns
