How to find my agi from 2022

The IRS uses your AGI from the year prior as a method identity verification. If there's a discrepancy between your 2021 tax return and your 2020 AGI as recorded by the IRS, your tax return won't be accepted. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that several taxpayers are seeing tax returns rejected this year due to incorrect 2020 AGIs.

The big problem stems from the IRS backlog of unprocessed tax returns. Some 2020 tax returns haven't been processed yet, and in many cases, the IRS doesn't have a taxpayer's last year's AGI to match with this year's return. The IRS advises tax filers whose prior year's tax returns are still unprocessed to enter $0 for last year's AGI.

Read on to learn more about how to enter your AGI on your 2021 electronic tax return, regardless of your filing or tax return status for 2020.

For more, discover the best tax software for 2022, the biggest tax deductions for this season and the most important tax changes to watch out for this year.

What is AGI, and how is it determined?

Your total gross income includes all of your wages, salaries, dividends, interest, gambling winnings, retirement distributions, unemployment benefits -- all of the money you bring in.

Your adjusted gross income equals all of that money minus income adjustments such as alimony, student loan interest payments and health savings account contributions. These income adjustments are not the tax deductions that determine your overall tax burden; they are deductions to your income that set the standard level at which you can be taxed.

If you have adjustments to your gross income, you will record them in Part II of IRS Form 1040 Schedule 1. The IRS offers a thorough lesson on these adjustments to income here (PDF).

How can I find my AGI if I don't have last year's tax return?

If you have your tax return from 2020, you can find your AGI from that year on Line 11 of your 1040 form. 

If you don't have last year's tax return, don't worry. Even though the IRS recommends keeping your tax returns for three years, you can also find that information on the IRS site using an online IRS account.

Creating an online account at the IRS website requires registering with ID.me, an identity verification service that has attracted attention lately for its facial recognition requirement via "video selfie." To address privacy concerns, ID.me recently introduced the ability to skip the video selfie, but you will still need to provide your driver's license and other personal information to create an ID.me account that is authorized for the IRS.

After you've created an account and logged into your IRS account, click View Tax Records and then the big blue button marked Get Transcript. On the next page, select Adjusted Gross Income from the drop-down list of reasons for needing a transcript, leave the Customer File Number box blank and hit Go.

On the resulting page, select 2020 under Return Transcript, which will spawn a PDF file showing a breakdown of your 2020 tax return. Scroll down to the bottom of the Adjustments to Income section to find your adjusted gross income for 2020.

If you don't want to use an online IRS account, you can also request a tax transcript by mail or by calling the IRS automated phone transcript service at 800-908-9946.

What if my 2020 tax return hasn't been processed yet? 

Last year was an unprecedented tax season for the IRS -- pandemic-related tax changes and staffing issues created a huge workload that the service is still churning through. In its March 25 operations update, the IRS estimated that it still has 7.2 million unprocessed tax returns.

If your tax return from 2020 has not yet been processed, the IRS says to enter $0 for your AGI on your 2021 tax return.

What if I didn't file taxes in 2021?

If you didn't file taxes last year, there's nothing for the IRS to verify your AGI against to check your identity. However, if you did claim child tax credit payments or stimulus payments using the IRS' nonfiler tool, you will need to include an AGI in your 2021 tax return. 

The IRS says that if you used the nonfiler tool to claim federal payments in 2021 but didn't file a 2020 tax return, you should enter $1 for your AGI on your 2021 tax return.

If your 2020 tax return has not yet been processed, enter $0 (zero dollars) for your prior year adjusted gross income (AGI).

If you used the Non-Filers tool in 2021 to register for an advance Child Tax Credit payment or third Economic Impact Payment in 2021, enter $1 as your prior year AGI. 

When self-preparing your taxes and filing electronically, you must sign and validate your electronic tax return by entering your prior-year Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) or your prior-year Self-Select PIN.

Generally, tax software automatically enters the information for returning customers. If you are using a software product for the first time, you may have to enter the information yourself.

There are several ways to find your prior-year AGI:

Preferred Method

You should always retain a copy of your tax return.  

• On your 2020 tax return, your AGI is on line 11 of the Form 1040.
• If you used a paid preparer last year, you might obtain a copy of last year’s tax return from that preparer.
• If you are using the same tax preparation software that you used last year, that software will likely have your prior-year tax return for you to access.
• If you’re not using the same tax preparation software as last year, you may be able to access your prior-year software and view an electronic copy of your prior-year return.
• If you are a first-time filer over the age of 16 enter zero as your AGI.
• If you have an Identity Protection (IP) PIN (via a CP01A or the Get an IP PIN Tool), you should enter it when prompted by your software. It will serve to verify your identity, instead of your prior-year AGI or prior-year Self Select PIN. You can opt into the IP PIN program through the online tool.

Alternative Methods

If you do not have a copy of your tax return, you can get your AGI from one of the IRS self-service tools:

Where can I find my AGI from last year?

Where do I find my adjusted gross income?

How do I find my AGI on my tax transcript?