Wages, interest and dividends on the return

A reader with a wage job and maybe a bank account wants to know which parts of the return apply.

Nothing here decides whether a return is due for you, what your status is, or who you may claim. Those turn on your own facts.

What the rules say

We do not work out anyone's tax, refund or balance. We explain what each rule asks for; the arithmetic belongs to you and to whatever you file with.

• Interest and ordinary dividends are reported on the return, with Schedule B required in the circumstances its instructions state.

The records this part asks for

• Each wage statement for the year, from every employer — Wages and the amounts withheld are entered on the return from these statements.
• Interest and dividend statements from banks and brokers — Interest and dividends are reported on the return whether or not a schedule is required.

The forms involved, and what each one is

There are two different kinds of document here: ones you receive and copy from, and ones that are part of the return itself. They are easy to confuse and they behave nothing alike.

• Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return — the return itself. Filing the return does not establish that the positions taken on it are correct.
• Schedule 1 (Form 1040), Additional Income and Adjustments to Income — part of the return you file. Not every reader has an entry that belongs on it.
• Schedule B (Form 1040), Interest and Ordinary Dividends — part of the return you file. Receiving a 1099-INT or 1099-DIV does not by itself mean Schedule B is required; the instructions state when it is.
• Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement — information return input. W2_DOES_NOT_ALWAYS_MEAN_MUST_FILE: the statement reports wages paid and amounts withheld. It decides no filing obligation.
• Form 1099-INT, Interest Income — information return input. Does not decide whether Schedule B is required.
• Form 1099-DIV, Dividends and Distributions — information return input. Does not decide whether Schedule B is required.

What we are not saying

• Not: that a payer statement decides whether a schedule is required.
• Not: Holding a wage statement does not by itself mean a return is required for the year.

Where this stops being a filing question

• Which components of service pay and allowances are included in income, and which state may tax them, is certified by the Military Tax Center. Until that is settled, this stays open: Which amounts from the reader's service pay belong in the wage workflow? What comes back is a certified characterisation of the pay or allowance in question.
• Crew base, per diem and the federal limit on which states may tax crew pay are certified by the Airline Tax Center. Until that is settled, this stays open: Which wage and state facts apply to this reader's crew pay? What comes back is a certified treatment of the crew-specific item.

Sources

Every source on this page shows the body that issued it and the date we read it. Amounts are stated for tax year 2025, and the text behind this centre was last read on 2026-08-16.

• Instructions for Schedule B (Form 1040), Interest and Ordinary DividendsInternal Revenue Service. Read for: Schedule B is required only in the circumstances the instructions list, which include exceeding a stated amount of taxable interest or ordinary dividends and certain foreign account and trust situations. tax year 2025. Read on 2026-08-16.
• About Form 1099-INT, Interest IncomeInternal Revenue Service. Read for: A payer reports interest it paid on Form 1099-INT. not year-scoped. Read on 2026-08-16.
• About Form 1099-DIV, Dividends and DistributionsInternal Revenue Service. Read for: A payer reports dividends and distributions on Form 1099-DIV. not year-scoped. Read on 2026-08-16.
• About Form W-2, Wage and Tax StatementInternal Revenue Service. Read for: An employer files Form W-2 to report wages paid and taxes withheld, and furnishes a copy to the employee. not year-scoped. Read on 2026-08-16.
• How long should I keep records?Internal Revenue Service. Read for: The retention period depends on the action, expense or event a record relates to, and the IRS states different periods for different circumstances rather than one universal period. not year-scoped. Read on 2026-08-16.
• Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (2025)Internal Revenue Service. Read for: The individual income tax return is Form 1040, which carries the filing status election, the dependent listing, the income lines, the payments lines, and the digital asset question. tax year 2025. Read on 2026-08-16.
• Instructions for Form 1040 and 1040-SR (2025)Internal Revenue Service. Read for: The 'Do You Have To File?' section presents three separate routes: a gross income chart organised by filing status and age, a separate chart for individuals who may be claimed as a dependent, and a chart of other situations that require a return regardless of income. tax year 2025. Read on 2026-08-16.

Where to go next

Educational information only. This is not tax advice, we are not your tax preparer, and nothing here is a determination about your own return. Check the linked official sources, and consider a professional for anything that turns on your specific facts.