Request Telephone Tax Refund By Amending Your Return

Maybe you filed your federal tax return, received a refund and even spent the last penny before realizing that you missed out on a one time opportunity to request the Telephone Excise Tax Refund!  Luckily, some opportunities do call twice.

You can still request the telephone tax refund even if you filed a 2006 return but missed this unique refund.  Simply file an amended return using Form 1040X.

The one-time refund of previously collected federal telephone excise taxes is owed to just about anyone who paid a phone bill in the last several years. You are eligible if you paid long-distance excise taxes on landline, cell phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or bundled service that was billed for the period after Feb 28, 2003 and before Aug 1, 2006.  (Bundled service is local and long-distance under a plan that does not separately list the charges.)

Eligible taxpayers have two options: requesting the actual amount of federal excise tax paid based upon your telephone bills for this period; or requesting the standard refund that ranges from $30-$60 based upon the number of exemptions you are entitled to claim on an individual income tax return.

To amend your return, use the most recent version of IRS Form 1040X and enter the credit on line 15.  If you have received an initial refund check you may cash it while waiting for any additional refund.

Form 1040X must be filed on paper and can be printed from the IRS Web site IRS.gov or ordered by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

The refund is also available for many individuals who did not have a regular 2006 income tax filing requirement through the Form 1040EZ-T.