Schedule 3 of Form 1040
Additional Credits and Payments (Form 1040)
Schedule 3 reports credits and payments that page two of Form 1040 has no line for. Part I holds nonrefundable credits, which can reduce tax to zero and no further, and part II holds other payments and refundable credits.
- Who files it
- Any individual claiming a credit or payment the 1040 itself has no line for. It is attached to the 1040.
- Where it goes
- The IRS, with the Form 1040 it belongs to.
- When it is due
- The individual return's deadline, so ordinarily 15 April.
- What it is not
- It does not report income. Income and the adjustments against it go on Schedule 1.
What it reports
The split between the two parts is the whole point of the form: it decides whether a credit can produce a refund.
| Part | What it reports |
|---|---|
| Part I | Nonrefundable credits: the foreign tax credit, the credit for child and dependent care expenses, education credits, the retirement savings contributions credit, and residential energy credits. |
| Part II | Other payments and refundable credits: the amount paid with an extension request, excess Social Security tax withheld by two or more employers, and other credits that can exceed the tax owed. |
| Part I total | Carries to the 1040 and reduces tax, but not below zero. |
| Part II total | Carries to the 1040 as a payment, and can produce a refund. |
Nonrefundable means what it says
A nonrefundable credit reduces tax to zero and stops. A taxpayer whose tax was already zero gets nothing from it, however large the credit. Some nonrefundable credits carry forward to a later year and some are lost, and which is which is set by each credit's own rules.
A refundable credit is paid out even when it exceeds the tax owed, which is why part II is where a return can produce money rather than merely stop owing it.
Excess Social Security withholding
Someone with two employers in one year can have Social Security tax withheld on more than the annual wage base, because neither employer knows about the other. That excess is claimed on part II and refunded. It is missed often, and nothing else on a return flags it.
LedgerBox does not read this form
LedgerBox does not read Schedule 3. It reads the W-2s, 1099s, and statements the amounts on it come from.
Form Schedule 3 questions
Do I have to file Schedule 3?
Only if you are claiming a credit or a payment that Form 1040 has no line for.
Which credits are refundable?
Refundability is set per credit and some credits are partly refundable. The current-year instructions for each credit state which part is which.
Where does an extension payment go?
On Schedule 3, part II, as an amount paid with the request for an extension. It is a payment rather than a credit and reduces what is still owed.
Read next
- Schedule 1, income and adjustments The attachment Schedule 3 is most often confused with.
- Form W-2 Where excess Social Security withholding shows up.
- Starting a tax preparation practice For the preparer side of these forms.
Reference pages on the forms that arrive with a set of books. Every form in the glossary