First job, one W-2, a little interest
A single filer with one employer and a small savings account. Standard-deduction territory, a clean first rep to get the 1040 flow down.
Taxpayer facts
Who this is and what their year looked like.
Jordan is single with no dependents. This was their first full year of full-time work, at a coffee company in Tampa, Florida.
They rented an apartment all year, worked one job, and kept a small savings account. No investments, no side income, no major life events.
- NameJordan A. Reed
- Date of birth03/14/2000
- SSN412-55-8309
- Age (as of 12/31/2025)25
- Filing statusSingle
- DependentsNone
- OccupationBarista / shift lead
- Address2140 W Cypress St, Apt 6, Tampa, FL 33607
- ResidencyFlorida, full year (no state income tax)
- Health coverageEmployer plan, full year
Source documents
Work from these the way you would a real client's paperwork. Everything is fictional.
Objectives
What a correct return should capture.
- Use the correct filing status: Single.
- Report the W-2 wages on Form 1040, line 1a.
- Report the taxable interest. Because it is under $1,500, Schedule B is not required.
- Apply the 2025 standard deduction for a single filer ($15,750).
- Arrive at the correct AGI and taxable income.
- Look up the tax from the tax tables (taxable income is under $100,000).
- Confirm no credits apply, then reconcile federal withholding to the refund or balance due.
- Note that Florida has no state income tax, so there is no state return to prepare here.
Check your work
Prepare the return in your software first. Reveal the key only to compare.
Answer keyTry the return first, then check your work.
- Wages (line 1a)$42,850
- Taxable interest (line 2b)$47
- Total income$42,897
- Adjustments to income$0
- Adjusted gross income$42,897
- Standard deduction (Single)$15,750
- Taxable income$27,147
- Tax (from tax tables)$3,017
- Federal tax withheld$3,400
- Refund$383
No Schedule B, since interest is under $1,500. The standard deduction beats itemizing here, and no credits apply. The $1,150 401(k) deferral is already out of box 1, and with AGI over $39,500 there is no Saver's Credit. Figures use 2025 amounts.
The completed return
Every page a real client gets: the 1040 and its schedules, the workpapers behind every number, and the signature forms. Free with an account.
Stuck? Work through it with Yehuda
A one-on-one, 30-minute tutoring session on this return with Yehuda Tenenbaum, EA. Bring the spot where you got stuck and we will work through it together: how the forms connect, why a figure lands where it does, and how to check your work. $250. This is education on the practice return, not advice on your own taxes.