If your deductible personal and family expenses, as defined by the IRS, add up to more than the standard deduction for your filing status, and you have the records to prove them, you should itemize your deductions instead of claming the standard deduction.

To do that, you'll have to file Form 1040, and complete Schedule A and attach it to your tax return.

In addition, all taxpayers filing Form 1040 with interest and/or dividend income exceeding $400 must file a Schedule B.

Any interest and dividend income should be reported to you by the payer on Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV, and this information should be sent to you each January. Each amount listed on each 1099 form must then be recorded on Schedule B of the Form 1040 tax return.

Schedules A&B (Form 1040), Itemized Deductions and Interest and Ordinary Dividends

The file is in Adobe portable document format (PDF), which requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

To get a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader software, go to the Adobe web site.

For more information, see our discussion of Itemized Deductions, Interest and Dividends.

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