This page collects our 24 tax guides in one list. Some explain a single form, such as Form 1040 or Form 1099. Others cover how a type of income is taxed, from stock sales to gold, Treasury bills and REIT payouts. The rest deal with specific situations: selling a house, taking money out of an IRA, receiving trust distributions or depreciating a rental property. Each title links to a full article. The list is not a ranking, so the order says nothing about which guide matters more. Start with the one that names your form or your question.
Tax Guides
Browse 24 tax explainers on IRS forms, deductions, investment income and filing rules, and open the guide that matches the form or question in front of you.
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All articles: taxes
24 pages
What Is a W-9 Form? Who Files It and How to Fill It OutForm W-4Do You Pay Capital Gains Tax When You Sell Your House?Form W-8BENForm 1040Short-Term vs. Long-Term Capital Gains Tax on StocksWhat Is Schedule K-1? Who Gets It and How to Use ItHow Much Are Taxes on an IRA Withdrawal?What Is Form I-9? Employment Eligibility Verification…How Gold and Silver Investments Are TaxedWhat Is Form 1099? Types and What You Need to KnowTax Deductions for the Self-EmployedDo Trust Beneficiaries Pay Taxes on Distributions?Smith Maneuver ExplainedTaxation of Treasury BillsUnderstanding Depreciation of Rental PropertyThe Basics of REIT TaxationTaxation Insights for Futures and OptionsA Brief History of Taxes in the U.S.Benefits of Living in NJ While Working in NYCCapital Gains vs. Dividend IncomeUnderstanding Donor-Advised FundsUnderstanding and Completing Form W-9 for Tax ID RequestsNavigating Tax Issues of Opening a Foreign Bank Account
How the guides are grouped
The titles fall into three rough groups. The first is forms: W-9, W-4, W-8BEN, I-9, 1040, 1099 and Schedule K-1. These guides explain who files the form, who receives it and what each part asks for. The second group is investment income. Here you will find short-term vs. long-term capital gains on stocks, capital gains vs. dividend income, precious metals, Treasury bills, REITs, and futures and options. The third group covers life events and planning: home sales, IRA withdrawals, trust beneficiaries, rental depreciation, donor-advised funds, self-employed deductions, living in New Jersey while working in New York City, foreign bank accounts and the Smith Maneuver. A few guides overlap. For example, a freelancer may need the W-9, 1099 and self-employed deductions pages together.
How these guides are written and sourced
The tax guides are explainers, not brand reviews, so they carry no score and no ranking position. The Personal Finance Desk signs them. Text is drafted with help from AI language models, and automated checks then compare it with our records. Text with unsupported claims is rejected and rewritten. Where an article relies on outside material, it lists that material under “Sources cited on this page”. Every guide shows the date it was published and the date its text last changed. Those dates move only when the wording changes, not when the site is rebuilt. That makes it easy to see how old a given explanation is. The full process is set out in our methodology.
Using the guides alongside your own return
Tax rules, thresholds and form layouts change, and they depend on where you live and what kind of income you have. Use these guides to understand the terms and the questions a form is asking. Then check the current official form instructions before you file. When a guide covers a rule that has limits or exceptions, read those parts closely, because they are often what changes the answer. The futures and options guide explains tax treatment only. Trading those products carries a real risk of loss, and nothing here is financial or tax advice. For rough estimates, our calculators can help. For a return with several income types, a qualified tax professional is the safer route.
FAQ
Is anything on this page tax advice?
No. These guides explain how forms and common tax rules work in general terms. Your actual tax depends on your income, filing status, location and the rules in force when you file. Use the guides to understand the questions, then confirm details against the current official form instructions or with a qualified tax professional.
I just started freelancing. Which guides should I read first?
Start with the W-9 guide, since clients often ask freelancers for that form before paying them. Next, read the Form 1099 guide to understand the income statements you may receive. Then read the self-employed deductions guide for expenses you may be able to claim. The Form 1040 guide explains where all of this ends up on your return.
How can I tell whether a guide is still current?
Each guide shows the date it was first published and the date its text last changed. Those dates move only when the wording is edited, not when the site is rebuilt. If a guide has not changed in a while, compare its key figures and rules with the latest official instructions before you rely on them.
Does Fintrev earn money from these guides or recommend tax software?
Fintrev currently has no paid partnerships, no affiliate links and no display advertising. No company can pay for a mention, a score or a position on the site. These tax guides do not rank tax software or preparers. They explain forms and rules, and the Personal Finance Desk signs them.