How to find your AGI if you didn’t file taxes last year

What is an AGI and why do you need it?

Your AGI is your adjusted gross income – a measure of income calculated from your total income to determine how much the government can tax. Your gross income is the sum of all the money you earn in a year, including salaries, dividends, alimony, capital gains, interest income, royalties, rental income, and pension distributions. AGI takes into account allowable deductions from your gross income (such as student loan interest, child support payments, or pension contributions) to determine how your income tax will be calculated. Your AGI is shown on IRS tax form 1040.

Since this is a rough estimate of how much you’ll report after deductions from all your income streams, the IRS uses your AGI to calculate the maximum amount of the $1,200 stimulus check you can get.

How to find your AGI if you filed taxes in 2019

If you filed your 2019 federal income tax return, pull out your printed records. If you used tax filing software like TurboTax or Bloc H&R, you should be able to log into those accounts to find a copy of your return.

You will find your AGI on line 8b of the 2019 federal tax form 1040.

How to find your AGI if you didn’t file taxes last year

If you did not file a federal tax return in 2019, you can find your AGI on your 2018 federal tax return. On the 2018 federal tax form 1040, you will find your AGI on line 7.

An IRS 1040 personal income tax form for the 2018 tax year. You will find your AGI on line 7.

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images

How to find your AGI if you don’t have a copy of your tax return

If you just can’t find your tax return, you can find it in two ways:

Method 1: Go to the IRS Get Transcript portal, and choose Get Transcript Online. You will need your social security number, date of birth, filing status, and mailing address from your last tax return. You will also need access to your email address, personal account number from a credit card, mortgage, home loan, home equity line of credit or a car loan, and a mobile phone with your name on the account. Once your identity is verified, select the Tax Return Transcript and only use the “Adjusted Gross Income” line entry. You will be able to view or print your information here.

Method 2: If you don’t have internet access or the necessary identity verification documents, you can use the Get Transcript portal and choose Get Transcript by Mail, or call 1-800-908-9946 to request a tax return transcript. It will take about five to ten days to be delivered to you.

How to use your AGI to determine how much stimulus money you will receive

If the HEALS Act passes, the amount you’ll get from a second stimulus check depends on your AGI, your filing status (single or spouse), and the number of dependents you have. You can check out our story on how to calculate how much money you’d get from a second stimulus check for some examples of how that might go downhill for you depending on your situation.

Single taxpayers with a Social Security number and an AGI of less than $75,000 will receive the full amount of $1,200. As your AGI increases, the amount you are entitled to decreases. If your AGI is $99,000 or more, you will not qualify for the stimulus check.

If you are claiming as head of household, you will receive a check for $1,200 if your AGI is $112,500 or less. The amount will decrease until you reach $146,500, at which time you are not eligible.

If you are a married couple filing jointly with no children and your AGI is less than $150,000, you will receive a payment of $2,400. This amount will decrease until you reach $198,000, at which point you are not eligible for a check.

The HEALS Act and the Heroes Act differ concerning dependent children. If the HEALS Act passes, you can expect to receive $500 per dependent. If the Heroes Act passes, you can expect to receive $1,200 per dependent, with a maximum of three.