estimated tax return

7.0

A form to pay tax you expect to owe when not enough tax is taken from your pay

noun

Specialized

: declaración de impuestos estimados

Freelancers often complete an estimated tax return each quarter to avoid penalties.

Examples

If you expect to owe more than $1,000 in taxes, you may need to file an estimated tax return.
Failure to submit an estimated tax return on time can result in fines from the tax authorities.
You need to file an estimated tax return by April 15.
The IRS requires an estimated tax return if you expect to owe taxes.
Many independent contractors must submit an estimated tax return to report their earnings accurately.
To avoid penalties, taxpayers should file an estimated tax return if their income tax withholding is insufficient.
It's important to keep track of your income to determine if you need to file an estimated tax return this year.

Synonyms

return

vsestimated tax return

Formal

141 6.0

A form you send to tax officials showing your income

is the filing used specifically to report and secure payment when withholding is insufficient

tax return

vsestimated tax return

76 3.2

An official paper you send to the tax office that shows your income to work out tax

is the particular filing that reports and collects payment when withholding falls short

tax form

vsestimated tax return

Formal

12 2.8

An official paper you use to tell the government how much money you earn and owe in tax

is the completed filing that reports and results in payment of likely liability

income tax return

vsestimated tax return

Formal

8 3.6

A form you send to the tax office showing your income and expenses

serves as the specific filing to report and pay likely yearly liability

declaration of estimated tax

vsestimated tax return

Formal

8.8

A form a taxpayer files to say how much tax they expect to owe when tax withheld is not enough

reports and asks payment of the yearly liability when withholding is insufficient

Surface Forms

estimated tax return singular

estimated tax returns plural

Morphology

estimate + tax + return

The phrase is compositionally built from 'estimated' (derived from estimate = approximate calculation) + 'tax' (government charge) + 'return' (formal tax document), so a learner who knows these constituents can infer it refers to a tax form concerning estimated taxes. Although it is a technical/legal term, the modifier–noun structure is regular and cross‑linguistically common, making the meaning predictable for a B1 learner familiar with the component words.

Etymology

Estimated tax return comes from estimated (a careful 'guess' about what you will owe) and tax return (a form to report the taxes you must pay). One popular idea is that governments asked people to 'pay early' by sending a guessed amount during the year to avoid a large bill at the end, so today the phrase means the form used to report and pay those estimated taxes.