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tax return

tax return

76 3.2
An official paper you send to the tax office that shows your income to work out tax
  • noun
  • /tæks rɪˈtɜrn/
translation icon : declaración de impuestos
  • As a recent college grad, tax return season is my favorite because I get so much back.
  • file a tax return
  • income tax return
  • required to file a tax return

he has seen his tax returns. I know him. He's my friend.

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Examples

  • On my state tax return, I wanted to become an honest American.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Last year, I claimed 4,000 dollars on my tax return.

  • Using your tax return to pay off credit card debt is smart.

  • My answer is if you have a simple tax return, then no, it is not worth it.

  • Is this where you ask me for my tax return?

  • Can the store claim a loss on its tax return?

    Academic text (2003)
  • The Prime Minister voluntarily published his UK tax returns last year.

  • The governor's tax returns are being audited.

  • Every year, people send their tax returns off to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

    Academic text (2002)
  • During tax season, many people eagerly anticipate their tax return to see if they will receive a refund.

Synonyms

return
vstax return
  • Formal
141 6.0

A form you send to tax officials showing your income

focuses on detailing income and other information to compute tax
tax form
vstax 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 official submission that calculates tax owed or refund
income tax return
vstax return
  • Formal
8 3.6

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

is the general official document used to calculate tax owed or refund due

How Complex

itemizer
  • Formal
7.7
tax return
76 3.2
basic
144 1.0

Surface Forms

tax return singular
tax returns plural

Morphology

tax + return

The meaning 'an official document submitted to tax authorities' is directly and compositionally derived from 'tax' (relating to government charges) plus 'return' (a formal document filed with authorities). This straightforward noun compounding pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Tax return comes from the words tax and return, meaning a form you 'return' to the tax office with details of your income and payments. Because the form shows if you paid too much or too little tax, the office may 'return' money to you as a refund, so the name connects the paper to both sending information back and getting money back.