U.S. Individual Income Tax Return Forms

2020

Instructions for Form 2210-F

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Farmers and Fishermen
Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code unless
otherwise noted.

General Instructions
Future Developments

For the latest information about developments related to
Form 2210-F and its instructions, such as legislation enacted
after they were published, go to IRS.gov/Form2210F.

What’s New
Coronavirus tax relief for self-employed individuals
paying estimated taxes. If you're self-employed, the
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
allows you to defer the deposit or payment of 50% of the
social security tax on net earnings from self-employment
imposed on March 27, 2020, through December 31, 2020, so
you wouldn't have to use that part of the tax to calculate your
2020 estimated tax.
Additionally, the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act
(FFCRA) provides paid sick leave and paid family leave
credits equal to what you're required to provide to your
employees for qualified sick leave wages and qualified family
leave wages paid at any time from April 1, 2020, through
December 31, 2020. You can reduce payments of estimated
income taxes by the amount of these credits you're entitled to
on your 2020 Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. More information
is available in Publication 505, Tax Withholding and
Estimated Tax, and at IRS.gov/Coronavirus-Tax-Relief-andEconomic-Impact-Payments.

Reminders
Tax Withholding Estimator. To determine adjustments to
your withholdings, go to the Tax Withholding Estimator at
IRS.gov/W4App.
Treatment of deferred foreign income under section
965. No underpayment penalty will be imposed under
section 6654 for your net tax liability under section 965. You
may exclude such amounts when calculating the amount of
your required installment. For more information, see Notice
2018-26, available at IRS.gov/irb/
2018-16_IRB#NOT-2018-26.
Additional Medicare Tax. A 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax
applies to Medicare wages, Railroad Retirement Tax Act
(RRTA) compensation, and self-employment income over a
threshold amount based on your filing status. See Form
8959.
Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT). You may be subject to
NIIT. NIIT is a 3.8% (0.038) tax on the lesser of net
investment income or the excess of your modified adjusted
gross income over a threshold amount. See Form 8960.

enrolled in through a Health Insurance Marketplace (also
called an Exchange). The credit may reduce the amount of
tax you owe or increase your refund. For more information,
see Form 8962 and Pub. 974.
Health coverage tax credit. You may be eligible to claim
the health coverage tax credit. The health coverage tax credit
provides assistance to eligible individuals for premiums for
certain health insurance coverage enrolled in outside of a
Health Insurance Marketplace. The credit may reduce the
amount of tax you owe or increase your refund. This credit
doesn’t apply to health insurance coverage enrollments
through a Health Insurance Marketplace. For more
information, see Form 8885.

Purpose of Form

If you are an individual, estate, or trust and at least two-thirds
of your 2019 or 2020 gross income is from farming or fishing,
use Form 2210-F to see if you owe a penalty for underpaying
your estimated tax.
For a definition of gross income from farming and fishing
and more details, see chapter 2 of Pub. 505, Tax Withholding
and Estimated Tax.

Who Must File Form 2210-F

If you checked box A or B in Part I of Form 2210-F, you must
figure the penalty yourself and attach the completed form to
your return.

The IRS Will Figure the Penalty for
You

If you didn’t check box A or B in Part I, you don’t need to
figure the penalty or file Form 2210-F. Complete your return
as usual, leave the penalty line on your return blank, and
don’t attach Form 2210-F. If you owe the penalty, the IRS will
send you a bill. Interest won’t be charged on the penalty if
you pay by the date specified on the bill.

Who Must Pay the
Underpayment Penalty

You may owe the penalty for 2020 if you didn’t pay, by
January 15, 2021, at least the smaller of:
1. Two-thirds of the tax shown on your 2020 return, or
2. 100% of the tax shown on your 2019 return. Your 2019
tax return must cover a 12-month period.

Return. In these instructions, “return” refers to your original
income tax return. However, an amended return is
considered the original return if it is filed by the due date
(including extensions) of the original return. Also, a joint
return that replaces previously filed separate returns is
considered the original return.

Premium tax credit. You may be eligible to claim the
premium tax credit. The premium tax credit provides
assistance for premiums for health insurance coverage
Feb 01, 2021

Cat. No. 52887B

Exceptions to the Penalty

either of these eligibility requirements, you must call the IRS
disaster hotline at 866-562-5227 and identify yourself as
eligible for this relief. For information about claiming relief,
see IRS.gov/DisasterTaxRelief. For more information on
disaster assistance and emergency relief for individuals and
businesses, see IRS.gov/DisasterRelief. See Pub. 976,
Disaster Relief.

You won’t have to pay the penalty or file this form if any of the
following applies (but see Waiver of Penalty, later).
• You file your return and pay the tax due by March 1,
2021.
• You had no tax liability for 2019, you were a U.S. citizen
or resident alien for the entire year (or an estate of a
domestic decedent or a domestic trust), and your 2019
return was (or would have been had you been required to
file) for a full 12 months.
• The total tax shown on your 2020 return minus the
amount of tax you paid through withholding is less than
$1,000. To determine whether the total tax is less than
$1,000, complete lines 1 through 9.

Specific Instructions
Complete lines 1 through 11 to figure your required annual
payment.
If you file an amended return by the due date of your original
return, use the amounts shown on your amended return to
figure your underpayment. If you file an amended return after
the due date, use the amounts shown on the original return.

Waiver of Penalty

If you have an underpayment on line 13, all or part of the
penalty for that underpayment will be waived if the IRS
determines that:
• In 2019 or 2020, you retired after reaching age 62 or
became disabled, and your underpayment was due to
reasonable cause (and not willful neglect); or
• The underpayment was due to a casualty, disaster, or
other unusual circumstance, and it would be inequitable
to impose the penalty. For federally declared disasters,
see the separate information, later.

Exception. If you and your spouse file a joint return after the
due date to replace previously filed separate returns, use the
amounts shown on the joint return to figure your
underpayment.

Line 1

Enter the amount from Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR,
line 22. For an estate or trust, enter the amount from Form
1041, Schedule G, line 3.
Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1041 filers: You may
exclude the amount of your net section 965 tax
CAUTION liability when calculating the amount of your required
annual payment.

To request either of the above waivers, do the following.
• Check box A in Part I.
• Complete Form 2210-F through line 15 without regard to
the waiver. Enter the amount you want waived in
parentheses on the dotted line to the left of line 16.
Subtract this amount from the total penalty you figured
without regard to the waiver, and enter the result on
line 16.
• Attach Form 2210-F and a statement to your return
explaining the reasons you were unable to meet the
estimated tax requirements.
• If you are requesting a waiver due to retirement or
disability, attach documentation that shows your
retirement date (and your age on that date) or the date
you became disabled.
• If you are requesting a waiver due to a casualty, disaster
(other than a federally declared disaster as discussed
later), or other unusual circumstance, attach
documentation such as copies of police and insurance
company reports.

!

Line 2

Enter the total of the following amounts.

The IRS will review the information you provide and will
decide whether to grant your request for a waiver.
Federally declared disaster. Certain estimated tax
payment deadlines for taxpayers who reside or have a
business in a federally declared disaster area are postponed
for a period during and after the disaster. During the
processing of your tax return, the IRS automatically identifies
taxpayers located in a covered disaster area (by county or
parish) and applies the appropriate penalty relief. Don’t file
Form 2210-F if your underpayment was due to a federally
declared disaster. If you still owe a penalty after the
automatic waiver is applied, the IRS will send you a bill.
An individual or a fiduciary for an estate or trust not in a
covered disaster area but whose books, records, or tax
professionals' offices are in a covered area is also entitled to
relief. Also eligible are relief workers affiliated with a
recognized government or charitable organization assisting
in the relief activities in a covered disaster area. If you meet
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Instructions for Form 2210-F (2020)

IF you file...

THEN include on line 2 the amounts on...

1040 or
1040-SR

Schedule SE (Form 1040):
Line 12 minus line 26,

IF you file...

THEN include on line 2 the amounts on...

1041

Schedule H (Form 1040):
Line 8c* minus line 8d,

Schedule H (Form 1040):
Line 8c* minus line 8d,

Schedule G (Form 1041):
Line 4,
Line 5,
Line 6,
Line 8, don’t include the following write-ins:

Schedule 2 (Form 1040):
Line 6 (additional tax on distributions only),
Line 7b,
Line 8, don’t include the following write-ins:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

1040-NR

• Look-back interest due under section 167(g) (identified
as “From Form 8866”);

Uncollected social security and Medicare tax or RRTA
tax on tips or on group-term life insurance (identified as
“UT”);
Tax on excess golden parachute payments (identified
as “EPP”);
Excise tax on insider stock compensation from an
expatriated corporation (identified as “ISC”);
Look-back interest due under section 167(g) (identified
as “8866”);
Look-back interest due under section 460(b) (identified
as “8697”);
Recapture of federal mortgage subsidy (identified as
“FMSR”); and
Interest accrued on deferred tax under a section 1294
election for the year of termination (see Form 8621, Part
VI, line 24, and the Instructions for Form 8621). Also
subtract the amount from Form 8621, line 9c, that has
been entered in brackets to the left of Form 1040 or
1040-SR, line 24.

• Look-back interest due under section 460(b) (identified
as “From Form 8697”); and

• Interest accrued on deferred tax under a section 1294

election for the year of termination (see Form 8621, Part
VI, line 24, and the Instructions for Form 8621).

* If you’re a household employer, include your household employment taxes.
Don’t include household employment taxes if both of the following are true on
line 2: (1) You didn’t have federal income tax withheld from your income, and (2)
You wouldn’t be required to make estimated tax payments even if the
household employment taxes weren’t included.

Line 4

To figure the amount of the section 1341 credit, see
Repayments in Pub. 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income.

Line 5

Line 23a,
Line 23c,

Include in the total on line 5, any of the following write-in
refundable credits, if any, that you claimed on your tax return.
• Recovery rebate credit.
• Qualified sick and family leave credit(s).

Schedule SE (Form 1040):
Line 12 minus line 26,

On the dotted line next to line 5, enter the amount of your
refundable credit(s).

Schedule H (Form 1040):
Line 8c* minus line 8d,

Line 8

Schedule 2 (Form 1040):
Line 6 (additional tax on distributions only),
Line 7b,
Line 8, don’t include the following write-ins:

Enter the taxes withheld shown on the following:
• Schedule 3 (Form 1040), line 10, if you filed with Form
1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR.
• Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 25d.
• Form 1040-NR, lines 25d, 25e, 25f, and 25g.
• Form 1041, Schedule G, line 14.

• Uncollected social security and Medicare tax or RRTA
•
•
•
•
•
•

tax on tips or on group-term life insurance (identified as
“UT”);
Tax on excess golden parachute payments (identified
as “EPP”);
Excise tax on insider stock compensation from an
expatriated corporation (identified as “ISC”);
Look-back interest due under section 167(g) (identified
as “8866”);
Look-back interest due under section 460(b) (identified
as “8697”);
Recapture of federal mortgage subsidy (identified as
“FMSR”); and
Interest accrued on deferred tax under a section 1294
election for the year of termination (see Form 8621, Part
VI, line 24, and the Instructions for Form 8621).

Filers of Form 8689, Allocation of Individual Income Tax
to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Also enter on this line the
amount from Form 8689, lines 41 and 46, that you entered on
your 2020 Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 33.

Line 10

Figure your 2019 tax using the taxes and credits shown on
your 2019 tax return. Use the same type of taxes and credits
as shown on lines 1, 2, and 4a through 4f.
If you are filing a joint return for 2020 but you didn’t file a
joint return for 2019, add the tax shown on your 2019 return
to the tax shown on your spouse's 2019 return and enter the
total on line 10 (both taxes figured as explained earlier).
2019 separate returns and 2020 joint return. If you file
a joint return with your spouse for 2020, but you filed
separate returns for 2019, your 2019 tax is the total of the tax
shown on your separate returns. You filed a separate return if
you filed as single, head of household, or married filing
separately.
2019 joint return and 2020 separate returns. If you file
a separate return for 2020, but you filed a joint return with
your spouse for 2019, your 2019 tax is your share of the tax
on the joint return. You are filing a separate return if you file

* If you’re a household employer, include your household employment taxes.
Don’t include household employment taxes if both of the following are true on
line 2: (1) You didn’t have federal income tax withheld from your income, and (2)
You wouldn’t be required to make estimated tax payments even if the
household employment taxes weren’t included.

Instructions for Form 2210-F (2020)

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as single, head of household, or married filing separately. To
figure your share of the taxes on a joint return, first figure the
tax both you and your spouse would have paid had you filed
separate returns for 2019 using the same filing status as for
2020. Then multiply the tax on the joint return by the following
fraction and enter the result on line 10.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We ask for the
information on this form to carry out the Internal Revenue
laws of the United States. You are required to give us the
information. We need it to ensure that you are complying with
these laws and to allow us to figure and collect the right
amount of tax.
You are not required to provide the information requested
on a form that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
unless the form displays a valid OMB control number. Books
or records relating to a form or its instructions must be
retained as long as their contents may become material in
the administration of any Internal Revenue law. Generally,
tax returns and return information are confidential, as
required by section 6103.

The tax you would have paid had you filed a separate return
The total tax you and your spouse would have paid had you filed separate
returns

Example. Lisa and Paul filed a joint return for 2019
showing taxable income of $49,000 and a tax of $6,421. Of
the $49,000 taxable income, $41,000 was Lisa's and the rest
was Paul's. For 2020, they file married filing separately. Lisa
figures her share of the tax on the 2019 joint return as
follows.
2019 tax on $41,000 based on a
separate return . . . . . . . .
2019 tax on $8,000 based on a
separate return . . . . . . . .
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lisa's percentage of total tax
($5,995 ÷ $6,798) . . . . . . .
Lisa's part of tax on joint return
($6,421 × 88.2% (0.882)) . .

.
.

The time needed to complete and file this form will vary
depending on individual circumstances. The estimated
burden for individual taxpayers filing this form is approved
under OMB control number 1545-0074 and is included in the
estimates shown in the instructions for their individual income
tax return. The estimated burden for all other taxpayers who
file this form is as follows.

$ 5,995
803

.

$ 6,798

.

88.2%

.

$ 5,663

Lisa enters $5,663 on line 10.
If you didn’t file a return for 2019 or if your 2019 tax year
was less than 12 months, don’t complete line 10. Instead,
enter the amount from line 7 on line 11. However, see
Exceptions to the Penalty, earlier.

Recordkeeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39 min.

Learning about the law or the form . . . . . . . . . .

06 min.

Preparing the form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

36 min.

Copying, assembling, and sending the form to
the IRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20 min.

If you have comments concerning the accuracy of these
time estimates or suggestions for making this form simpler,
we would be happy to hear from you. See the instructions for
the tax return with which this form is filed.

Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1041 filers: You may
exclude the amount of your net tax liability under
CAUTION section 965 when calculating the amount of your
maximum required annual payment based on your prior
year’s tax.

!

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Instructions for Form 2210-F (2020)