Can we really file our taxes on a postcard? YES WE CAN! But with a few hitches... The new 1040 form removes more than half of the 78 lines contained in previous years. But smaller is not necessarily simpler. In exchange for the main form becoming postcard-sized, additional attachments were created for many of the most popular deductions like Student Loan Interest, Educator Expenses, IRA and HSA Contributions. Same for certain types of income, like Self-Employed Business Income and Capital Gains from Investments. Have children? You'll now have to hunt for the Child and Child Care Tax Credits. Have college-aged children? Same deal trying to locate those credits - American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning. Bottom line - Filing taxes didn't get simpler just because the main form shrunk. Filing taxes actually got more complicated for those who don't know the ins and outs of all the many forms and how they each tie back to the "up-front postcard". Call a pro and let them sort it out, so you can smile when you finally mail your postcard to the IRS.