The AMT Advisor
Answers to All Your Alternative Minimum Tax Questions

AMT Forms

Form 6251, Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals, and Form 8801, Credit for
Prior Year Minimum Tax - Individuals, Estates and Trusts, are the two primary
forms used for the AMT. Click on the following links to go the forms and their
Instructions.

2011 Form 6251
Instructions to 2011 Form 6251

2011 Form 8801
Instructions to 2011 Form 8801

2010 Form 6251
Instructions to 2010 Form 6251

2010 Form 8801
Instructions to 2010 Form 8801


Form 6251

Form 6251 is used to calculate a taxpayer's AMT liability. The form is broken
down into three parts. In Part I, Alternative Minimum Taxable Income, the
taxpayer calculates his alternative minimum taxable income, which is used in
Part II.

In Part II, Alternative Minimum Tax, the taxpayer determines the amount of his
or her AMT liability.

Part III, Tax Computation Using Maximum Capital Gains Rates, is used by a
taxpayer that has capital gains income or qualified dividend income to
determine the amount of tax to be entered on line 31 in the calculation of his
or her AMT liability in Part II.

Form 8801

Form 8801 is used to calculate a taxpayer's refundable and nonrefundable
Minimum Tax Credit (MTC) and MTC carryforward to the next year. In Part I,
Net Minimum Tax on Exclusion Items, the taxpayer calculates the amount of
his AMT liability from the previous year that was due to AMT permanent
exclusion items.

In Part II, Current Year Nonrefundable and Refundable Credits and
Carryforward to 2011, the taxpayer uses information from the other parts of
the form to calculate his or her nonrefundable and refundable credits and to
determine the amount of any MTC carryforward to 2011.

In Part III, Tax Computations Using Maximum Capital Gains Rates, a taxpayer
who had capital gains in the previous year calculates the amount of tax to be
entered on line 11 in the calculation of the amount of the previous year AMT
liability that was due to exclusion items in Part I.

In part IV, Tentative Refundable Credit, the taxpayer calculates the tentative
amount of his or her refundable MTC, which is used in Part II to determine the
actual amount of the refundable credit.