There are three personal income tax forms — 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ — with each designed to get the appropriate amount of your money to the IRS.

Use Schedule C (Form 1040) to report income or loss from a business you operated or a profession you practiced as a sole proprietor. An activity qualifies as a business if: Your primary purpose for engaging in the activity is for income or profit. You are involved in the activity with continuity and regularity.

Claiming a business loss on your tax return isn't something you can do year after year. Staying in the red might be good for cutting your taxes, but the IRS advises you have to show a profit at least three out of the last five years, counting the current year.

Form 1040 is the standard tax return form that most individual taxpayers use every year. The IRS no longer accepts Forms 1040-EZ or Form 1040-A for tax years 2018 and beyond, which means most taxpayers must use Form 1040 to complete their tax returns.

Schedule C must accompany Form 1040, which is a taxpayer's main tax return. Self-employed individuals, sole proprietors of a business, or a single-member limited liability company (LLC) must report any activity conducted for income or profit using Schedule C.

(Sole Proprietorship) Go to .irs.gov/ScheduleC for instructions and the latest information. Attach to Form 1040, 1040-SR, 1040-NR, or 1041; partnerships must generally file Form 1065.

IRS Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business, is a tax form you file with your Form 1040 to report income and expenses for your business. The resulting profit or loss is typically considered self-employment income. Usually, if you fill out Schedule C you'll also have to fill out Schedule SE, "Self-Employment Tax."