You'd like to buckle down and do your income taxes. Really, you would. But you're missing one key form: last year's federal income tax return. But wait? It will cost you $30 to get an actual copy?

Quick Take: What Is a Tax Transcript and Why Do You Need One? In short, a tax transcript shows basic data and line items such as adjusted gross income, AGI, or other taxable income, as well as FICA ...

Learn which situations may require an IRS tax transcript, along with how to request your tax transcript, and how to interpret it. Do you need information from a tax return you filed three years ago ...