10 Common Tax Filing Mistakes
As this year’s tax deadline approaches, we though it would be a good idea to share 10 common filing mistakes. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) reminds taxpayers of 10 of the most common mistakes made each year by individual taxpayers on their federal tax returns. These avoidable errors can affect your tax bill, delay the processing of your return and draw the attention of the Internal Revenue Service.
Mistake #6: Failing to Document Charitable Donations
For charitable donations of $250 or more, written acknowledgment from the charity is required. A canceled check is not sufficient. If your gift was one of property rather than cash, the acknowledgment must describe the property. When your noncash contribution exceeds $500, you also are required to file IRS Form 8283, Noncash Charitable Contributions, giving details of the donation.
Mistake #7: Omitting Social Security Numbers of Dependents
You MUST include on your return the Social Security number for all dependents. Also, to claim a child or dependent care credit, you must complete Form 2441 and indicate the care giver’s name, address and taxpayer identification or Social Security number.
Mistake #8: Making Math Miscalculations When Filing
Review your return to make sure that your math is correct. If you find a mistake, remember to recalculate other figures that are affected by the error.
Mistake #9: Failing to Calculate the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
With every passing year more and more taxpayers discover, often to their great surprise, that they are subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT). But many of the 16 million taxpayers who are predicted to become subject to the AMT for the first time over the next two years will not fill out the AMT form 6251 because they think it is only applicable to the very wealthiest individuals and couldn’t possibly apply to them. The result can be a nasty note from the IRS informing them they owe more money and, of course, interest on the underpayment.
Mistake #10: Assuming Itemizing Deductions Will Reduce Tax Bite the Most
Many taxpayers assume that itemizing deductions is going to result in the lowest federal obligation. However, that may not be true. For example, if you’ve paid down most of the interest on your home mortgage, which is the largest deduction most filers have, you may be better off taking the standard deduction. The standard deduction increases each year because it’s indexed for inflation. For 2006 returns, the standard deduction for married taxpayers filing jointly is $10,300, and for single it is $5,150.
We hope you found this article about “10 Common Tax Filing Mistakes” helpful. If you have questions or need expert tax or family office advice that’s refreshingly objective (we never sell investments), please contact us or visit our Family office page or our website at www.GROCO.com. Unfortunately, we no longer give advice to other tax professionals gratis.
To receive our free newsletter, contact us here.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more updates.
Considerately yours,
GROCO, GROCO Tax, GROCO Technology, GROCO Advisory Services, GROCO Consulting Services, GROCO Relationship Services, GROCO Consulting/Advisory Services, GROCO Family Office Wealth, and GROCO Family Office Services.
Alan L. Olsen, CPA, Wikipedia Bio
Proud sponsor of the AD Show.
How to Build Emotional Intelligence
How to Build Emotional Intelligence IQ vs. EQ and how that affects you Throughout childhood teachers are quick to pick out students who are “high performers” and have a high IQ. With society giving such a larger emphasis on IQ, it is inferred that only those who have a high IQ will be successful financially…
Leadership Through Crucial Conversations
Leadership Through Crucial Conversations Think of a time where you had a difficult conversation with someone, the kind where emotions are strong, and the stakes are high. It could be on a variety of topics: negotiating a raise at work, having to fire an employee, or even how to tell your spouse that you don’t…
The Top Benefits of Floating Therapy
The Top Benefits of Floating Therapy Have you ever felt so good that you “feel like you’re walking on air?” Of course, that’s just an expression, but what if you could get that kind of feeling in a real-world experience? Life is stressful and people are always looking for new ways to catch a breather,…
Why Is Google Getting Serious About Hardware?
Why Is Google Getting Serious About Hardware? Everyone knows Google is the leading search engine, but its ventures into hardware have so far been a mixed bag of results. The company made its intentions clear back when the smartphone era was in its infancy, declaring it would not get into the business of making hardware.…