10 Common Tax Filing Mistakes

Mistakes,To,Avoid,,Text,On,Notepad,Near,Torn,Paper

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 #1: Leaving Off Attachments When Filing
Make sure you’ve completed and attached to your Form 1040 all required schedules and forms. You should attach them using the “Attachment Sequence Number” shown in the upper right corner of each schedule or form. Attach other statements and schedules at the end of your return, even if they relate to another form or schedule. Also, it’s a good idea to include your name and Social Security number on every page of each form you submit.
Mistake #2: Forgetting About Carry-Forwards from Prior Years 
Make sure to check prior year returns to see if there are any items to be carried forward to this year, such as capital losses or charitable deductions that exceeded the amount you were able to deduct in previous years.
Mistake #3: Reporting Investment Income in the Wrong Place
Some filers mistakenly report earnings from money market funds as “interest income” when, in fact, the IRS considers such earnings to be dividends.
 Mistake #4: Overpaying Your Social Security Taxes
If you worked at two or more jobs in 2005 and your total earnings exceeded $90,000, you may have overpaid your Social Security payments. The instructions that come with your Form 1040 will tell you how to claim a credit.Mistake #5: Unnecessarily Declaring Your State Tax Refund as IncomeDo not declare your state tax refund as income on your federal return if you did not receive a benefit from deducting them. Many people make the mistake of automatically reporting state refunds as income. If you took the standard deduction instead of itemizing in 2004, you don’t have to show your state refund as income for 2005.

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 Olsen, CPA

 

 

Alan L. Olsen, CPA, Wikipedia Bio

 

 

 

Proud sponsor of the AD Show.

American-Dreams-Show-Accounting-firm-in-ca-cpa-tax-advisors-groco-alan-olsen

/GROCO
Posted in

Could a Yacht Be Considered Your Second Home?

They say that a home is where the heart is. However, when it comes to a second home, it can be where your heart is, or just about anywhere else, as far as the IRS is concerned. In fact, not only can a second home be just about anywhere, it can actually be just about…

How Long Do I Need to Keep My Tax Records?

How Long Do I Need to Keep My Tax Records?

How Long Do I Need to Keep My Tax Records? April 15 is one of the most dreaded days of the year for many people, with the possible exception of accountants. However, what happens when all the hoopla of April 15 passes as people wake up on April 16 and go on with the rest…

India Teaming Up With United States in Joint Effort to Find Hidden Cash

India is reportedly going after so called “black money” which Indian citizens who are living abroad, are apparently hiding in offshore accounts, including here in the United States. According to reports, the Indian Government believes that as much as $350 billion is hiding in unreported bank accounts and other financial institutions. India is already gathering…

Is Your Company in the Market for a Fairness Opinion?

Is Your Company in the Market for a Fairness Opinion? Is that really fair? In my opinion, yes it is. Obviously a fairness opinion is much more than that in the financial and business world. So what is a fairness opinion, exactly? One of the final parts of any sale or merger is a fairness…