Tax day is coming. You have not filed yet. The truth is that you haven’t even started yet.
Preparing a tax return can be stressful at the best of times. If you’re in a rush to get your taxes done before the April 15 deadline, you may be too hasty. Between the stress and the rush, you can make costly mistakes.
So then, here’s a list of common mistakes people make before filing their taxes, taken from a March 25 list published by the Illinois CPA Society. To honor the Land of Lincoln, we’ll include comments from an Illinois accountant.
Your name
You probably won’t forget to write your name on the return. But you have to be careful how you write it.
Accountants say you should type your name on your return exactly as you wrote it on your previous return, and as it appears on correspondence from the IRS — and on your Social Security statements. Ideally, all those names should match: identical letters, spaces, capital letters, and initial letters.
“If you misspelt your name, you could delay filing,” said Chicago CPA Charlene Rinehart. “You want to make sure everything is consistent across the board.”
filing status
There are a few things to consider when you choose a filing status. If your household situation has changed in the last year, your situation may have changed too. Even if not, accountants say, you should think before choosing one.
Married people in particular should consider filing jointly. Individual filers get lower tax benefits. For starters, the standard deduction is twice as large for joint filers.
“If you take the ‘married filing separately’ route you may miss out on valuable deductions and credits,” Rhinehart said.
If you’re divorced, you may be eligible for head of household status, which also comes with tax benefits, said Larry Johnson, a CPA in Springfield, Illinois.
social security number
No piece of data on a tax return is, perhaps, as important as your Social Security number. This serves as your personal tax ID number.
You probably know your Social Security number by heart. Still, double-check that you have entered it correctly. If not, “it could lead to the return being rejected,” Rinehart said.
Income
The goal here is both accuracy and completeness: You need to make sure that all of your income from 2025 on is reported on your tax return.
If you’re a salaried employee, the main form is probably your W-2. But you should also collect all of your 1099s, forms that report income not earned directly from an employer. There are several types of 1099s, covering income from interest, dividends, and other sources.
You may have to download some forms yourself. The CPA Society suggests making a list of all the forms you need and checking them off as you get them.
direct deposit information
The Trump administration is phasing out paper checks from the IRS, largely because mailed checks are targets for fraud.
“You can get a paper check, but I don’t know of any good reason to get a paper check,” Johnson said.
The fastest and safest way to get a refund in 2026 is by direct deposit. But make sure that you enter your account and routing number correctly. Make a mistake, and your refund will be delayed.
your signature
After all your hard work, don’t forget to sign and date your return. The IRS can’t accept it without a signature.
That deadline of 15th April
Your tax return is due at midnight on 15th April.
Let’s briefly talk about what happens if you miss the deadline.
If you fail to file your return on time, the standard penalty is 5% of any tax you owe for every month you delay filing your return, up to 25% of the unpaid balance.
If you file a return but don’t pay your outstanding taxes, you typically face a very small monthly penalty: 0.5% of any unpaid amount.
And here’s an important point: The late payment penalty applies even if you get an extension.
“People may think extending the file gives them more time to pay,” Rinehart said. If it doesn’t happen.
When you request an extension, it’s best to pay whatever tax you think you owe. This way, you won’t face penalties later.
check your work
Rinehart and Johnson both recommend that taxpayers should read their entire tax return one last time before hitting the “file” button.
This step is especially important if you prepared your return in a hurry.
Once you’ve completed your work, consider setting it aside until the next day, Rinehart said, when you can review the return “with fresh eyes.”
Consider Last-Minute IRA, HSA Contributions
This last item is not about mistakes, but about missed opportunities.
Illinois accountants note that you can contribute to a tax-advantaged individual retirement account or health savings account for 2025 through April 15, 2026.
These contributions are a great way to reduce the amount you owe the IRS. Contributions to an IRA or HSA reduce your taxable income and, thus, reduce your taxes.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tax Day is coming. Avoid these common IRS filing mistakes.
Reporting by Daniel De Vis, USA TODAY/USA TODAY
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