Make No Mistake About It: Tax Return Errors Delay Refunds
Tax day has come and gone, and now you just have to wait. And wait and wait and wait and wait a second, what’s taking your refund so long? The delay might be due to a blooper on your tax return – the IRS will need to contact you to correct it. You’re more likely to make a mistake if you file on paper instead of IRS e-file – twenty times more likely in fact.
For example, you might have written in the wrong SSN or even forgot to put it at all. That’s usually the case – we forget the most important thing because we’re so focused on the little details. It’s okay to peek at your SSN card to make sure you got your own number right.
Everybody has crazy spellings of their names nowadays with silent consonants, extra vowels, and missing letters all over the place. Be sure to spell the names of everyone on your tax return exactly as they’re printed on their SSN cards.
Filing status might seem like a guessing game. A lot of folks accidentally file as Head of Household instead of as Single (the former does sound more impressive). Luckily, the Interactive Tax Assistant can give you a helping hand with filing status.
Simple arithmetic gets complicated fast when a lot of numbers are involved. If you’re tempted to show that calculator who’s boss and do everything with the old noggin’, don’t. Math mistakes are a common error on tax returns, especially when you don’t have tax preparation software doing the calculations for you.
Read all the instructions. This goes for everything in life, but is especially important when it comes to baking, setting up expensive electronics, and figuring tax credits or deductions. A lot of filers botch up when figuring their EITC, Child and Dependent Care Credit, and the standard deduction.
Choosing direct deposit will get you your refund fastest. However, choosing direct deposit and using the wrong bank and account numbers on your return is a sure way to get your refund slower.
Whew, you made it through the tax return, double-checking your math and ensuring everyone’s names have all the extra letters they’re supposed to have. But all that work will be for nothing if you don’t put your John Hancock on there, along with the date. And go find your spouse if you’re filing jointly – the return isn’t valid unless both of you sign.
You can’t exactly sign with a pen when you’re filing electronically. Well I mean you can try to, but your computer screen won’t look too great afterwards. Instead, use a PIN to sign the return. If you know last year’s e-file PIN, use that. If not, enter the Adjusted Gross Income from your originally-filed 2012 federal tax return, but don’t use the AGI amount from an amended or IRS-corrected 2012 return.
To err is human – which is why it’s best to rely on IRS e-file in the future.
Wang Solutions 