For many of us, there’s no better feeling than to know that we’ve filed our income tax returns and that a refund check is on its way. As it turns out, millions of people could get more of their money back if they avoid the most common tax filing mistakes.   

The most common filing mistakes:

• Errors with your direct deposit

Tax Preparer, Susana Jimenez says, “When you have direct deposit, where the IRS is sending your refund directly to the banks, the routing number is very important. As to your account number, you have to specify if it’s a checking account or a savings account. So all those factors will have an effect. If the routing number or the account number is incorrect, then the bank will reject it and then the IRS normally will send it to you by mail.”

The most common tax filing mistakes:

• Hybrid vehicle credits

“Be aware that there is a tax deduction with the vehicles that you have, whether they are electric or hybrid. This will help you to receive a greater refund,” says Jimenez.

The most common tax filing mistakes:

• Not reporting interest  

“The interest information, it’s very important to make sure you report it all. If you’re paying a mortgage, and you pay interest on the mortgage, that’s a deduction that you can make. If you have interest from income, you have a savings account, and they paid you an interest during the year, that’s also something that you need to report to the IRS. Because they also have a copy of that information,” explains Jimenez.

The most common tax filing mistakes:

• Mathematic errors  

“Your calculations in math when you prepare a tax return are very important. Be sure to re-check them because we often make mistakes. We overlook some of the deductions and sometimes it will definitely affect your refund,” says Jimenez.

The most common tax filing mistakes:

• Wrong Social Security Number

“Your Social Security Number has to match your name. And it’s really important because if it doesn’t match, then again the IRS will reject the return. As well as if you’re married, your wife’s Social Security number has to match the name that she has registered with. This is the same with your children. Your dependents, whether it’s a parent or a child, those numbers have to match,” adds Jimenez.

The most common tax filing mistakes:

• Required signatures missing  

“Also, the IRS now sends you booklets and there are labels on the booklets that the IRS would like you to attach to the return. All those documents are important to expedite your taxes,” she says.

Victor Omelczenko, from the Internal Revenue Service says, “The IRS finds that over a million people a year forget to do that one final step on your paper return. They forget to actually sign it. So if you’re a single person completing it, sign that return. If you’re married filing jointly both the husband and the wife need to sign the return. If you have a professional tax preparer helping you out with your return, they must sign it also.”

The most common tax filing mistakes:

• Missing the deadline

“Try not to file late so you don’t have to worry. About one out of every four taxpayers, 25% of them, wait until April 1st to file their taxes. Then they only have two weeks to do their taxes. What you want to do is you want to file them on time. It’s very important to file and pay on time,” explains Omelczenko.

“If you can’t file on time, it’s important to know that you can get an automatic extension to file your taxes. You will need to use the Form 4868- but you must file that form by April 15th. The penalties and the interest, they start to really rack up if you don’t file anything at all.  So you still want to file the extension form. This is going to give you more time to file, an additional six months to file, until the date of October 15th,” adds Omelczenko.

“There is always a way to fix a mistake that was made. The IRS is willing to correct any errors. You just either write to the IRS or you can call 1-800-829-1040. As long as you have your social security number, and the additional needed information, they’re more than willing to adjust this if there is an error,” says Jimenez.