Tax Day is coming. Avoid These Common IRS Filing Mistakes.

Tax day is coming. You have not entered yet. In fact, you haven’t even started yet.

Preparing a tax return can cause paroxysms of stress at the best of times. If you’re rushing to complete your taxes before the April 15 deadline, you may be rushing things. Amidst the stress and haste, you can end up making costly mistakes.

Here is a list of common mistakes people make before filing their taxes, taken from the March 25 list published by the Illinois CPA Society. In honor of the Land of Lincoln, we’ll include ideas from Illinois accountants.

Your name

You probably won’t forget to write your name on your return. But you need to be careful how you write.

Accountants say you should type your name on your return exactly as you wrote it on your last return, and as it appears on letters from the IRS — and on your Social Security statements. Ideally, all those words should be the same: Same letters, spaces, capitals and initials.

“If you misspell your name, you can cause filing delays,” says Charlene Rhinehart, a Chicago CPA. “You want to make sure everything is aligned across the board.”

Filing Status

There are a few things to consider when choosing a filing status. If your household situation has changed in the past year, your situation may have changed. Even if not, accountants say, you should think before choosing one.

Married people, in particular, should consider filing jointly. Separate filers often reap fewer tax benefits. First, the standard deduction for joint files is twice as large.

“You can miss out on important deductions and credits if you go the ‘married filing separately’ route,” says Rhinehart.

If you’re divorced, you may qualify as head of household, which brings tax benefits, says Larry Johnson, a CPA in Springfield, Illinois.

Social Security number

No single piece of data on a tax return is, perhaps, as important as your Social Security number. It works like your individual tax ID number.

You probably know your Social Security number by heart. However, double check that you have installed it correctly. Otherwise, “it could lead to a rejection,” says Rhinehart.

Net worth

The goal here is both accuracy and precision: You need to make sure that all of your income from 2025 is included on your tax return.

If you’re a salaried employee, the key form is probably your W-2. But you should also collect all of your 1099s, the forms that report income directly to the employer. There are many types of 1099s, including income from interest, dividends and other sources.

You may need to download some forms yourself. Make a list of all the forms you expect, the CPA Society suggests, and check them when you get them.

Direct Deposit Information

The Trump administration is ending paper audits at the IRS, largely because checks sent through the mail are vulnerable to fraud.

“You can get a paper check,” Johnson said, “but I don’t know a good reason to get a paper check.”

The fastest and safest way to get a refund in 2026 is through direct deposit. But make sure you enter your account and routing numbers correctly. Get it wrong, and your refund will be delayed.

Your Signature

After all the hard work, don’t forget to sign and date your return. The IRS cannot accept it without a signature.

That Deadline is April 15th

Your tax form is due by midnight, April 15.

Let’s talk briefly about what happens if you miss the deadline.

If you fail to file your return on time, the standard penalty is a maximum of 5% of any tax you owe each month the return is late, up to 25% of the unpaid balance.

If you file a return but don’t pay any taxes you owe, you usually face a very small monthly penalty: 0.5% of any unpaid amount.

And here’s the bottom line: That late payment penalty applies even if you get an extension.

“People may think that a file extension gives them more time to pay,” Rhinehart said. It doesn’t.

If you’re asking for an extension, it’s best to pay any tax you think you owe. That way, you won’t face penalties later.

Check Your Work

Both Rhinehart and Johnson recommend that taxpayers read all their tax documents one last time before clicking the “file” button.

That step is especially important if you plan to come back soon.

When you finish your work, Rhinehart said, consider putting it aside until the next day, when you can review the return “with fresh eyes.”

Consider last-minute IRA, HSA contributions

This last thing is not about mistakes so much as missed opportunities.

Illinois accountants note that you can contribute to a tax-advantaged Individual Retirement Account or Life Savings Account for 2025 until April 15, 2026.

Those contributions are a great way to reduce what you owe the IRS. Contributions to an IRA or HSA reduce your taxable income and, therefore, your taxes.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tax Day is coming. Avoid these common IRS filing mistakes.

Reporting by Daniel de Visé, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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