Contribute as much as possible to retirement plans You have until April 16 to make IRA contributions. If you can't afford one big deposit, sign up for an automatic investment plan that pulls smaller amounts out of your checking account every month. You'll never have to think about this line item again. According to the IRS, the most common reasons they returned forms last year were very basic mistakes. Most of those mistakes can be avoided with a simple once-over.
People make mistakes in transferring numbers from one schedule to another.
Forgetting to include Social Security numbers. Now many people forget to write them in, or transpose digits. Using an incorrect number for a child could result in the child tax credit being disallowed. Not signing and dating your return. If you don't file a return at all, you'll be penalized 5 percent of your balance a month up to 25 percent in all.