Remember to include a Social Security number for every dependent on your tax return–even those you’re just paying alimony to. This year’s in-a-hurry tax collectors are flatly disallowing ID-less deductions and dunning for the difference.
You’re crying out for an audit if your return shows atypical or unaffordable deductions, or includes too many extra pages, counsels CPA Martin Kaplan. He tells clients never to file discretionary forms, such as SS8, which asks the IRS to determine if you’re an employee or a consultant; 5213, for new businesses that look like hobbies, or 8275, a generic disclosure form that Kaplan says is code for ““I’m really sticking my neck out here.’’ Average deductions for a $30,000 to $40,000 tax-bracket family are $4,078 for medical expenses, $2,808 for taxes, $5,069 in mortgage interest and charitable gifts of $1,275. If your write-offs are way out of whack, claim them anyway but be prepared to prove it.
