Quick Mentoring On Filing a Paper Tax Return Form

Find out how to avoid some of the most common mistakes on tax returns.

12:11 24 March 2013

If you prefer to have a form in front of you to fill out for a tax return, make sure you don’t make one of these common mistakes that can cause processing delays, not to mention more than a few headaches.

Here are a few tips for filling out a paper tax return:

• Check for signatures—make sure that you have signed and dated the form.

 

• Read carefully—ensure that you have filled out all necessary information and included any supplementary pages.

 

• Correct form—make sure that you have the correct form for the correct tax year; simply altering the date would not be sufficient.

 

• Tax reference number—when filling out a paper tax return, make sure this is filled out with proper information.

 

• Extra notes—void putting additional notes on the form such as “information to follow” or “included”. This can be confusing and make it difficult to properly process the form.

 

• Timeliness—makes sure to send the form on time. The paper tax return is due about three months before the deadline for filing electronic forms.

 

• Review tax calculation—after filling out a paper tax return, you should receive a tax calculation if everything was filled out properly. Check the tax calculation to make sure there do not appear to be any errors though.

One of the best ways to avoid mistakes when filling out a paper tax return is to simply double check everything carefully before sending it in.

Re-reading the form without the added distraction of trying to fill it out, will let you focus on the form to ensure you have all the necessary data, signatures, and dates.  For extra time, consider filing your tax return online instead of on paper.