Common Tax Mistakes

It's easy to make mistakes on your taxes. After all, computing your capital gain or figuring out the appropriate amount of depreciation can be complicated. But some of the most common errors are actually ones that are easily avoidable, if you pay attention.

According to the IRS, some of the most common mistakes include:

• forgetting to sign your return
• forgetting to enclose your W-2
• putting your federal return in your state envelope (and vice versa)
• Probably the biggest of all: either failing to include your Social Security number, or writing it down incorrectly for yourself, your spouse, or your dependent.
• Another big area for mistakes: the Earned Income Tax Credit. Many people claim it if they're not eligible, or they compute an incorrect amount. In most cases, married couples can't claim it if they have one child and earn more than $30,666 or two children and earn more than $34,692.