Looking for a smooth tax filing season? Here are some flags to avoid. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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Every tax season, I hear the same thing: There has to be a trick. A faster way to file. A magic move that gets your refund sooner. A loophole the IRS doesn’t want you to know about. Social media is full of them, and so are group chats, bar conversations, and well-meaning advice from friends who swear they’ve cracked the code.
The truth is, there are ways to make tax season smoother, but most of them aren’t secrets, and none of them come from viral videos or internet hacks. This year especially, with major changes to the tax law thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and an IRS operating with fewer people and bigger backlogs, the margin for error is thinner than usual. One wrong move can slow everything down, and there’s no easy undo button.
So instead of chasing shortcuts, I decided to go straight to the source. For some perspective, I turned to someone who is very familiar with the inner workings of the agency, Terry Lemons. Terry spent more than 25 years at the IRS, overseeing the agency’s communications operations for over 17 years before retiring earlier this year. Here’s what he has to say:
As another filing season kicks off, let’s face it: Dealing with taxes can be the Super Bowl of headaches.
It’s a daunting task for many. And just to complicate things a bit more this year, taxpayers will find themselves blitzed by a new law covering everything from tips to overtime.
Bigger Tax Refunds This Filing Season
But an enticing reward awaits at the goal line for more than 100 million taxpayers – a refund check. For many families, it’s the biggest check they will see all year. What’s more, last year’s average tax refund of $3,167 should jump by hundreds of dollars in 2026 – with some taxpayers seeing four figure increases.
For that kind of money, there’s always a catch. This year, extra pitfalls exist that could make taxpayers fumble and make a mistake on their tax return. To be clear, this isn’t the time to get offsides with the tax agency given the deep staff cuts and continuing paper backlogs, as figures in a January 27 Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report show. That means it’s more important than ever to have an error-free return that sails through the IRS processing system.
Insider Tips To Avoid Making a Mistake
As a former IRS leader who dealt with filing season for 26 years, there are ways people can make tax season easier. Given the unusual situation this year, here are five tips to keep in mind. Avoiding these potential flags can speed refunds and avoid mistakes that could lead to lengthy delays or other frustrating problems down the line with the IRS:
1. Don’t rush to file.
With hefty tax refunds waiting, you can’t blame people for wanting to get that money as quickly as possible. But year after year, the IRS sees a common mistake: People rush to file before they have all their paperwork. The result can be overlooking income that must be reported – like a part-time job or side gig, interest from a bank account or sales of stock. These are examples of things that could generate forms such as W-2 or 1099, which go to the IRS as well as the taxpayer.
Missing a key document—and omitting the income on your return—could mean you need to file an amended tax return. Or later you might get an IRS letter—called a notice—asking you to pay taxes on the missed income. This is the wrong time to be caught in these situations. With the staff cuts and months of backlogged paperwork, scenarios like these that require human intervention at the IRS will take extra time. IRS staffing is down about 25% during the past year, and the remaining employees are stretched thin with the agency’s huge portfolio. People who get tripped up on their tax return should brace for long waits and expect delayed response times – perhaps months — on everything from processing amended returns, responding to letters or getting problems solved over the phone.
Take the time to huddle up and get it right before filing a tax return. It could save you time, headaches and possibly money.
- Here’s a tip for finding a missing Form W-2 or 1099: Sign up for an IRS Online Account. For people with a lot of side gigs, the information shared on the Online Account can be a safety net to check for documents. You see information already in IRS systems.
- Another piece of IRS insider advice: If you talk to an IRS employee about a problem, please remember to be kind. Believe it or not, many IRS employees are just as frustrated as the taxpayers calling in. IRS employees want to help, but system limitations and tax system complexities can make it hard to resolve problems and prevent employees from helping taxpayers as much as they want.
2. Don’t overlook new tax law changes.
This is a variant of the “don’t rush” rule. The new tax law, OBBBA, contains numerous provisions that will affect tax situations for millions of people. It’s important to understand the rules around these provisions to avoid missing a new tax break – or misinterpreting one.
Nearly everyone’s heard about “no taxes on tips” and “no taxes on overtime,” but beyond those headlines the details in the fine print can be tricky. For example, there are income limitations on tax-free tips, and only up to $25,000 of tips per return can be tax free. And only the extra pay (the “half” in “time and a half” from overtime), capped at $12,500 per individual, is tax free.
There are many other provisions in the new law that affect everything from interest on new car purchases to new tax breaks for seniors and parents. Don’t overlook any of these taxpayer-friendly changes, including the higher income limits for the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, for people living in states with higher taxes. People benefiting from SALT will get a big chunk of this year’s extra refund money.
With all of these changes taking a place, a little research on places like IRS.gov before filing could pay off. Tax professionals and tax software can also help.
3. Don’t trust social media.
Crazy tax ideas go viral on platforms like TikTok all the time, sharing inaccurate advice that can give people a false start on their tax return. Some social media influencers wildly suggest tapping into “secret ways” to avoid taxes, like converting all of your income into tips to take advantage of the “no tax on tips” provision. Another recent one urges people to file a Form W-4 and declare themselves exempt from federal tax withholding, a variation of a scam that’s been on the IRS radar for decades.
For people lured by these bad ideas, they can face big penalties down the road. While the IRS may have lost staff, the agency still has many compliance tools available to check income. And the agency continues sending out automated notices to people suspected of not paying or filing. The final score on this is a lopsided one: The only people who benefit from wacky social media theories are the influencers enjoying making money on the clicks.
So if you hear an idea on social media, the best defense is to check it out first. And don’t overlook that there are many credible voices in social space that share accurate tax information, ranging from the IRS social media channels to tax professionals on X who use the #TaxTwitter handle — and are quite good at countering bad information in social space.
4. Don’t rely on Artificial Intelligence.
While AI searches may sound smart, the complexity and quirkiness of the tax system make it easy for AI to get out of bounds on IRS issues. Plus, AI won’t necessarily know key details of a person’s financial situation, which can affect the accuracy of responses provided. When using AI, be careful plugging in detailed personal financial information when checking tax questions. People can get pointed in the right direction without sharing that much information.
5. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Taxes are complicated, and even some employees inside the IRS turn to a tax professional for help. Especially in a year like this with so many changes, people shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to a tax pro to help get it right.
Be careful picking your tax professional. Look for someone with certified professional credentials. Someone affiliated with national and state tax associations – with acronyms like AICPA, NAEA, NATP, NSA or NSTP – is a great sign. And you can also check the IRS.gov tax professional directory.
Here’s another caution: Taxpayers should avoid low-cost, fly-by-night return preparers, including “ghost preparers” who won’t sign the tax return so they can hide from the IRS. Expertise on tax issues takes time and money to acquire; so going for the cheapest place isn’t a good bet, especially in complex tax situations. Paying a shady preparer $150 may get your tax return filed, but you could be missing out on valuable credits – or worse, be misled into claiming something you’re not entitled to. Choosing a tax pro is a great example of getting what you pay for.
The IRS also works with community groups to provide free help for people with their taxes through programs including the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) and Low-Income Tax Clinics (LITC). Some of the sharpest talent in the nation’s tax community volunteer at these events.
The Bottom Line
Taxpayers who can avoid these five flags when they file have a better chance of getting their taxes across the goal line and enjoying the extra points from their refund.
About Terry Lemons
Terry Lemons spent more than 25 years at the IRS, overseeing the agency’s communications operations for over 17 years before retiring last February. He now serves as public relations director for Frost Law, a firm in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Previously, Lemons covered Congress and the White House as Washington bureau chief for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2026/01/29/tips-from-a-former-irs-insider-five-potential-flags-to-avoid-this-tax-season/
