• Mistakes on tax forms can slow down your tax returntax forms image by Chad McDermott from Fotolia.com
  
  Filling out tax forms every year has not made it much easier for Americans. Changing tax laws keep it complicated, and many people are simply in too much of a hurry to get it done correctly. This leaves room for a lot of mistakes that hinder a swift tax return. Here are 10 common mistakes on tax returns that can be avoided.
  
  

Unearned Income

• Be sure to report all of your income in the form of interest and dividends. Most commonly forgotten are the 1099 forms. A copy has already been sent to the government and it expects you to report it so that you can pay the right amount of taxes on it. Keeping all dividend and interest forms in one place will help when it comes time for tax preparation.
  
  

Forgiven Debt

• If you have had any forgiven debt in the past year it will need to be reported as income. The lender most likely has filed a 1099 for the amount and the government probably already knows about it.
  
  

Wrong Tax Table Information

• A common error is to read the information about how much is due from the wrong tax table. This can throw all the other numbers off considerably. Double check the tables before you write it down to ensure you are using the right ones.
  
  

Tax Deductions

• Many different tax deductions are available that will lower the amount owed, but people often do not report them. Deductions are available for money paid for education, charitable donations, state taxes, travel expenses for military reservists, job hunting costs, health insurance premiums, etc.
  
  

Business Expenses

• If you have a business, or work for a business that enables you to have tax-deductible expenses, you need to keep accurate records so that you can claim them. Depending on what you do, this could amount to a savings of thousands of dollars each year for things like utilities, mileage, hotel and restaurant costs, office equipment, and much more.
  
  

Refinancing Your Home

• Jeff Schnepper at MoneyCentral.MSN says that many people leave off points for refinancing a mortgage. Points paid can be subtracted on a monthly basis over the duration of the new mortgage. While it may not be a lot of money saved, it still will help to reduce tax owed for many years.
  
  

Wrong Social Security Numbers

• If you fail to write in your SSN, or write it in incorrectly, it can certainly cause a delay in getting a tax return. Review all of your personal data carefully, and get your return back faster.
  
  

Math Mistakes

• It is easy to enter incorrect numbers on tax forms, especially when you do them manually. You can reduce mistakes and time by using tax software, either online or off-line. The advantage is that it automatically puts numbers in multiple places so that they do not need to be entered manually, and reduces the possibility of mistakes. It will also double check all your entries and let you know of any problems.
  
  

A Swift Tax Return

• If you filed by mail, then it will take you much longer to get your tax return, possibly up to six weeks. Filing electronically lets you get your tax return in about 10 days and the government will even automatically put it into your bank account for you--eliminating the possibility of it getting lost, stolen, or delayed in the mail.
  
  

Late Filing

• If you do not have the money to pay the taxes when they are due, be sure to file taxes on time anyway. This will help you avoid late fees and interest charges. The Internal Revenue Service will set up a payment plan for you.