This is the time of year when people’s minds are filled with tax issues — whether they’re searching for free tax help they can trust, trying to squeeze out more valuable deductions, hoping to avoid penalties or audits, eagerly awaiting their refunds or wanting to make sure they aren’t victims of tax scams.
What’s more, the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year means new tax savings opportunities will be available on returns this spring.
“Working with a tax professional guarantees that you don’t miss out on anything,” says David Perez, CEO of tax planning software firm TaxMaverick.ai.
Read on for answers to the most common tax questions that can help you with your return and beyond.
[See: 10 Best Tax Software Companies of 2026]
1. Where Can I Get Free Tax Help?
Several online tax-filing companies partner with the IRS to offer free tax-filing services through its Free File program, available for taxpayers below a certain income level ($89,000 for 2025 returns). If you have a relatively simple tax return, some tax software companies also offer free programs that aren’t based on income.
While the internet is full of free information to help you file your taxes, not everything you read online may be accurate. “A lot of times, people get the wrong advice,” says Seth Kamens, partner with Kamens & Associates, an accounting firm headquartered in Livingston, New Jersey.
You can get personalized tax help for free through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs.
The VITA program offers free tax help for people who earn $69,000 or less, and those with disabilities or limited English-speaking skills. You can find free tax-filing assistance programs in your area with the IRS Get Free Tax Prep Help tool.
2. Can I Get Extra Tax Breaks After Dec. 31?
You have until the federal tax deadline, which for most people is April 15 to make tax-advantaged contributions to several kinds of accounts for 2025.
“That’s one way to save yourself a little money,” says Rob Burnette, financial planner and tax preparer with Outlook Financial Center in Troy, Ohio.
You have until April 15 to contribute up to $7,000 to an individual retirement account for 2025 or $8,000 if you were 50 or older in 2025. Your contributions may be tax-deductible based on your income and your retirement plan at work.
Or, if you’re single and earned less than $165,000 in 2025 (or $246,000 if married filing jointly), you have until April 15 to contribute to a Roth IRA, which isn’t tax-deductible but grows tax-free. The income limits rise to $168,000 for singles and $252,000 for married couples for 2026.
If you have self-employment or freelance income, you have until April 15 to make tax-deductible contributions to a simplified employee pension or solo 401(k).
You may be able to make tax-deductible contributions to a health savings account if your 2025 health insurance policy had a deductible of at least $1,650 for self-only coverage or $3,300 for family coverage. (The deductible requirements rise to $1,700 for self-only coverage and $3,400 for family coverage for 2026.)
HSA contributions are tax-deductible, the money grows tax-deferred and you can take tax-free withdrawals for health care expenses at any time.
[See: 6 Best Mobile Tax Apps of 2026]
3. Can My Kids Contribute to a Roth IRA?
If your kids earned any income in 2025, they have until April 15, 2026, to contribute to a Roth IRA. It’s a great way for them to build tax-free savings for the future, and they can tap those savings earlier for things like qualified education expenses or a first-time home purchase — and more — without paying a penalty.
They can contribute up to the amount they earned from working for the year (up to $7,000) for 2025.
4. When Will My Tax Refund Arrive?
When you get your refund depends on when and how you filed your tax return. You’ll get the money fastest — usually within 21 days — if you file electronically and have the refund deposited directly into your bank account, rather than mailed.
You can include your bank’s routing and account numbers on your Form 1040 and submit Form 8888 with your tax return for direct deposit into several accounts.
“I hope people remember that the IRS is phasing out paper checks,” says Sarah Adkisson, director of the Eisner Advisory Group’s national tax office.
President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14247, which ordered the IRS to stop issuing paper checks as of Sept. 30, 2025. Taxpayers who do not provide direct deposit information on their tax return will receive a letter from the IRS requesting that information or an explanation as to why it cannot be provided. Taxpayers who request an exception to the direct deposit rule may receive a paper check. If someone fails to respond to the IRS letter, a paper check will be released to them after six weeks.
You can check the status of your refund by using the IRS’s Where’s My Refund? tool and inputting your Social Security number, filing status and the exact dollar amount of your expected refund. You can check on your refund status 24 hours after e-filing or four weeks after mailing your return.
5. What Happens if I Can’t Make the Tax-Filing Deadline?
Apply for an extension by the filing deadline.
“Just know that when you file an extension, it’s not an extension to pay,” Perez says. In other words, an extension only buys you time to file your return. Any money you may owe is still due by April 15.
You don’t need to explain to the IRS why you’re asking for the extension, but you do need to estimate your tax liability and pay what you think you owe. As long as you pay at least 90% of your final tax liability by the filing deadline — or 100% of last year’s liability — you won’t get hit with a late-payment penalty.
If you owe money and miss the deadline, you could get hit with a late-filing penalty each month of up to 5% of the unpaid balance (up to a maximum of 25%) and a monthly penalty of 0.5% of your unpaid taxes for failure to pay on time.
There’s no penalty if you miss the deadline and you don’t owe money, but you’ll have to wait longer to receive your refund.
To request an extension for 2025, file Form 4868 by April 15, 2026. You’ll then have until Oct. 15, 2026, to file your 2025 return.
6. Can I Take the Home Office Deduction if I Worked at Home This Year?
You can take the deduction only if you’re self-employed. People who work remotely for an employer can’t deduct home office expenses.
“You can no longer use (the deduction) as a W-2 employee,” Kamens says.
Self-employed people can deduct their home office expenses if they use part of their home “regularly and exclusively” for business. The home office doesn’t have to be a separate room, but it must be an area where you don’t do anything else.
If you qualify, you can deduct a portion of your rent or mortgage interest, utilities, and homeowners insurance or renters insurance based on the percentage of your home that you use as your home office.
Or you can take the simplified option, calculated at $5 per square foot of your home office (up to 300 square feet) for a maximum deduction of $1,500.
There is a caveat, though, according to Kamens. While you can claim a home office deduction if you’re self-employed, that could affect your cost basis when it comes time to sell your home. “It might be saving (taxes) now, but it may lead to more capital gains later,” he says.
For more information, see IRS Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home.
7. Who Qualifies for No Tax on Overtime?
No tax on overtime is one of the major changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. From the 2025 to 2028 tax years, workers can deduct up to $12,500 ($25,000 for married couples filing jointly) of overtime pay on Schedule 1-A.
Only the overtime portion of the pay, not the entire amount, is deductible. For instance, if a worker is paid time-and-a-half for overtime, only the “half” is deductible.
“I think some people will be a little disappointed when they learn that,” Adkisson says.
The ability to claim this deduction phases out for single taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes of $150,000 and married couples filing jointly with modified adjusted gross incomes of $300,000.
Workers may not see overtime pay listed on their W-2s this year, Burnette says. He suggests they check their last paystub of the year since cumulative overtime pay is often listed there.
8. Who Can Claim No Tax on Tips?
Along with no tax on overtime, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act created a provision for no tax on tips earned in 2025 through 2028. Up to $25,000 in tipped income can be deducted on Schedule 1-A, and the ability to claim the deduction phases out at the same incomes as it does for the overtime deduction.
Burnette describes the no tax on tips deduction as “pretty straightforward.” Only those in occupations where workers customarily and regularly receive tips are qualified to deduct them. Taxpayers should maintain some record of their tipped income, such as on a spreadsheet, Burnette advises.
9. What Is the New 2026 Senior Tax Deduction?
On the campaign trail in 2024, Trump promised to eliminate taxes on Social Security. Some people thought that might become part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“He couldn’t actually do that because it’s a policy change,” Burnette says.
The legislation passed last year was a budget reconciliation bill that could not include policy changes. Instead, it included a new senior tax deduction.
“If you are 65 or older, you get an extra $6,000 per person,” Burnette says. The deduction is age-specific and not linked to whether someone is receiving Social Security.
The deduction can be claimed on Schedule 1-A and is reduced once someone’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 for single taxpayers and $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.
10. Can I Take a Deduction for a Trump Account?
Adkisson says the questions she’s fielding most often right now have to do with Trump Accounts. Created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, these accounts allow parents and others to save up to $5,000 per year for children.
“You can open them right now, but you can’t actually make contributions yet,” Adkisson says.
Taxpayers can complete Form 4547 to create a Trump Account when they file their return. This form can also be used to elect to receive a $1,000 initial deposit from the government for children born in years 2025 through 2028.
The ability to make contributions will begin on July 4, 2026, but money deposited by parents is not tax-deductible.
11. What 1099s Should I Get This Year?
Nonwage income, such as gambling winnings and freelance earnings, are reported on 1099 forms, and there are some changes to how those will be issued for the 2025 tax year.
“You might be getting 1099s for crypto,” Adkisson says. The IRS introduced Form 1099-DA for the 2025 tax year to report digital asset transactions, and many taxpayers will receive it for the first time in 2026.
Meanwhile, you might not be getting 1099s for freelance or consulting work totaling less than $2,000. Previously, 1099s had to be issued for payments exceeding $600, a number that hadn’t been adjusted since the 1950s, according to Adkisson. The threshold was increased to $2,000 for the 2025 tax year, and going forward it will be adjusted annually for inflation.
The threshold for 1099-K forms has also been increased. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act restored the reporting threshold for payments through platforms such as Venmo and PayPal to the pre-2024 level: more than $20,000 and 200 transactions.
Regardless of whether you receive a 1099, the IRS requires that net earnings of $400 or more be reported on your tax return.
12. Are My Unemployment Benefits Taxable?
Benefits are taxed by the IRS as ordinary income (like wages) but are not subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. Most states also tax unemployment benefits.
You can ask to have taxes withheld from your payments when you apply for benefits, or you can file IRS Form W4-V, Voluntary Withholding Request with your state unemployment office. You aren’t required to have taxes withheld, but doing so can help you avoid a surprise at tax time.
13. Should I Itemize or Take the Standard Deduction?
Most people take the standard deduction, which increased significantly a few years ago.
For 2025, the standard deduction for those younger than 65 is $15,750 for single filers, $23,625 for head of household filers and $31,500 for married couples filing jointly. Taxpayers who are 65 or older can claim an extra $2,000 if using the single or head of household filing status. Joint filers who are 65 or older can each get an extra $1,600.
Itemized deductions are based on certain expenses, such as charitable contributions, mortgage interest, state and local taxes (up to $40,000 per year) and medical expenses that are more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.
If your itemized deductions add up to more than your standard deduction, file Schedule A to report them instead of taking the standard deduction.
[See: 5 Best Crypto Tax Software Companies of 2026]
14. Can I Get a Tax Deduction for Charitable Contributions?
You can get a tax deduction for charitable contributions only if you itemize your deductions instead of taking the standard deduction.
If you do itemize, don’t forget to include all of your charitable contributions — not just money you give to a charity, but also the value of noncash donations, such as furniture or clothing.
You can deduct the fair market value of those items, which is what you could get if you sold them based on their age and condition. Keep records documenting how you came up with those figures in your tax files.
You can also deduct 14 cents per mile driven for charitable volunteering, in addition to parking fees and tolls. Keep a mileage log with the miles driven, date and purpose of the trip.
“There hasn’t been a haircut on your itemized deductions since 2017,” Adkisson says, but one is coming this year.
Starting with 2026 donations, only those in excess of 0.5% of your adjusted gross income can be deducted. There are also caps on how much high earners can deduct. On the other hand, there will be the option for those who don’t itemize their returns to deduct up to $1,000 in charitable gifts as a single filer and $2,000 as a couple filing jointly.
15. What Are Some of the Most Frequently Overlooked Tax Breaks?
“I think a lot of people are going to miss out on (deducting) the interest they pay on their auto loans,” Perez said.
This is another new deduction created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Only interest for car loans on new vehicles that had their final assembly in the United States qualify. The interest can be deducted on Schedule 1-A.
The saver’s tax credit can also be overlooked and is worth up to $1,000 per person and $2,000 per couple. To qualify, you need to contribute to a 401(k), IRA or other retirement savings plan and meet the income limits. For 2025, you must have earned less than $79,000 if married filing jointly ($80,500 for 2026), $59,250 if filing as head of household ($60,375 for 2026) or $39,500 if filing single ($40,250 for 2026).
The child and dependent care tax credit can give you a valuable break if you pay for child care while you work.
The maximum credit is 35% of up to $3,000 in child care expenses for one child and up to $6,000 in expenses for two or more (the percentage is lower for higher income levels).
To qualify, you must have children under 13 or other qualifying dependents and pay for their care while you and your spouse work or look for work. The cost of day care, preschool, nanny services, before- and after-school care, and even day camp count toward the credit.
16. What if I Filed My Return and Found Some Deductions I Missed?
You generally have up to three years after the filing deadline to file an amended return if you left something out or made a mistake. File Form 1040-X with the changes and submit any other forms affected. If your original returns omitted deductions or credits that increase your refund, filing an amended return can result in an additional refund. You can now file an amended return electronically or on paper.
You can check on the status of your amended return and refund using the IRS Where’s My Amended Return? tool.
17. What Tax Records Do I Need To Keep and What Can I Toss?
The IRS recommends keeping most paperwork for at least three years, but it’s a good idea to keep your tax returns (or a digitized copy) forever.
That can be one benefit of using a professional tax preparer. “I’ve got them stored electronically in perpetuity,” Burnette says of his client’s returns and documentation.
Otherwise, you need to keep records reporting your income, expenses and deductions for at least three years after the filing deadline, which is the length of time the IRS generally has to initiate an audit.
You may want to keep the records for at least six years if you have self-employment income from a variety of sources — this is generally how long the IRS has to initiate an audit if it finds a substantial error. Keep in mind that some states have different time frames for audits.
Keep records of stock and mutual fund purchases you make in taxable accounts for as long as you own the investments, and retain records of significant home improvements until you sell the property. In addition, keep records of nondeductible IRA contributions until you withdraw all the money from the account.
18. What Are Some Red Flags That Can Trigger a Tax Audit?
You may hear from the IRS if you didn’t report all of your income. The IRS receives copies of your W-2 and 1099 forms reporting income and will ask about discrepancies if the numbers on your return don’t match.
Burnette says those with cryptocurrency transactions may be at a heightened risk of review simply because of poor reporting guidance in previous years.
“The regulations in that industry are really behind the times,” Burnette says. Until the creation of the 1099-DA this year, forms from cryptocurrency platforms varied widely and could be difficult for taxpayers to read and understand.
You may also hear from the IRS if you reported business losses for several years in a row or if your business had unusually large expenses. In addition, you may be audited if you claim much larger itemized deductions than most people with similar returns claim.
Before you file, make sure you’ve included your Social Security number, signed your return and haven’t made any math errors. Keep records documenting your expenses and deductions for at least three years after the filing deadline so you’re prepared to make your case if you do hear from the IRS.
19. Should I File a Tax Return if I’m a College Student?
The answer depends on your income and whether you had taxes withheld from your paychecks.
Students who are unmarried and earned more than the $15,750 standard deduction in 2025 are required to file an income tax return. The $15,750 includes money from earned income (from a job) and unearned income (such as from investments). If a student can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return, they must file if their unearned income (such as interest and dividends) is greater than $1,350 or their self-employment income is greater than $400.
Even if you aren’t required to file, you may want to if taxes were withheld from your paychecks. In that case, you can file a return and get a refund.
If you paid college tuition but are still a dependent, be aware that only your parents can claim a college tax credit, such as the American opportunity tax credit, on your behalf. Your school will provide you with a 1098-T form, and you will need to give that to your parents so they can claim the credit.
Burnette says families may want to run the numbers to see if there would be greater tax savings to remove a child as a dependent and let them file for the credit. Talk with your parents first about whether they will be claiming you as a dependent so you can coordinate the information on your returns.
[Tax Filing Tips for College Students]
20. How Can I Avoid Tax Scams?
Beware of any calls, emails or texts from someone claiming to be from the IRS. The agency will send you a letter in the mail if it has issues with your return.
Choose a tax preparer carefully. The information on your income tax return can be a treasure trove for ID thieves. Tax preparers must have an IRS preparer tax identification number and must sign your return with that number.
Check tax preparers’ credentials using the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications. And for more information on protecting yourself from tax scams, see the IRS Tax Scams/Consumer Alerts page.
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Expert Answers to 20 Common Tax Questions in 2026 originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 03/09/26: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
