I’m a Tax Preparer: No. 1 Filing Mistake I See That Wipes Out Refunds
Written by
Martin Dasko
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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According to the IRS, the average refund for American taxpayers in 2025 was $3,052 and the IRS opened the tax filing season on Jan. 26. The good news is that this number is expected to increase by 15% to 20% on average in 2026, as reported by CNBC. If you’re waiting for your tax refund to make some financial moves, you want to ensure that you don’t make any mistakes that could cost you thousands of dollars.
GOBankingRates consulted a tax accountant to learn about the filing mistake that could cost people their refunds and reduce their 2026 refunds. Find out below what it is and how to avoid this mistake.
Filing Your Taxes Too Early
“One mistake I see time and time again is people getting impatient and filing before all their documents have arrived,” said Lawron Ballard, certified public accountant (CPA) and founder of Hill Town Advisors. “Everyone knows to expect a W-2 from work, but what about the 1099-INT from your savings account or the statement from your brokerage?”
She noted that these documents are easy to overlook and they don’t always arrive at the same time. While you’re likely excited about the potential of receiving a larger refund this year, you don’t want to hurt your chances of a prompt payment.
The biggest issue with rushing to file before you’ve confirmed everything is that it can delay your refund. Ballard said this is even more painful in 2026, given the IRS processing backlogs we’re seeing right now. If your refund gets delayed, you won’t have access to the funds, which could hurt your finances, especially if you were relying on this money to get by. If you were relying on these funds, you could be forced to use credit cards or to take a short-term loan. Either way, the delay could worsen your financial situation.
In the worst-case scenario, you can trigger an IRS adjustment where you end up owing money you weren’t expecting. In this case, you go from expecting to receive thousands of dollars to being stuck trying to figure out how you’re going to make your tax payments.
How Can You Avoid This Mistake?
Ballard advised that before you hit submit, compare what you filed last year to what you’ve received this year. If something’s missing, wait for it to arrive before filing your taxes. You’re better off waiting a few more weeks for all of your documents to arrive so that you don’t get stuck dealing with a delay. If you’re in a hurry to try to file your taxes, you can also log in to your various investment accounts to see if the tax documents are available to be printed.
You also save money by waiting because you won’t have to pay a tax professional to review your tax return again. The goal should be to file your taxes when you have everything in order, so you can be confident you’ll get the best refund possible in 2026.
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