Here’s Your Tax Deadline Checklist

Five days and counting.

If you haven’t finished your taxes, here is our customary reminder of last-minute things to consider.

Most important, check your arithmetic. Simple errors in addition and subtraction are the most common cause of problems between taxpayers and the IRS.

Following are the nine other most common problems with tax returns, according to the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants:

Missing forms and schedules.

Best put your name and Social Security number on every page. Follow the directions pertaining to the “sequence” numbers in the upper right corner of each form and schedule. Other statements and attachments go at the end of the return, even if they relate to forms or schedules elsewhere in the package.

Missing Social Security numbers.

You must include these numbers for all dependents born on or before Nov. 30, 1996. If you don’t, you could lose your exemptions for dependents.

If you claim a tax credit for a dependent who receives day care, you must provide the caregiver’s name, address and taxpayer ID or Social Security number.

Failure to document charitable donations.

For donations of $250 or more, canceled checks are no longer sufficient documentation. You need a written statement from the charity.

Failure to take previous years’ deductions.

Look over last year’s return to see if you had deductions that could not be fully claimed for 1995 and should be carried forward for 1996.

Overpaying Social Security.

If you worked more than one job in 1996 and earned more than $62,700, you may be due a credit for excessive Social Security withholdings. Check the instructions with your 1040.

Earnings improperly reported.

Earnings from money market funds should be reported as dividends, not interest income.

Declaring state tax refund as income.

If you did not itemize on your 1995 return, you don’t have to declare your 1995 state tax refund as income.

Forgetting to sign and date.

Seems obvious, but many people forget to sign and date their returns. On a joint return, both spouses must sign, even if one did not declare any income.

Lost returns.

Keep copies of everything you send, and consider using certified mail with a return receipt. The IRS will recognize that as proof you filed, saving you possible penalty and interest charges if the return is lost.

Job hunting?

Then consider this list of reasons, other than lack of qualification, that job applicants are turned down. It’s the result of a survey of managers, recruiters and other experts in hiring and placement done for Romac International, a Tampa, Fla., placement service.

Many applicants are rejected because they just present themselves poorly. Perhaps they don’t dress appropriately.

Some are knocked out of the running at the starting line by furnishing a resume that looks thrown together. Some turn off interviewers by showing that they haven’t done their homework - that they don’t know much about the company, for instance.

Many applicants fail to communicate well. They may send letters that are not tailored to the specific jobs they’re seeking. They may fail to explain why they are suitable for the jobs they’re pursuing. In interviews, they often fail to make eye contact and interact, and they seem to lack enthusiasm.

Employers often reject candidates who make unrealistic salary and benefit demands or try to impose rigid restrictions on travel or scheduling. Displays of desperation also are a turnoff, as are discussions of personal problems.

And, finally, many applicants supply ineffective references, using friends and acquaintances rather than professional contacts who know their abilities.