FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — The looming April 15 deadline to file your 2025 taxes is a good reminder that it’s never too early to get your paperwork in order.
“You don’t need a very cumbersome or complicated plan to be organized, but you do need a plan,” says Jackson Hewitt Chief Tax Officer, Mark Steber.
Steber says rushing the filing process by waiting until the last minute can cost you.
“Taxes for a long time have not been a one-hour, one-day, April 15 event,” he said. “If you pay attention to your taxes throughout the year, and that’s not, you know, a whole two or three days a month, but it is to pay attention to when you hear a new rule, a new law change or potential law change or you’ve had a life change. Keep up with that activity to tell your tax professional and of anything else that you do.”
Do a mid-year tax check around July, see where you’re at and adjust accordingly.
“You’ve got half a year under the belt,” Steber said. “Take that information and double it, just for ease on what you might look like at the end of the year. Double your earnings, whether they’re employment earnings or self-employment earnings. Double the taxes you paid, and that the estimates are withholding. Run a rudimentary calculator.”
If you’re going to owe a large balance, Steber says an option is updating your withholding or your estimates.
If you’re getting a large refund, you can consider lowering your withholding.
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