Tres Consejos para Ayudar a Maximizar tu Reembolso de Impuestos

We know the best part of tax season is receiving your tax refund (and being able to spend it on whatever you want or need). In the 2017 tax year alone, the IRS issued more than 100 million refunds to American taxpayers, and the average direct deposit tax refund totaled $3,000.

To help you get the most out of your refund this year, we asked one of our TurboTax Experts CPAs , Ernie Sadashige, for three tips to keep in mind when filing.

Keep accurate records

You’re the expert on your life and your expenses, so be sure to keep good records and save receipts. Keep track of costs related to things like healthcare, childcare, education, housing, charitable contributions, and other expenses that may be deductible. If you’re self-employed, it’s important to keep track of your business expenses.

Try to keep accurate records throughout the year and gather all your documents in one place when you’re ready to file your taxes.

Know your deductions

You may be surprised to learn how many of your expenses are deductible. For example, if you drove for business, made donations to a charity, or paid for prescriptions, you may be able to claim tax deductions for these expenses.

But how do you know which tax deductions you qualify for? Since we don’t expect you to be an expert, TurboTax asks you simple questions about your life and, based on your answers, determines the tax deductions and credits you’re eligible for. You don’t need to know anything about laws or tax forms. We’ll guide you step by step to help you get your taxes in order.

If you’re self-employed, the QuickBooks Self-Employed mobile app can help you track your business expenses and mileage, and organize your receipts. You can track your income and expenses for the entire year and easily export the information to TurboTax Self-Employed when it’s time to file your taxes.

If you made donations to charities, be sure to keep your receipts and any necessary supporting documents to properly claim them on your tax return. Also, when you file your tax return, QuickBooks Self-Employed information can be easily imported into all TurboTax products.

Expert review

If you need guidance along the way, you can use TurboTax Experts to connect instantly via one-way video with a TurboTax Experts CPA or Enrolled Agent . You’ll receive unlimited expert help and advice as you file your tax returns. With TurboTax Experts, you can file with absolute confidence, knowing that 100% of our tax experts are CPAs and Enrolled Agents with an average of 15 years of experience. Together, we’ll make sure you get the maximum possible refund and that your taxes are in order. We guarantee it .

TurboTax Experts Expert: Ernie Sadashige, New Jersey 

Ernie Sadashige is a certified public accountant with 29 years of tax return preparation experience. He is also a financial journalist and the inaugural member of the TurboTax Experts team. At TurboTax, Ernie has helped customers as a tax expert in a variety of roles. In practice, Ernie specializes in state and multi-state income tax, and small business tax returns. In addition to being a certified public accountant, Ernie is an enrolled agent representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service and holds a master’s degree in taxation. Prior to joining TurboTax in 2007, he served as a tax systems accountant for a five-star national accounting firm and a major regional accounting group listed in the Top 30 accounting groups. He also served as an executive manager and as a state tax specialist for a well-known tax preparation chain. Fun Fact: Ernie once volunteered to be a bodyguard for the mascot of the Philadelphia professional basketball team.