(TNND) — Tax day is less than two weeks away, and Bankrate tax expert Kemberley Washington shared some advice for folks who haven't filed their returns yet.

Washington, a certified public accountant and former IRS staffer, discussed common mistakes, overlooked deductions and other important tax matters to know before the deadline.

The IRS said it’s expecting more than 140 million individual tax returns for the 2024 tax year to be filed by the April 15 deadline.

Washington said there aren’t any big, notable changes for filers this tax season.

But she did say 2025 is a big year for taxes in general, with the expiration of the 2017 tax cuts – pending new legislation.

The 2017 law lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and made changes to the individual tax code, which includes small businesses.

The change in the corporate tax rate was permanent. But provisions affecting households and small businesses are set to expire at the end of 2025.

Still, none of that matters for people filing their 2024 taxes by April 15.

COMMON MISTAKES

Washington said people who haven’t filed their taxes yet might feel like they need to rush.

And that might be the most common mistake.

Don’t speed through your taxes and make a sloppy mistake.

Washington said to take the time to review your tax return. Look at your Social Security number, financial information and other aspects to ensure there aren’t mistakes that might delay a refund.

And report all of your taxable income to avoid a potential delay, she said.

“Even if you're not filing yourself and a professional is filing on your behalf, take time out and don't just trust what's on the tax return,” Washington said. “Review it yourself and ask questions if you need to at this time.”

If you need more time to file, you can request a six-month extension.

But Washington warned that you still need to pay any taxes you owe to avoid penalties or fees.

OVERLOOKED DEDUCTIONS

People overlook tax deductions that can save them money, Washington said.

She highlighted a few common deductions that people can easily overlook.

The child and dependent care credit is available if you spend money on nannies, babysitting services or even summer school expenses, she said.

Teachers who paid out of pocket for classroom expenses can tap into an educator expense deduction.

And Washington said self-employed people can deduct insurance payments.

SCAM WARNING

Tax season brings out the scams, she said.

Washington used to work for the IRS as a criminal investigator and a revenue agent.

And she said the IRS will never call to threaten you or demand money on the spot.

“The second thing is that the IRS is not going to send you a text message or email to say, ‘Hey, we're missing information. We're not able to process your tax return.’ They just won't do that,” she said. “So, if you receive those type of messages or you receive a threatening phone call, you can rest assured that's not from the IRS.”

The IRS will typically send a letter if it’s examining your case.

Washington went into detail on five tax scams in a recent Bankrate article.

DO IT YOURSELF?

Should you carve out some time at home on a weekend afternoon to knock out your taxes, or should you hire a professional?

“I always say it depends on your situation,” Washington said. “Even as a CPA, I often tell people that if you have a simple tax return there is no need to pay a CPA to do it.”

Many people, based on income, might qualify for the IRS Free File program.

It lets qualified taxpayers prepare and file federal income tax returns online using guided tax preparation software.

A fairly new program called Direct File is expanding to more states this year.

The IRS said Direct File will open to eligible taxpayers in 25 states to file their taxes directly with the IRS for free.

Those states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

“But if you have investments, a small business, cryptocurrency, ... rental property, a very intense tax return, I would say the best thing to do is hire a professional,” Washington said.

ONE MORE THING

Taxpayers generally have three years from the deadline for submitting their tax return to claim their tax refund, according to Washington.

That means the deadline is April 15 for over $1 billion in unclaimed 2021 tax refunds.

Yes, refunds owed to Americans from 2021.

“So, if you don't file your 2021 tax return by the same due date of April 15, you'll lose it,” Washington said. “And the IRS has already stated that there's about a billion dollars in unclaimed tax refunds for about a million taxpayers. So, if you're one of those people, you do need to file it as soon as possible. Or after April 15, it's going to be gone forever.”