Before signing a tax return or authorizing electronic filing, review the completed return against your own records—not just the refund estimate or summary page. Four checks make that review more concrete: confirm who and which year the return covers, trace income and tax payments to source documents, examine entries that depend on household or expense facts, and inspect the final calculation and filing authorization.
Confirm the return covers the right people and tax year
Start with the identifying details on the return: the tax year, taxpayer names, Social Security numbers, mailing address, and any dependents listed. Compare them with your records and the information you intended to provide. A misspelled name or transposed number is easy to overlook on a summary, while an incorrect person or year can make the entire document the wrong one to approve.
Next, establish what you are reviewing. A refund estimate, organizer, or short review sheet is not the same as the completed tax return. Look through the full federal return, and check whether you also expected a state filing. If your preparation included more than one return, make sure each document has the right year and taxpayer information. For example, if you moved during the year, check that the mailing address on the return is current enough to receive correspondence; the address field is a practical detail, not a substitute for reviewing the rest of the filing.
Match income and withholding to your documents
Use the tax documents you received as a trail back to the return. Compare wages and federal income tax withheld with the corresponding amounts on each Form W-2. Review interest, retirement distributions, and other reported income against the relevant Forms 1099 or records. If you had multiple employers or income sources, check that each one is represented rather than assuming the largest document tells the whole story.
Keep income and withholding conceptually separate. Wages or interest are reported as income; withholding is tax already paid and is generally reflected in the payment portion of the return. If a W-2 amount appears in the income section but its withholding seems absent from the payments, flag the difference for explanation. Likewise, do not treat a tax payment as additional income simply because money left your account. A simple comparison table or notes beside each document can help you identify which source supports an entry and which figures still need clarification.
Test entries that depend on your circumstances
Some lines cannot be checked by matching a single form. Dependent and household information may depend on what actually happened during the tax year, including who lived with you and who paid relevant household costs. Read the names and related entries carefully, and compare them with your records and the information you gave the preparer. If the return includes a person or household detail you do not recognize, ask what facts the entry reflects before approving it.
Apply the same source-based review to deductions and credits. Verify the figures against relevant records, such as an education statement or a documented total of expenses. The key question is whether the return’s entry matches your facts and supporting documents, not whether a line seems familiar or produces a larger refund. For example, if an education-related amount appears, locate the statement and compare the reported figures; if you cannot identify the records behind it, pause that part of the review and request an explanation.
Reconcile the result before authorizing e-filing
Once the underlying entries make sense, read the calculation at the end of the return. Check whether it shows a refund or a balance due, then compare the result with the payment information and the figures you reviewed. If a refund is set for direct deposit, verify the bank routing and account numbers against your own banking information. These digits deserve a deliberate look because a correct tax calculation does not correct a mistyped destination.
Review the actual completed return before signing Form 8879, the IRS e-file Signature Authorization, when it is used for the filing. Form 8879 authorizes electronic submission; it is not merely a receipt for a refund estimate. Confirm that the return you reviewed is the one the authorization concerns and keep a copy of the filed return with the records used to prepare it. Greenville residents can find M&M Tax Service at 1555 Laurens Rd.