Avoiding these simple mistakes may have made this years sky-high tax refunds even bigger

Average tax refunds soared higher this year thanks to President Trump’s bevy of new tax deductions – and it’s possible the number was actually dragged down by delayed filings and confusion around who was eligible for the new exemptions, experts told The Post.More than 53 million taxpayers took advantage of new deductions in President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” including tax-free tips and overtime and new deductions for seniors.Filers took home $3,462 on average, an 11.1% or roughly $350 jump from last year – but it wasn’t quite as high as the $1,000 rise that Trump had estimated.Alex Durante, senior economist at the Tax Foundation, a tax policy nonprofit, said it could be an issue of “taxpayer salience.”“Maybe they’re not aware of all the new provisions or not necessarily claiming everything that’s available to them,” Durante told The Post.Wealthier individuals tend to file tax extensions, so they could move the average tax refund higher once their filings are actually processed – especially since it’s an average figure, not a median, he noted.Lisa Greene-Lewis, a certified public accountant for TurboTax, said she was surprised by how many people waited until the last minute to file their taxes this year – especially since larger returns were expected.As of April 3, the IRS had received 99,802,00 income tax returns – about 1.6% fewer than the same time last year, meaning an estimated 20 million people were on track to miss the filing deadline.A possible explanation is that filers were confused by Trump’s new tax deductions, causing delays.Greene-Lewis said TurboTax was flooded with questions about the overtime, senior, vehicle loan and tip deductions – so much so that it extended its hours until midnight on Tax Day to help filers.A TurboTax survey published in February showed that 44% of Americans were unsure of how new tax provisions applied to their income.Another side effect of the deductions is a possible increa...