3 tax mistakes people make every day

Last week, our family made a now familiar trip to the hospital for my five-year old. She's been diagnosed with a form of vasculitis known as Henoch-Schonlein Purpura. It is a nasty and invasive -- but fortunately, not contagious -- illness that attacks the joints and blood vessels in your body. As a result, we have been making regular trips to her pediatrician and occasional trips to the hospital.

As I got into the car, my mind was simply fixed on getting her better. At no time did I note the odometer. On the way out of the parking garage,I was so thrilled to be leaving after a long five-hour day that I didn't bother to get a receipt. We stopped at the pharmacy on the way home to pick up some medication to ease her inflamed joints and while we were there, I picked up a few things I needed for the office that I had been too distracted to get earlier in the week. Back home, I breathed a sigh of relief. Our stressful day was done.

But I was also a little annoyed at myself. I had managed to commit a host of tax sins throughout the day. In fact, many taxpayers do exactly the same thing. It's easy to make tax mistakes every day, and no one, not even a tax professional, is immune. Here are three common mistakes that taxpayers make (almost) every day: