APRIL 15 Income tax-filing deadline nears, and you should know what's new

The federal child tax credit increased for tax year 2003.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Procrastinators, take heed. The April 15 income tax deadline is creeping up, and there are some important changes in tax policies that may affect either how much you get back from Uncle Sam or how much you will have to pay him.
And when facing tax forms, the key is to give yourself enough time, but time is running out.
"You need to give yourself at least a good week," said Matthew Dailey, a certified public accountant at Reed & amp; Reed Associates in Hermitage.
Dailey said there are several recent changes to federal tax laws for the 2003 tax year that taxpayers need to be aware of.
A number of these changes resulted from President Bush's 2003 signing of the Jobs and Growth Act. As part of the act, the maximum Child Tax Credit increased to $1,000 per eligible child, up from $600 in the last tax year.
Dailey said there also is relief from the so-called "marriage penalty," which occurs when a married couple who file jointly pays more taxes because their combined income puts them in a higher tax bracket.
There are also tax policy changes on the state level, but not as many.
In Ohio, Gary Gudmundson, communication director for the Ohio Department of Taxation, said the only change is that the personal exemption has increased.
"Otherwise, it's business as usual," Gudmundson said.
Pa. procedure
In Pennsylvania, new laws allow taxpayers to file taxes electronically more conveniently than ever before, said Stephanie Weyant, deputy press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.
If they filed a return last year, Pennsylvania taxpayers no longer need a state-assigned PIN number, she said. Instead, they can use their Social Security number and ZIP code when filing on the phone.
When filing online, they need their SSN and either last year's tax liability, Pennsylvania driver's license or photo identification number.
In both states, electronic filing allows refunds to be processed more quickly than with paper returns, and electronic refunds can be deposited directly into a checking or savings account.
Both Weyant and Gudmundson recommended electronic filing for its accuracy and convenience when filing state income taxes.
When filing on paper, Weyant said, people often use ink that is not black or forget to sign their names.
"All those things can be avoided if you file electronically," Weyant said. "You avoid a lot of those common human errors."
Ohio offers Ohio I-File and TeleFile. Taxpayers can file their state income taxes online through I-File. People with a history of filing less-complicated tax returns are selected by the state to be eligible for the TeleFile phone system.
Common mistakes
Pennsylvania taxpayers also can choose from two free electronic filing options: TeleFile, which is through the telephone, and pa.direct.file over the Internet.
Whether filing electronically or the old-fashioned paper way, watch out for some common mistakes.
Dailey said these include inaccurate arithmetic and the failure to note changes like new addresses, new births in the household and the departures of older children.
Additionally, Dailey said people often fail to take advantage of some of the lesser-known tax credits.