With seven weeks left until the April 17 tax-filing deadline, here are some tips for easing the pain of what can be a complicated process:

¢ Get organized. Avoid a last-minute search for W-2s, 1099s, receipts, mortgage statements, medical expenses and investment records. Review last year’s returns, noting items such as carry-over losses and deductions you might forget.

¢ Check your account balances. Verify that the IRS correctly recorded your tax payments and estimated payments. Double-check whether you applied last year’s tax refund to this year’s tax bill.

¢ Verify your W-2. Watch out for errors if you exercised stock options or sold stock acquired through an employee stock purchase plan. You risk an audit if the numbers on your return don’t jibe with computerized records sent to the IRS.

¢ Get your ID numbers straight. If you changed your name, notify the Social Security Administration. If you’re a nonresident or a resident alien, you’ll need time to obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.

Write names on your tax forms exactly as they appear on the Social Security card – and ignore the birth certificate. If you’re filing a joint return, enter both names and SSNs in the same order as in previous years. Jot down the SSN of every dependent.

300 dpi 6 col x 6.5 in / 295x165 mm / 1004x562 pixels Chris Ware color illustration of a man calculating his taxes; forms and receipts clutter his desk. Lexington Herald-Leader 2004

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¢ Get the exemptions right. Many taxpayers check the boxes and do the math at the top but forget to copy the total in the appropriate box lower in the form.

¢ Identify where federal and state rules vary. Losing track of these differences could cost you if, for example, you contributed to an IRA, Keogh or SEP-IRA at various stages from 1963 through 1986, if you’re depreciating business income, or if you have a federal mortgage interest credit.

¢ Download the software update. Tax-software developers often patch bugs as the filing season unfolds.

¢ Check your math. The most common error is incorrect addition or subtraction.

¢ Sweat the details. Use the correct column in the tax-rate tables when you look up how much you owe. Sign and date your return. If you file jointly, make sure your spouse signs, too. If you owe money, sign the check. Verify that the envelopes are addressed correctly – and be sure to slap on enough postage.