Claiming These 4 Tax Breaks Could Get You in Trouble With the IRS

While taking advantage of tax breaks is a smart move for lowering your tax bill or boosting your refund, you can land in trouble if you’re not careful about which advice you follow online. In a news release from September 2025, the IRS noted that it had penalized taxpayers for more than $162 million for misusing tax credits, including some that didn’t even exist. Here are four tax breaks to watch out for if you don’t want to deal with a rejected return, costly penalties or other problems with the IRS. F ...