Most people think taxes work like this: you collect your documents, you file a return by April 15, you pay whatever the software says, and you move on with life. In reality, the U.S. tax system has a handful of “built-in expectations” — rules the government assumes you already understand. When taxpayers get surprised, it’s usually because one of these expectations wasn’t obvious. Here are a few of the biggest ones I wish more people knew. 1) Filing and paying are two separate