To make sense of what's new, IndyStar spoke to local H&R Block Senior Tax Analyst Jon Helpling about the most important things taxpayers will need to know before they file.

No one is immune

If you think your tax bill is straightforward and that none of these changes will apply to you, think again.

"Everyone is going to be affected by this tax reform. Everyone," Helpling said.

Helpling added that the biggest change that people are going to notice is the new standard deductions. The standard deduction on 2018 returns will rise to $12,000 for individuals, $18,000 for heads of household and $24,000 for married couples filing jointly.

Those are up from 2017 standard deductions of $6,350 of individuals, $9,350 for heads of household and $12,700 for married couples filing jointly.

"That sounds like a lot of money, but again, it's going to affect people in a couple of different ways," Helpling said. "Those in the past who have itemized may not have to do so this year because their standard deduction is higher than what they would have had in past years."

There are also a number of deductions that have been removed, such as deductions for unreimbursed employee expenses and moving expenses. State and local tax deductions have also been capped at $10,000.

Big changes for families

Families will be hit by the loss of the personal exemption of more than $4,000 per person.

But taxpayers with income that falls under $400,000 if filing jointly and under $200,000 otherwise will receive an increased child tax credit of up to $2,000 for every qualifying child.

Families with dependents over the age of 17 may qualify for a new family tax credit of $500 per dependent that does not qualify for the child tax credit.

There are also new tax brackets 2018. Except for the lowest rate bracket, the rates are slightly lower and the brackets are generally slightly broader.

But overall, Helpling said most customers have questions about what their refund will look like in 2019 after the first full year of reform.

"One of the big things that I'm sure we all noticed early last year was potentially your paycheck was higher than you were expecting it to be, and that had to do with changes to the withholding tables which was all part of the tax reform. Which is great in a lot of ways because those who needed a bit more on their paycheck for day-to-day and month-to-month obligations had it," he said. "But some of those folks will see a difference when it comes to their refund this year because the more you've received throughout the year is in a lot of ways connected to what kind of refund you're going to receive at the end of the year."

Helpling recommends sitting down with a tax pro to discuss what kind of return you would like to see each year, and tweaking your withholding based on your individual situation.

Doing so now won't change your refund this year, but it could put you in a better spot come 2020

The government may be shutdown, but taxpayers shouldn't

With that in mind, experts warn that the longer the shutdown lingers, the potential for lengthy tax refund delays increases.

But Helpling says regardless of what is happening in Washington, taxpayers shouldn't wait for a resolution before they file.

"When you get your documents together, there is no reason to wait," he said. "Filing early is going to be one of the best ways to prevent tax identity theft, but it's also going to allow you to get away from the nervous feelings because you're going to be able to understand how all of these changes are going to affect you."

DIY is still an option, but don't file with uncertainty

In recent years, self-preparation tools have become increasingly popular among many taxpayers who simply want to enter the information on their W-2, take the standard deduction and hit submit.

Those tools continue to evolve and take all of the federal changes into account.

But Helpling says if there is any apprehension before filing on your own, taking the time to talk about your concerns with a professional can save you time, money and heartache.

"We can talk about the deductions you might qualify for, talk about how everything with the new tax reform law is going to affect you specifically because personally, I believe it's going to affect people completely differently," he said. "Some people may wind up with a higher refund, and some people may wind up with a lower tax liability. But I think that it would be a great idea to come in ask ask those questions with one of us."