Prepare Tax Documents
Complete step-by-step checklist to prepare tax documents covering gather income statements and collect deductible receipts, and essential action items.
Gather income statements
Collect W-2s, 1099s, and investment income statements
Collect deductible receipts
Gather charitable donations, medical, or business expense receipts
Retrieve interest statements
Download student loan interest (1098-E) or mortgage interest (1098)
Organize files digitally
Scan and store tax documents in a folder labeled with the tax year
Retrieve past tax returns
Have last year's filing handy to compare and input basic info
Gather property tax bills
Collect tax statements for home, auto, or business property
Verify dependent information
Collect social security cards and dates of dependents
Check business mileage logs
Compile travel mileage records for freelance business claims
Organize medical expense logs
Compile dental and pharmacy receipts exceeding standard deductibles
Confirm digital file backup
Copy tax document files onto encrypted external flash drives
Collect energy-efficient upgrades invoices
Gather solar panel or insulation invoices for green credits
Retrieve foreign bank account details
Compile foreign asset balances if filing FBAR forms
Gather student tuition fee forms
Download 1098-T forms from college student account portals
Gather HSA distribution forms
Download 1099-SA forms showing medical account payouts
Collect property sale settlement sheets
Gather HUD-1 closing forms if you sold a home recently