Preparing For Tax Day

The following is a good general list of the items to bring in with you for your scheduled tax appointment:

Required documents to keep on file:

Income documents:

Income from jobs: forms W-2 for you and your spouse
Investment income—various forms 1099 (-INT, -DIV, -B, etc.), K-1s, stock option information
Income from state and local income tax refunds and/or unemployment: forms 1099-G
Taxable alimony received
Business or farming income—profit/loss statement, capital equipment information
If you use your home for business—home size, office size, home expenses, office expenses.
IRA/pension distributions—forms 1099-R, 8606
Rental property income/expense—profit/Loss statement, rental property suspended loss information
Social Security benefits—forms SSA-1099
Income from sales of property—original cost and cost of improvements, escrow closing statement, cancelled debt information (form 1099-C)
Prior year installment sale information—forms 6252, principal and Interest collected during the year, SSN and address of payer
Other miscellaneous income—jury duty, gambling winnings, Medical Savings Account (MSA), scholarships, etc.

Other tax documents:

IRA contributions
Energy credits
Student loan interest
Medical Savings Account (MSA) contributions
Moving expenses (for tax years prior to 2018 only)
Self-employed health insurance payments
Keogh, SEP, SIMPLE and other self-employed pension plans
Alimony paid that is tax deductible
Educator expenses
State and local income taxes paid
Real estate taxes paid
Personal property taxes—vehicle license fee based on value
Estimated tax payment made during the year, prior year refund applied to current year, and any amount paid with an extension to file.
Direct deposit information—routing and account numbers
Foreign bank account information—location, name of bank, account number, peak value of account during the year

Tax deduction documents:

Advance Child Tax Credit payment
Child care costs—provider’s name, address, tax id, and amount paid
Education costs—forms 1098-T, education expenses
Adoption costs—SSN of child, legal, medical, and transportation costs
Home mortgage interest and points you paid—Forms 1098
Investment interest expense
Charitable donations—cash amounts and value of donated property, miles driven, and out-of-pocket expenses
Casualty and theft losses—amount of damage, insurance reimbursements
Other miscellaneous tax deductions—union dues, unreimbursed employee expenses (uniforms, supplies, seminars, continuing education, publications, travel, etc.) (for tax years prior to 2018 only)
Medical and dental expenses