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Tax Document Checklists
Personal/General Information
Tax Identification Numbers are mandatory items on your checklist. All taxpayers will need the following to do their taxes:
- Your social security number or tax ID number
- Your spouse's full name, social security number or tax ID number, and date of birth (if married)
- Identity protection pin if you have been assigned one by the IRS
- Routing and account numbers if you would like to receive your refund by direct deposit or pay your balance due with your return
- Prior year's returns (federal and state)
Dependent Information
Parents and caregivers should gather this information as they review what they need to file their taxes.
- Dates of birth and social security numbes or tax IDs for all dependents
- Childcare records if you pay someone to care for your children while you work (please include tax ID number of provider)
- Income, if any, of dependent (s)
- If applicable, form 8332 showing that the child's custodial parent is releasing their right to claim a child to you, the noncustodial parent
Sources of Income
Many of these forms won’t be needed to file taxes every year. For example, you will only receive the investment forms you may need to file your taxes if you had distributions or other activity.
Employed
- W2 forms
Unemployed
- Unemployment (1099-G)
Self-employed
- 1099-MISC and/or 1099-NEC forms
- K-1 forms from Partnership or S-Corp
- Income records to verify amounts not reported on a form (preferably P&L)
- Record of all business expenses (also prefer P&L)
- Business-use asset information, i.e. vehicle used for business, computer, furniture, other fixed assets used at least 30% of the time for your business (date placed in service, cost, and salvage value if any) for depreciation. salvage value- what the item will be worth at the end of it's "useful life" (vehicles have a useful life of 5 years as do computers, manufacturing equipment is 3 years as are tractors, and residential rentals and other buildings are 27.5 years)
- If applicable, home office information (total sqft of home, sqft of space used as office, total rent paid for year, total utilities paid for year)
- Estimated tax payments from form 1040-ES if applicable
Rental Income
- Records of rental income (may come on form 1099-MISC)
- Record of expenses related to rental including any repairs to the property
- Record of estimated tax payments, if applicable (Form 1040-ES)
Retirement Income
- Pension/IRA/annuity (1099-R)
- Traditional IRA basis (amounts you contributed to the IRA that were already taxed)
- Social security/RRB income (SSA-1099, RRB-1099)
Savings & Investments or Dividends
- Interest, dividend income (1099-INT, 1099-OID, 1099-DIV)
- Income from sales of stock or other property (1099-B, 1099-S)
- Dates of acquisition and records of your cost or other basis in property you sold (if basis is not reported on 1099-B)
- Health savings account and long-term care rembursements (1099-SA or 1099-LTC)
- Expenses related to your investments
- Record of estimated tax payments made (Form 1040-ES)
- Transactions involving cryptocurrency (virtual currency)
Other Income & Losses
- Gambling income (W-2G or records showing income, as well as expense records)
- Jury duty records
- Hobby income and expenses
- Prizes and awards
- Trust income
- Royalty income 1099-MISC
- Any other 1099s received
- Record of alimony paid/received with ex-spouse’s name and SSN
- State tax refund
Types of Deductions
The types of deductions you can take depend a lot on your life situation. It’s likely you won’t need all of the documents listed below for your taxes.
Home Ownership
- Forms-1098 or other mortgage interst statements
- Real estate and personal property tax records
- Receipts for energy-saving home improvements (solar panels, solar water heater, etc...)
- All other 1098 series forms
Charitable Donations
- Cash amounts donated to houses or worship, schools, or other charitable organizations
- Records of non-cash charitable donations
- Amount of miles driven for charitable purposes
Medical Expenses
- Amounts paid for healthcare insurance, doctors, dentists, , hospitals, eyeglasses or other assist medical devices.
- Marketplace insurance 1095-A
- Miles driven for medical purposes
Educational Expenses
- Form 1098-T from educational institutions
- Receipts that itemize qualified educational expenses (tuition, books, lab supplies, etc..)
- Record of any scholarships or grants received
- Form 1098-E if you paid student loan interest
K-12 Educator Expenses (For teachers grades K-12)
- Receipts or other record of classroom expenses
State and Local Taxes
- Amounts of state and local OR sales tax paid (other than wage withholding)
- Invoice showing amount of vehicle sales tax paid and/or personal property tax on vehicles
Retirement & Other Savings
- HSA contributions form 5498-SA
- IRA contributions form 5498
- All other 5498 series forms (5498-QA, 5498-ESA)
Federally Declared Disaster
- City/county you lived/worked/had property in
- Records to support property losses (appraisal, clean-up costs, etc...)
- Records of rebuilding/repair costs
- Insurance reimbursements/claims to be paid
- FEMA assistance information (check FEMA website at www.fema.gov to see if your county has been declared a federal disaster area)
For Small Business & Self-Employed(Sch. C/Single Member LLC)
Income Items
Be sure to include all income sources when creating your small business checklist. This could include income from your day-to-day operations as well as any investment or secondary income.
- Gross receipts from sales or services
- Sales records for accrual-based taxpayers (accounts receivable)
- Returns and allowances
- Business checking/savings account interest (1099-INT or statement)
- 1099-NEC (independent contractor or professional services work) or W-2 income
including rental income, federal and state gasoline or fuel tax credit or refund)
Cost of Goods Sold
Some categories may not apply each tax season, so you should only include what applies for 2023 on your small business tax checklist. If you produce, purchase, or sell merchandise in your trade or business, you’ll need to take your inventory into account at the beginning and end of the year.
- Beginning inventory total dollar amount
- Inventory purchases
- Ending inventory total dollar amount
- Items removed for personal purposes
- Materials and supplies
Expenses
A wide range of costs can fall under applicable business expenses. Don’t miss recording any of these on your small business tax preparation checklist. Our tax pros will help you find each and every deduction you deserve.
- Advertising
- Phones (landline, fax or cell phones related to business)
- Computer & internet expenses
- Transportation and travel expenses related to business operations (travel to meet current or potential clients or scout out potential locations for expansion)
- Commissions and fees
- Contract labor (amounts paid to subcontractors and independent contractors)
- Depreciation (assets related to business- see depreciation section above)
- Amortization of intangible assets (patents or copyrights held)
- Insurance (casualty loss, business property, professional, etc..)
- Interest (mortgage interest on business owned properties/buildings, business loan interest, investment expense interest paid)
- Professional fees (laywers, accountants, consultants, tax preparers, etc...)
- Rental expense (office space rental, vehicle lease for business vehicle, equiptment rental)
- Home office expenses as in home office section above plus hours of use if in-home daycare
- Wages paid to employees
- Employee benefit expenses
Other Items
Make sure you've completed all tax related tasks that you are responsible for:
- File 1099s for independent contractors whom you have paid $600 or more during the year (should have W9 from individual or company that performed services)
- File W2s for employees
- File federal and state payroll returns (forms 940, 941)
- File sales tax returns
- Perform or have accountant perform year-end books review and close books
- Run Profit and Loss (Income Statement) and Balance Sheet for tax year
- Gather carryovers including NOL information if applicable
Partnerships (Form 1065)
Documents
- Copy of the partnership agreement with any amendments and bylaws (if LLC taxed as partnership, copies of the LLC operating agreement and articles of organization)
- List of federal and state tax employer identification numbers (EINs, withholding account numbers)
- Last year's Parternship returns (state and federal)
Partner Information
- Name, address, and SSN/EIN of each partner
- Each partner's ownership percentage including profit and loss percentage if different
- Information regarding capital contributions, distributions, or other financial transactions involving a partner
- Information regarding each partner's share of liabilities
- Guaranteed payments made to any partner
- Any insurance plan provided to any partner
- Any liquidating payments made to any partner
- Any change in ownership percentages including the addition or loss of partners
S-Corporations (Form 1120-S)
Documents
- IRS acceptance letter of S election or previously filed form 2553
- A copy of the business' bylaws and articles of incorporation (if LLC taxed as S-corp, copies of the LLC operating agreement and articles of organization)
- List of federal and state employer identification numbers (EIN and withholding account numbers)
- If the corporation used to be a C corporation, any information carried over after convering to an S-corp
- Last year's form 1120-S state and federal returns
Shareholder Information
- Name, address, SSN/EIN of all shareholders
- The number of shares that each shareholder holds
- Information regarding any capital contributions, distributions, or loans to shareholders
- Reasonable compensation paid to any employee/shareholder
- Insurance plan provided to any shareholder
- Changes in ownership during the year
C-Corporation (Form 1120)
Documents
- Articles of incorporation and bylaws (if LLC taxed as C-corp, copies of articles of organization and operating agreement)
- Form 8832 if the entity has chosen to be taxed as a C corp using the check-the-box regulations
- Federal and state employer identification numbers (EIN and withholding account number)
Other Information
- Any granted credit certificates
- Last year's form 1120 return including any schedules of carryover losses, deductions or credits from prior years and any state or local returns
- Information regarding any dividends received
- Information regarding the corporation's accumulated earnings account
- Information regarding any business reorganization or change in the ownership that happened during the year