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Tax Preparation Checklist

Our tax preparation checklist will help you understand what you need to put together for your affairs.

Personal Information

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  • Social security card & date of birth for Taxpayer, Spouse, and All Dependents

  • Previous year tax payments and documents.

  • Childcare records, including the provider's tax ID number (if applicable)

  • Interest and dividend income/Form 1099/Form 1099-INT/1099-DIV

  • Reporting deductions and credits

Self-Employment Information

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  • Forms 1099-MISC, Schedules K-1, income records to verify amounts not reported on 1099s. (If you are a sole proprietor, then you are responsible for gathering all of the information pertaining to the profit or loss of your business to report on your Schedule C attachment)

  • Records of all expenses (check registers or credit card statements, and receipts)

  • Business-use asset information (cost, date placed in service, etc.) for depreciation

  • Office in home information (if applicable)

  • Required: Itemized excel sheet of Expenses and Income - download the template

Employee Information

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  • Income documentation/Forms W-2.

Rental Property Income

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  • Records of income and expenses

  • Rental asset information (cost, date placed in service, etc.) for depreciation

Education Payments

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  • Forms 1098-T from educational institutions

  • Receipts that itemize qualified educational expenses

  • Records of any scholarships or fellowships you received

  • Form 1098-E (if you paid student loan interest)

Business Deductions

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  • Utilities: electricity, internet, water/sewage/trash, cell phone

  • If you drive to see clients: car maintenance, oil changes, tires, mileage

  • If you work from home: square footage of your home and office space

  • Cost of goods

  • Equipment, software and subscriptions needed for business

  • 1099K from your point of sale system

  • Required: Itemized excel sheet of Expenses and Income - download the template

Affordable Care Act

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  • Form 1095-A (if you enrolled in an insurance plan through the Marketplace (Exchange))

  • Form 1095-B and/or 1095-C (if you had insurance coverage through any other source (i.e . an employer, insurance company, government health plan such as Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, VA, etc.))

  • Marketplace exemption certificate (ECN) (if you applied for and received an exemption from the Marketplace (Exchange))

Savings and Investments

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  • 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)

Retirement Income and Contributions

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  • Pension/IRA/annuity income (1099-R)

  • Social security/RRB income (1099-SSA, RRB-1099) 

  • Form 5498 showing IRA contributions

  • Traditional IRA basis (i.e. amounts you contributed to the IRA that were already taxed)

Other Income

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  • Unemployment, state tax refund (1099-G)

  • Gambling income (W-2G or records showing income, as well as expense records)

  • Amount of any alimony received

  • Health Savings Account and long term care reimbursements (1099-SA or 1099-LTC)

  • Jury duty records

  • Hobby income and expenses

  • Prizes and awards

  • Other 1099

Other Deductions and Credits

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  • Record of moving expenses not reimbursed by employer

  • Forms 1098 or other mortgage interest statements

  • All other 1098 series forms

  • Amount of state/local income tax paid (other than wage withholding), or amount of state and local sales tax paid

  • Real estate and personal property tax records

  • Invoice showing amount of vehicle sales tax paid

  • Cash amounts donated to houses of worship, schools, other charitable organizations

  • Records of non-cash charitable donations

  • Amounts paid for healthcare insurance and to doctors, dentists, hospitals

  • Amount paid for preparation of last year’s tax return

  • Employment-related expenses (dues, publications, tools, uniform cost and cleaning, travel)

  • Receipts for energy-saving home improvements

  • Record of estimated tax payments made

Need help in navigating the intricate and ever-changing tax code?
We can help!

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