Taxpayer Checklist

As tax season approaches and you get a flood of mail and “important tax documents”, it can be hard to keep track of everything. I’ve assembled a list of the most common tax related forms below. This is not a complete list—you may have other tax-related documents that should be held on to. If you have any questions about any of the documents, or need any help uploading them, please feel free to contact me using the Contact Us button in the upper right corner. 

I like to keep a special folder for each tax year in which I put a printed copy of my return and all supporting documents. Your tax return is important for many things, and you’ll save yourself a lot of time by having everything in one location. If you’re concerned about having everything in one location, you may also want to save scans of your documents--just make sure to put the files in a safe place like an external hard drive.

Income

• Form W-2 from all sources of employment.

• Form 1099-NEC from additional employment

·        This is a new form for non-employee compensation (may be issued instead of a 1099-MISC from past years)

·        You may not be issued this form if you earned less than $600, but you are still responsible for reporting this income. If you were not issued a 1099-NEC, you can upload a signed statement attesting to your income.

• If you received unemployment compensation: form 1099-G

  •  Typically, these are not mailed to taxpayers. You can find the form on your state website by searching: [your state] form 1099-G.

•  Income from investments and savings: form 1099-DIV and 1099-INT

  • If you did not receive these in the mail, these forms can be downloaded from your bank or investment firm. If you log into your account, most firms will have a “tax center” which should house all tax documents.

• Income from any retirement, pensions, or social security: forms 1099-R and SSA-1099.

Deductions and Credits

• List of charitable gifts with dollar amounts

  • If any of the amounts are greater than $250 or if the donation was noncash, you should hold onto the receipt from the charity.

• For education expense: form 1098-T along with any other documentation of education related expenses not included on the form.

• Itemized list of medical expenses that were not reimbursed from an HSA or by your insurance.

  • This is only necessary if your expenses were significant (exceeding 7.5% of your income).

• Interest payments on a student loan: form 1098-E. 

• If you own your own house, you can deduct the mortgage interest payments from form 1098.

• Record of any contributions to retirement accounts. If it’s made through your employer’s retirement plan like a 401(k), a record will be on your W-2, but if you made any contributions to an IRA or Roth IRA, you should also keep a list of those contributions. 

• A record of any other state or local taxes that you paid this year other than income tax. 

• If your child attends daycare and you are claiming the Dependent Care Credit, you should keep a record of all payments made, the daycare’s Employer Identification Number (EIN) or the provider’s social security number, and the telephone number (CA only). 

Personal Information

This typically applies only if you’re working with a tax professional. If you’re doing your own taxes, these things may not be necessary, but they still may be helpful to have on hand!  

• Picture or copy of your (and your spouses) drivers’ license or state ID. 

• Picture or copy of social security cards for all dependents.

• Copy of prior year’s tax return (remember to hold onto copies of your tax return in either printed or digital form for at least 3 years after you file). 

• For health insurance you can upload form 1095-A, form 1095-C, or copies of current health insurance cards. Any of the above is sufficient.

• Voided check (for direct deposit information).