Collect Your Records
Collecting and organizing your tax records is key to a successful tax appointment. A good practice is to review your prior year tax return and compare it to your current year documents. Often, taxpayer income and deductions are similar from year-to-year and doing a review will help identify missing documents.
New Clients
We need a few extra documents from new clients. These documents help us get to know you and lead to a more successful result. Please bring the following documents to your appointment:
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 1. Prior Year Tax Returns (Federal & State) | Needed to help us understand you as a taxpayer and they may contain information needed for the current year tax return. |
| 2. Social Security Card for each person claimed on the return. | Will reduce the likelihood of data entry errors and will reduce the likelihood of tax identity theft. |
| 3. Driver's License for taxpayer and spouse, if married | Needed to verify your identity as required by some states. Will help reduce tax identity theft and data input errors. |
| 4. Cancelled Check | Needed to verify your bank name, account and routing number for direct deposit and direct debit. |
All Clients - New & Existing
Tax Organizer & Questionnaire
We offer two online questionnaires -- one for individuals, one for businesses -- that clients must complete. For new clients, the questionnaire allows us to learn about you and your specific tax situations. For existing clients, it allows us to learn about any changes you may have experienced since last year.Questionnaires:
- Individual: for new and existing clients (Online or PDF)
- Business: for all business clients (Schedule C, S-Corp, C-Corp or Partnership) (Online)
After completing the questionnaire, you will be prompted to upload documents to our secure portal. If you cannot upload documents at that time, don't worry. You can always upload or provide your tax documents later.
Tax Forms
During January and early February, third parties -- employers, mortgage company, banks, etc. -- will deliver or provide electronic access to tax documents. These documents are needed to prepare your returns. A best practice is to place these documents in a folder and bring to the appointment. The following is a partial list of forms. The forms you receive depend upon your specific situation.
| Tax Form | Description |
|---|---|
| W-2 | Wage and Income Report |
| W-2G | Gambling Winnings (Note: please include Win/Loss report) |
| 1099-NEC | Nonemployee Compensaion |
| 1099-Misc | Miscellaneous Income (typically for rent received, royalties, and prizes/awards) |
| 1099-Int | Interest Income |
| 1099-Div | Dividend Income |
| 1099-B | Proceeds from Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions |
| 1099 Consolidated Tax Statement | Brokerage statement that includes multiple 1099s (INT, DIV, B, OID and more) |
| 1099-DA | Digital Asset Proceeds from Broker Transactions (New Form for 2025) |
| 1099-C | Cancellation of Debt |
| 1099-G | State Tax Refund and/or Unemployment Compensation |
| 1099-K | Payment Card and Third-Party Payment Networks |
| 1099-Q | Distributions from Qualified Education Programs |
| 1099-R | Distributions from Pension, Retirement, IRA, and Insurance Contracts |
| 1099-S | Proceeds from real estate transactions (sale of home) |
| 1099-SA | Distributions from HSA, Archer MSA, or Medicare Advantage |
| SSA-1099 | Social Security Income |
| 1098 | Mortgage Interest Statement |
| 1098-C | Contribution of cars, boats, and airplanes |
| 1098-E | Sutdent Loan Interest Paid |
| 1098-T | Tuition Statement for college expenses |
| 1095-A | Health Insurance coverage forms |
| 5498 | IRA Contribution Information |
| 5498-SA | HSA, Archer MSA, or Medicare Advantage MSA Information |
| Schedule K-1 | Shareholder's or Partner's Share of Income, Deductions, Credits |
| Schedule K-3 | Shareholder's or Partner's Share of Income, Deductions, Credits-International |
Other Documents & Information
There may be other information needed for your return preparation. For example:
| Situation | Information Needed for Return Preparation |
|---|---|
| New Vehicle Interest Deduction | *** New for 2025 *** For each new vehicle purchased in 2025, vehicle identification number, year/make/model, date purchased and interest paid |
| Overtime Pay Deduction | *** New for 2025 *** Amount of overtime pay received that qualifies for overtime deduction |
| Tip Income Deduction | *** New for 2025 *** Amount of tip income received that qualifies for tip deduction |
| Home Energy Improvements - HVAC, heat pump, etc. | *** New for 2025 *** Documentation showing date purchased, description of item, amount paid, and "Qualified Manufacturer Identification Number" |
| Child or Dependent Care | Provider name, address, SSN/EIN, and amount paid. |
| Purchase, Sale, or Re-finance a home or real estate | Closing Statement or Closing Disclosure (formerly HUD-1). If you sold your principal residence, please bring closing statements from original purchase and from sale. Also provide Form 1099-S or Substitute Form 1099-S for home sale. |
| Charitable Donations | Receipts or other documents to support the amounts donated to each charitable organization. |
| Non-Cash Charitable Donations | Receipts or other documents to support the amounts donated to each charitable organization. Information needed includes: charity name & address, description of items donated, date donated, value when donated, and value when acquired. |
| Charitable Miles Driven | Total number of charitable miles driven during the year. |
| Real Estate Taxes Paid | Amount may be listed on Form 1098. If not, a cancelled check or receipt from the tax office. |
| Property Taxes Paid | Also known as Ad Valorem. These amounts are typically listed on the tag receipts for Car, Trucks, Motorcycles, Boats, Planes, etc. |
| Estimated Tax Payments | Cancelled check and/or a listing of dates and amounts paid to the IRS or state department of revenue. |
| State Tax Payments for Prior Year Taxes | Cancelled check and or a listing of dates and amounts paid to the state department of revenue. |
| Medical Expenses Paid | A summary listing the total amount of unreimbursed medical expenses by type of expense: Doctor, Prescription, Dental, Glasses, Insurance. |
| Medical Miles Driven | Total number of miles driven for medical care. |
| Educator Expenses | The total amount of unreimbursed expenses (applies to K-12 teachers). |
| Alimony Received or Paid | Total amount of alimony paid or received. The SSN or ITIN of the ex-spouse. |
| IRA and Roth IRA Contributions | The amount and date of any contribution. |
| Gambling Winnings & Losses | W-2G and/or a listing of amounts won and amounts lost. |
| Moving Expenses (Military & Intelligence Only) | A listing of the costs to transport household items and people from old residence to new residence. May include lodging, miles driven, gas, van rental, and moving company. The amount paid or reimbursed by an employer, if any. |
| Sale of Stocks, Bonds, Investments | Description of the item sold including date sold, sale price date purchased, and cost basis.& nbsp; This information may, or may not, be listed on a 1099-B. |
| Higher Education Expenses | Student account record showing date and amounts paid for tuition, fees, room and board. Other documents supporing educational expenses made for books, required supplies, room & board paid to third parties (e.g. not the university). |
Sole-Proprietor Business & Rentals
If you have a small business operated as a Sole-Proprietor or if you have one or more rental properties, you will need to provide certain information relating to the business activity. Please review the following list:
| Income Statement or Completed Worksheet | Click for worksheet: Self-employment or Rental |
| Listing of asset(s) purchased during the year | Click for worksheet: Asset Listing |
| Prior year depreciation schedule. | Note: Schedule may be in the prior year tax return. If not, it should be obtained from prior tax preparer. |
| Purchase, sale or refinance of real estate | Closing Statement or Closing Disclosure (formerly HUD-1) |
| # of days rented & # of days of personal use | Note: Rental property only |
If you have any questions regarding the documents to bring to your tax appointment, please give us a call at (678) 919-1250 or complete our contact form.