The difference between an appointment that takes forty minutes and one that drags across three weeks is almost never complexity. It is missing paperwork. Below is the list we work from, grouped the way a return is actually assembled rather than the way documents arrive in the post.
Start with last year
Your prior-year return is the single most useful document you can bring. It tells a preparer which forms you filed, which credits you claimed, what carried forward and what to look for again this year. If you are switching preparers, bring the last two years if you have them.
Identity
- Photo ID for you and, if you file jointly, your spouse.
- Social Security numbers or ITINs for everyone who will appear on the return, including dependants.
- Dates of birth for dependants.
- Bank routing and account numbers, if you want a refund deposited directly.
- Any identity protection PIN the IRS has issued you.
Income
Every dollar that reached you has a document behind it somewhere. The common ones:
- W-2 from each employer.
- 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC for contract and freelance work.
- 1099-INT, 1099-DIV and 1099-B for interest, dividends and investment sales.
- 1099-R for pensions, annuities and retirement distributions.
- SSA-1099 for Social Security benefits.
- 1099-G for unemployment compensation and state refunds.
- 1099-K if you were paid through a payment app or marketplace.
- K-1 from any partnership, S corporation or trust.
- Rental income and expense summaries, per property.
- Records of anything not reported on a form — cash work, hobby sales, digital assets.
Deductions and credits
Bring the documents even if you expect to take the standard deduction. It costs nothing to check, and the calculation is not always obvious in advance.
- Form 1098 for mortgage interest, and property tax statements.
- Form 1098-T for tuition, and 1098-E for student loan interest.
- Charitable contribution receipts, including acknowledgement letters for larger gifts.
- Medical and dental expenses, if they were substantial relative to your income.
- State and local taxes paid, including estimated payments.
- Childcare provider details and amounts paid, with the provider’s tax identification number.
- Retirement contributions made outside payroll, including IRA contributions.
- Health savings account contributions and distributions.
- Energy-efficiency or vehicle credits, with the paperwork the seller or installer gave you.
If you run a business
- Profit and loss statement and balance sheet, or the bookkeeping file itself.
- Asset purchases during the year, with dates and amounts.
- Mileage log or total business miles.
- Home office square footage, if you claim it.
- Payroll reports and any contractor 1099s you issued.
- Records of estimated tax payments made during the year.
Things that changed
Life events move a return more than any single receipt. Tell your preparer about any of these, even if you are not sure they matter:
- Marriage, divorce or the death of a spouse.
- A birth, an adoption, or a dependant who moved in or out.
- A move between states, or work performed in a state you do not live in.
- Buying or selling a home.
- Starting or closing a business.
- A large one-off event: an inheritance, a settlement, an equity vest, a Roth conversion.
How to bring it
Sorted beats complete. A stack in rough categories — income, deductions, business, other — is more useful than a shoebox with every document present. If something is missing, come anyway. We will tell you exactly what to chase and, in most cases, where to get it.
This article is general information about how the tax rules work, not tax advice for your situation, and the rules change. Speak with a qualified preparer — we are happy to be that preparer — before acting on anything you read here.