Documents Needed for Tax Preparation
Getting your tax documents organized before your appointment can help make the tax preparation process faster and more efficient.
Use this checklist to gather the documents that apply to your situation. You may not need every item listed below.
If you're unsure whether a document is relevant, keep it available for review rather than leaving it behind.
Tax Preparation Document Checklist
Before your appointment, gather applicable documents from the following categories:
- Identification
- Social Security or taxpayer identification information
- Prior-year tax returns
- W-2 forms
- 1099 forms
- Self-employment records
- Business income and expenses
- Dependent information
- Childcare information
- Education documents
- Retirement-income documents
- Investment-related tax documents
- Homeownership documents
- Rental-property records
- Estimated tax payment records
- IRS or state tax notices
- Other documents related to your tax situation
- 1. Identification
Bring valid identification as applicable.
Examples include:
- ☐ Driver's license
- ☐ State-issued identification
- ☐ Other applicable government-issued photo identification
Identification requirements can vary depending on the return and circumstances.
2. Social Security & Taxpayer Identification
Information
Have accurate identifying information available for yourself and applicable individuals included on the return.
This may include:
☐ Your Social Security number or applicable taxpayer identification information ☐ Spouse's information when applicable
☐ Dependent Social Security numbers or applicable taxpayer identification information ☐ Correct legal names
☐ Dates of birth when applicable
Accuracy is extremely important.
Names and identification numbers should be entered correctly based on applicable records.
3. Prior-Year Tax Return
If available, provide a complete copy of your previous tax return.
☐ Prior-year federal tax return
☐ Prior-year state return when applicable
☐ Applicable schedules
☐ Business returns when applicable
☐ Depreciation schedules when applicable
Prior returns can be especially important if you have:
- A business
- Rental property
- Depreciable assets
- Carryforward information
- Other continuing tax items
- 4. W-2 Forms
If you worked as an employee, bring:
- ☐ W-2 from Employer #1
- ☐ W-2 from Employer #2
- ☐ W-2 from Employer #3
- ☐ Any additional W-2 forms
If you changed jobs or worked multiple jobs during the year, make sure you have the applicable W-2 from each employer.
5. 1099 Forms
Bring all applicable 1099 forms.
These may include documents reporting:
- ☐ Independent contractor income
- ☐ Freelance income
- ☐ Interest income
- ☐ Dividend income
- ☐ Retirement distributions
- ☐ Payment-platform information
- ☐ Other applicable income or transactions
Do not assume that a 1099 is irrelevant simply because the amount appears small.
6. Self-Employed & Independent Contractor
Records
If you are self-employed, a freelancer, consultant, gig worker, or independent contractor, gather applicable:
- ☐ 1099 forms
- ☐ Business-income records
- ☐ Customer payment records
- ☐ Payment processor statements
- ☐ Business bank statements
- ☐ Business credit-card statements
- ☐ Expense records
- ☐ Receipts
- ☐ Equipment purchases
- ☐ Supply purchases
- ☐ Advertising expenses
- ☐ Business insurance records
- ☐ Professional fees
- ☐ Software expenses
- ☐ Mileage records
- ☐ Other applicable business documentation
7. Rideshare & Delivery Driver Documents
Rideshare, delivery, and courier workers should gather applicable:
- ☐ 1099 forms
- ☐ Annual platform statements
- ☐ Gross income information
- ☐ Mileage logs
- ☐ Vehicle information
- ☐ Applicable toll records
- ☐ Applicable parking records
- ☐ Business-related supply records
- ☐ Other applicable expense documentation
Do not rely solely on a single 1099 if you received income from multiple platforms or other customers.
8. Business Tax Documents
Business owners should gather documentation appropriate to their entity and business activity.
This may include:
- ☐ Prior-year business tax return
- ☐ Profit and loss statement
- ☐ Balance sheet when applicable
- ☐ Gross revenue records
- ☐ Business bank statements
- ☐ Business credit-card statements
- ☐ Expense reports
- ☐ Payroll reports
- ☐ Contractor payment records
- ☐ Asset and equipment purchases
- ☐ Loan information
- ☐ Ownership information
- ☐ Contributions and distributions when applicable
- ☐ Entity documentation
- ☐ Applicable tax-election documentation
- ☐ Other business records
9. Business Expense Records
Depending on your business, gather applicable documentation involving:
- ☐ Advertising and marketing
- ☐ Business insurance
- ☐ Office supplies
- ☐ Materials
- ☐ Equipment
- ☐ Software
- ☐ Professional services
- ☐ Rent
- ☐ Utilities
- ☐ Qualifying vehicle expenses
- ☐ Qualifying travel expenses
- ☐ Other ordinary and necessary business expenses
Not every expense is automatically deductible. Tax treatment depends on the business purpose, documentation, circumstances, and applicable tax rules.
10. Vehicle & Mileage Records
If you used a vehicle for qualifying business activity, gather applicable:
- ☐ Mileage log
- ☐ Business mileage
- ☐ Total mileage information when relevant
- ☐ Vehicle make and model
- ☐ Date vehicle was placed in service when relevant
- ☐ Applicable tolls
- ☐ Applicable parking
- ☐ Other applicable vehicle-expense records
Mileage records should identify the business purpose of applicable travel.
11. Dependents
If you are claiming qualifying dependents, have applicable:
- ☐ Legal name
- ☐ Social Security number or applicable taxpayer identification information ☐ Date of birth
- ☐ Relationship to you
- ☐ Residency information when relevant
- ☐ Applicable support information
- ☐ Other documents necessary to establish eligibility when required
Having a child or supporting another person does not automatically mean that person qualifies as your dependent. Eligibility depends on applicable tax rules and circumstances.
12. Childcare Information
If childcare expenses may be relevant to your return, gather applicable:
- ☐ Childcare provider's name
- ☐ Provider address
- ☐ Provider taxpayer identification information
- ☐ Amount paid
- ☐ Applicable payment records
- ☐ Other relevant childcare documentation
Eligibility for any related tax benefit depends on applicable requirements.
13. Education & Student Documents
Students, parents, and taxpayers paying qualifying education expenses may have documents such as:
- ☐ Education-related tax forms
- ☐ Tuition information
- ☐ Scholarship information
- ☐ Student loan interest documentation
- ☐ Records of other potentially relevant qualifying expenses
Education-related tax benefits have specific eligibility requirements.
14. Retirement Income
If you received retirement-related income, gather applicable:
- ☐ Pension documents
- ☐ Retirement-account distribution forms
- ☐ Social Security tax documents
- ☐ Annuity-related tax documents
- ☐ Other retirement-income records
If you continued working during retirement, also bring applicable W-2 and 1099 forms.
15. Investment Documents
If you have investment accounts, gather all applicable year-end tax documents.
These may involve:
- ☐ Interest
- ☐ Dividends
- ☐ Sales of investments
- ☐ Other investment-related activity
Some investment transactions may require additional information, such as cost or acquisition records, depending on the circumstances.
16. Homeowner Documents
Homeowners may have applicable:
- ☐ Mortgage-related tax documents
- ☐ Property-related records
- ☐ Home purchase closing documents
- ☐ Home sale closing documents
- ☐ Records of certain improvements
- ☐ Other applicable property documentation
Owning a home does not automatically make every home-related expense deductible.
17. Rental Property Documents
Rental-property owners should gather records separately for each property whenever possible.
Potential documents include:
- ☐ Rental income
- ☐ Property management statements
- ☐ Repair expenses
- ☐ Maintenance expenses
- ☐ Insurance
- ☐ Property tax information
- ☐ Applicable utilities
- ☐ Professional fees
- ☐ Property purchase closing documents
- ☐ Property sale documents
- ☐ Improvement records
- ☐ Prior depreciation schedules
- ☐ Other applicable rental expenses
If you own several properties, organize records property by property.
18. Home Sale Documents
If you sold a home or other property, keep applicable:
- ☐ Purchase documentation
- ☐ Sale closing statement
- ☐ Original closing statement when available
- ☐ Records of qualifying improvements
- ☐ Other relevant property documentation
The tax treatment of a property sale depends on the type of property and circumstances.
19. Health-Related Tax Documents
Depending on your circumstances, you may receive tax documents related to health coverage or health-related accounts.
Bring all applicable tax forms and supporting documentation relevant to your return.
If you're uncertain whether a document is necessary, include it with your tax records for review.
20. Estimated Tax Payments
If you made estimated tax payments during the year, provide:
- ☐ Payment date
- ☐ Payment amount
- ☐ Tax year applied
- ☐ Federal payment information
- ☐ State payment information when applicable
- ☐ Proof of payment when available
Do not rely solely on memory when reporting estimated payments.
21. Other Tax Payments
Also bring records of other applicable tax payments, including payments made with:
- ☐ Extensions
- ☐ Prior filings
- ☐ Amended returns
- ☐ IRS payment arrangements when relevant
- ☐ Other applicable payments
- 22. IRS Notices & Letters
If you received an IRS notice, bring the complete document.
☐ IRS notice
☐ All pages
☐ Attachments
☐ Previous correspondence
☐ Your response, if you already responded
☐ Related tax return
☐ Supporting tax documents
Pay attention to any response deadline shown on the notice.
23. Amended Tax Return Documents
If you need to correct a previously filed return, bring:
- ☐ Complete copy of the originally filed return
- ☐ Missing tax document
- ☐ Corrected tax document
- ☐ Supporting records
- ☐ Applicable IRS correspondence
- ☐ Other information related to the correction
24. Prior-Year / Back Tax Documents
If you haven't filed for one or more previous years, organize documents separately by year.
For each year, gather applicable:
- ☐ W-2 forms
- ☐ 1099 forms
- ☐ Business records
- ☐ Rental-property records
- ☐ Retirement-income documents
- ☐ Dependent information
- ☐ IRS notices
- ☐ Other tax documentation
Create a separate folder for each tax year whenever possible.
25. Bank Information for Direct Deposit
If you expect a refund and choose an available direct-deposit option, have accurate bank information available.
This may include:
- ☐ Bank name
- ☐ Routing number
- ☐ Account number
- ☐ Account type
Review banking information carefully.
Incorrect information can cause complications with refund delivery.
Tax Documents for Married Taxpayers
Depending on the filing circumstances, applicable documentation may be needed for both spouses.
Gather relevant:
- Identification
- W-2 forms
- 1099 forms
- Business records
- Retirement documents
- Investment documents
- Estimated tax payments
- Other applicable information
Filing status and requirements depend on the taxpayer's circumstances and applicable rules.
Tax Documents for Multiple Income Sources
If you earn income from several sources, bring documentation for all applicable activity.
For example:
- W-2 + 1099
- Multiple W-2s
- W-2 + side business
- W-2 + rental property
- W-2 + retirement
- Business + rental property
- Employment + business + investments
Organizing documents by income source can make the preparation process more efficient.
Before Your Tax Appointment
Use this final checklist:
☐ I have my identification.
☐ I have applicable taxpayer identification information.
☐ I have my prior-year tax return if available.
☐ I have all applicable W-2s.
☐ I have all applicable 1099s.
☐ I have my business records.
☐ I have my dependent information.
☐ I have applicable childcare documents.
☐ I have applicable education documents.
☐ I have retirement and investment tax documents.
☐ I have applicable property records.
☐ I have rental-property records.
☐ I have estimated tax payment information.
☐ I have applicable IRS notices.
☐ I reviewed my records for any additional income or tax documents.
Uploading Tax Documents Safely
Tax documents contain highly sensitive personal and financial information.
Documents may include:
- Social Security numbers
- Taxpayer identification numbers
- Dates of birth
- Income information
- Bank information
- Business financial information
- Other confidential data
For this reason, clients should use the secure document-upload or client-portal process provided by the tax office for sensitive documents.
Avoid placing Social Security numbers, complete tax returns, W-2s, 1099s, or banking information into an ordinary website contact form.
Tips for Organizing Your Documents
Before uploading or bringing your records:
Separate personal and business documents.
Separate records by tax year.
Separate rental records by property.
Group business expenses into categories.
Keep W-2 and 1099 forms together.
Make sure scanned documents are readable.
Upload complete documents—not cropped sections.
Keep copies of the records you provide.
Organized records can make tax preparation more efficient.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tax Documents
Do I need every document on this checklist?
No. This is a comprehensive checklist. Bring or upload only the documents applicable to your tax circumstances.
Should I bring last year's tax return?
Yes, if available. Prior returns can provide useful information, especially for businesses, rental properties, depreciation, and other items that continue between tax years.
What if I'm missing a W-2?
Gather the records you have. Depending on the circumstances, additional information may be obtainable from the employer or other appropriate sources.
What if I'm missing a 1099?
The absence of a particular 1099 does not necessarily eliminate applicable income-reporting requirements. Maintain your own income records. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
What should self-employed clients bring?
Bring applicable 1099s, income records, business expenses, bank or payment records, mileage information, equipment purchases, and other business documentation.
What should an LLC owner bring?
Bring applicable entity information, prior business returns, income and expense records, ownership information, and other documents relevant to the LLC's federal tax classification and business activity.
Should I bring receipts?
Keep receipts and other supporting documentation for applicable expenses. The records needed depend on the item and circumstances.
Can I upload my documents instead of bringing paper copies?
Use the secure upload or client-portal process provided by the tax office if electronic document submission is available.
Should I email my Social Security number?
Use an approved secure method for sensitive tax information rather than an ordinary unsecured email or contact form.
What if I don't know whether a document is important?
Keep it available for review. It is generally easier to determine that a document isn't needed than to prepare a return without potentially relevant information.
Ready for Your Tax Appointment?
Gather the documents that apply to your situation and organize them before your appointment. Having complete, accurate records can help make your tax preparation process more efficient.
Ready to Get Your Taxes Prepared?
Don't wait until the last minute to organize your tax documents.