Tax Prep Checklist

2015-12-28 (8)What should you have in your “Shoe Box”?

Use this handy checklist to help ensure your professional tax preparer will have all the documents they need to complete your tax return accurately and quickly. You should also visit our updated Online Tax Guide for more information.

Personal Data

Social Security Numbers (including spouse and children)
box Child care provider Tax I.D. or Social Security Number and address

Income Data

box W-2 forms
box Pensions and annuities
box Partnership and trust income
box Alimony received
box Jury duty pay
box State and local income tax refund
box Scholarships and fellowships
box Prizes and awards
box Gambling and lottery winnings

Financial Assets and Liabilities

box Interest Income Statements (form 1099-INT & 1099-OID)
box Dividend Income Statements (form 1099-DN)
box Tax refunds and unemployment compensation (form 1099-G)
box Proceeds from broker transactions (form 1099-B)
box Miscellaneous income (form 1099-MISC)
box Retirement plan distributions (form 1099-R)
box Student loan interest paid
box Early withdrawal penalties on CDs

Home and Rental Property Data

box Mortgage interest (form 1098)
box Home equity loan interest
box Real estate taxes paid
box Sale of your home or other real estate (form 1099-S)
box Rental property income
box Rental property expenses

Self-Employment Data

box K-1’s on all partnerships
box Receipts and documentation for all business related expenses
box Farm income
box Auto mileage log
box Home office square footage

Expense Documentation

box Charitable donations
box Unreimbursed business of volunteer work expenses
box Child care expenses
box Alimony paid
box Tax Return preparation fees
box Investment expenses
box Education expenses
box Job-hunting expenses
box Adoption expenses
box Moving expenses
box Medical expenses

Deductions

box IRA, SEP, SIMPLE and other retirement plan contributions
box Casualty and theft losses
box Medical Savings Accounts
checkbox Energy Credit Expenditures

Year-End Items Needed for Tax Return Preparation
Business or Schedule C Filers

box Accountants Review Copy of your QuickBooks File (or your manual check registers and records if not using QuickBooks)
box Year-end bank statements for all open accounts, reconciled to books
box Year-end credit card statements for all open accounts, reconciled to books
box Year-end loan statements for all loans outstanding during year
box Last four Quarterly Sales Tax Returns filed (or last one if Annual filer)

If You Have Payroll:

box 941’s and NYS-45’s for all Four Quarters
box 940
box W-3
box Any notices received
box Invoices for any large assets purchased
box All year end tax documents (1099’s etc.)
box Any IRS or State notices received.
box Auto mileage (if applicable):

boxDescription of each vehicle used (model, make and year)
box Total mileage for the year (all miles including personal)
box Number of miles that are Business Miles for the year.

Business Use of Home (if applicable):

box Total square footage of home
box Square footage of space dedicated to office use only
box Mortgage Interest and Taxes (or Rent) paid for the year
box Utilities (not including phone)
box Repairs and maintenance
box Trash service
box Insurance

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We’ve gone Green!

Accounting For All now stores all of our documents electronically. We encourage you to give us your tax documents in electronic format versus paper, so if you are willing to fire up that new scanner and set it to 300 dpi Black and White, go ahead and scan in all those W-2’s, 1099’s, Charitable Contribution lists and whatever else you usually give us in order to prepare your taxes. Then contact us via e-mail for a link to a secure portal that will allow you to send your documents to us safely.