It’s always helpful to organize your tax information and supporting documents before you begin the process of preparing your tax return. This tax return checklist can help you gather documents you may need to complete your income tax returns.
As you start to gather items on this tax return checklist, put them inside a folder and check the item off the list. Cross off any items that don’t apply. This will make your tax preparation much easier.
Employment and Income Data:
- W-2 forms for you and your spouse
- 1099-INT, 1099-DIV for interest or dividend income
- 1099-B for sale of securities
- 1099-G for unemployment income, gambling earnings or state tax refunds
- 1099-MISC for any independent contractor work
- 1099-R or Form 8606 for payments/distributions from IRA’s or retirement plans
- 1099-S forms for income from sale of a property
- 1099-Q for payments from qualified education programs
- 1099-SA for distributions from an HSA or MSA
- SSA-1099 for Social Security benefits received
- K-1’s from other entities (Partnership, S Corporation and Trust income)
- Alimony received
- Business income and expenses, including list of equipment purchased
- Rental property income and expenses, including list of equipment purchased
- Farm or farm rental income and expenses, including list of equipment purchased
- Miscellaneous income: jury duty
Adjustments, Deductions and Credits:
- 1098-E for student loan interest paid
- 1098-T for tuition paid
- IRA contributions made during the year
- Keogh, SEP, SIMPLE or other self-employed pension plans
- Medical Saving Accounts (MSA) contributions
- Health insurance payments for self-employed individuals
- Moving expenses
- Alimony paid, including social security number of recipient (save cancelled checks)
- Child care costs, including provider’s name, address, tax ID and amount paid
- Educations costs and expenses, Form 1098-T
- Adoption costs, including social security number of child, records of legal, medical & transportation costs
- Form 1098, Mortgage interest and points you paid
- Investment interest expenses
- Charitable donations, including charity receipts, canceled checks, value of donated property, miles driven and out-of-pocket expenses
- Medical and dental expenses, also include mileage (need insurance reimbursements)
- Casualty and theft losses, including amount of damage and insurance reimbursements
- Records or amounts of other miscellaneous tax deductions: union dues, unreimbursed employee expenses (uniforms, supplies, seminars, continuing education, publications, travel, etc)
- Records of home business expenses, including home & office size, home related expenses
Rental property income and expenses, including list of improvements and major purchases
Taxes paid:
- State and local income taxes
- Real estate taxes
- Personal property taxes
- Estimated tax payments: provide dates and amounts
If you can answer yes to the following questions, provide all related documents:
- Were there any births, deaths, adoptions, divorces or marriages in your household?
- Did you convert a traditional IRA to a Roth or recharacterize a Roth back to a traditional IRA?
- Did you receive tip income?
- Did you receive a notice from the IRS or state agency regarding a prior year tax return?
- Did you receive installment payments on property sales?
- Did your children under 14 years of age receive investment income?
- Did you support anyone other than your own children?
- Did you make gifts to any individual other than your spouse of more than $14,000?
- Do you have a foreign bank account?
- Did you refinance your mortgage during the year?
- Did you pay points to purchase a home or refinance a mortgage during the year?
- Did you receive non-taxable sick pay?
- Did you have household employees?
- If you didn’t receive a W-2 from a former employer, do you have the final pay stub from that employer?
- Did you receive money from a lawsuit?
- Did you receive money from any other source not previously mentioned?
Contact Bryant & Associates, PC today at 402-423-0404!
Taxes can be very stressful…especially if you have something new or different this year. Our team at Bryant & Associates, PC is here to help take that stress away. Using this tax return checklist will help you be more organized and ready for tax preparation. If you have any questions or if you would like to hear more about our tax preparation services, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!
