Before you prepare your taxes, gather all the documents you need to prepare a complete tax return.
Income documents
- W-2s
- 1099s
- Proof of jury duty pay
- Proof of alimony you received
- Social Security statement (1099-SSA)
- Dividend and interest statements (1099-DIV and 1099-INT)
- Retirement distributions (1099-R)
- Brokerage statements (1099-B), along with statements showing when you bought and sold your investments
- K-1 statements reporting profits from partnerships, trusts, and small businesses,
- Record of income and expenses for your rental property
- Record of income and expenses for your self-employment
Other tax documents
- Summary of moving expenses,
- Summary of educational expenses (college tuition),
- Summary of your child care, day care, or adult day care expenses,
- IRA contributions (traditional, SEP, or rollovers)
- Student loan interest paid (1098-E)
Tax deduction documents
- Health care expenses (doctors, dentists, health insurance, eyecare, medicine)
- Real estate taxes
- Motor vehicle registration
- Mortgage interest paid (1098)
- Gifts to charity
- Last year's tax preparation fees
- Job-related expenses (union dues, job education, uniforms)
- Loss of property due to casualty or theft
- Gambling losses
