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The IRS website (www.irs.gov) has anything and everything you need to know about how to do your taxes and what info you need to complete the task. The biggest change is that financial institutions are requesting that you download or print their tax documents from their website. This will be a bit time consuming so don’t wait until you fill in your tax forms.

Make a list of your Financial Institutions. You will need to log in to your account online. If you do not have an online account most Financial Institutions will probably send you an email and invite you to login.

Below is a summary of items you will need to complete your tax return.

  • SSN
  • Bank Routing Number
  • W2’s
  • 1099’s
  • Mortgage Interest Statements
  • Interest Statements
  • Childcare or dependent care expenses
  • Home mortgage and property tax records (if you itemize your deductions)
  • Donations to charity (if you itemize your deductions)
  • Health savings account or flexible spending account contributions
  • Healthcare expenses (if you itemize, special rules apply)
  • Retirement contributions
  • If you’re a student or teacher, receipts for books, tuition and other education expenses
  • Statements from banks, payment apps, card processors or online marketplaces
  • Checks paid to you
  • Receipts and mileage logs for travel, gift and car expenses
  • Records of deductible office expenses
  • Estimated tax payments
  • Other business income and expense records

Make your own check list. It will probably change from year to year. The list will prompt you to think of other possibilities. Instead of doing all your document collection at once, take a few minutes once a week until completion. Most tax documents are not available in January so you have some time before you start.

Having a dedicated file or box to put the current year’s documents in makes filing easier. You can then sort documents into the categories according to your tax forms. If you use a service, the tax professional that you choose will greatly appreciate documents in a secure folder in an organized fashion.

A little prior planning and organization can make tax time a little less daunting.

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