The single biggest thing that slows a return down is missing paperwork. Not complicated paperwork — just one form that never made it into the pile. Working through this list before your appointment usually turns a two-visit process into one.

Personal information

We need this for you, your spouse and every dependent you plan to claim:

  • Full legal names exactly as they appear on Social Security cards
  • Social Security or ITIN numbers
  • Dates of birth
  • Current mailing address, and any address you moved from during the year
  • Bank routing and account numbers, if you want a refund deposited directly
  • Last year's return, if we did not prepare it

Income documents

Income arrives on more forms than most people expect. Gather anything that showed up in January and February with a form number in the corner:

  • W-2 — wages from each employer
  • 1099-NEC / 1099-MISC — contract, freelance and self-employment income
  • 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-B — interest, dividends and investment sales
  • 1099-R — retirement plan and pension distributions
  • SSA-1099 — Social Security benefits
  • 1099-G — unemployment compensation and state refunds
  • 1099-K — payment card and third-party network transactions
  • K-1 — partnership, S corporation or trust income
  • Rental income and expense records for each property

A quick note on 1099-K

If you sold personal items at a loss through an online marketplace, that activity may still generate a 1099-K. Bring it in either way — how it is reported depends on the details, and it is much easier to handle up front than to amend later.

Deduction and credit records

Whether these help depends on whether your itemized total exceeds the standard deduction, but it is worth gathering them before we decide:

  • Mortgage interest statements (Form 1098) and property tax records
  • State and local income or sales tax paid
  • Charitable contribution receipts, including any non-cash donations
  • Medical and dental expenses, if they were substantial this year
  • Student loan interest (Form 1098-E) and tuition statements (Form 1098-T)
  • Childcare provider details, including their tax ID number
  • Retirement contributions made outside your employer plan
  • Records of any energy-efficient home improvements

If you are self-employed or run a business

  • Profit and loss summary, or access to your bookkeeping file
  • Records of business expenses by category
  • Mileage log with business miles separated from personal
  • Home office square footage, if you claim it
  • Asset purchases made during the year, with dates and amounts
  • Records of any estimated tax payments you made, and the dates

Anything that arrived from the IRS

Bring letters and notices even if you think they were resolved — and especially any identity protection PIN issued to you. A return filed without a required IP PIN will be rejected.

How to send it to us

You can drop documents at the office, or send them through our secure portal. Please do not email tax documents as ordinary attachments: a W-2 contains everything someone would need to file a fraudulent return in your name, and standard email is not a protected channel.

Still missing something?

Come in anyway. Most missing forms can be retrieved — wage and income transcripts from the IRS, duplicate statements from a bank or brokerage. It is far better to start the conversation and fill a gap than to sit on an incomplete pile until April.