Prepare for tax season...Organize! 

Tax season is much easier for you ( and me ), if you are organized & prepared! 

Beginning in January, you will start to receive lots of little envelopes that look very 

important (& they are!) - keep these and any other tax related material (some common 

ones are listed below) in one file.  Also collect your receipts from the previous year & gather 

all of your investment info. 

W-2s 

You should receive one from each employer you worked for over the last year              

1099-B 

You'll receive one from your broker or mutual fund company if you sold stocks, bonds or 

mutual funds during the year.  If you receive one of these, make sure you know the original 

purchase price & purchase date of the stock, bond or mutual fund.                               

1099-DIV 

This form reports the dividends that individual stocks in your portfolio earned & the 

dividends and capital gains distributed from your mutual funds.                                           

1099-G 

You'll receive one of these if you had a state refund from last year or if you had gambling 

winnings.                                                                                                                 

1099-INT 

Your bank will send one of these if you earned more than $10 in interest on a bank account 

or CD, or if you cashed in savings bonds last year.                                                      

1099-MISC 

If you were self-employed & received more that $600, you will receive one of these from 

the company or individual for whom you worked.                                                              

1099-R 

If you received a distribution from a pension, retirement plan or an IRA, converted a 

traditional IRA to a Roth IRA or rolled over money from a 401(k) to an IRA, you will receive 

a 1099-R.                                                                                                            

Childcare Records 

If you paid a babysitter or daycare center, you will need the name, address, amount paid 

and social security number or employer identification number for each provider.                      

Medical Expense Records 

Collect all your receipts and cancelled checks to see if you qualify for a deduction.                    

Mortgage/Closing Documents 

In most cases, money spent on mortgage interest, points (aka "loan origination fees"), real 

estate taxes and prepayment penalties qualify for tax deductions.  When you buy, sell or 

refinance a home, collect all related documents & store them in a file.                         

Proof of Charitable Contributions 

For donations of $250 or less, gather your cancelled checks or receipts.  For donations 

greater than $250, you'll need a written acknowledgement from the organization to receive 

a deduction.  For Salvation Army or Goodwill donations, ask them to issue a list of thrift 

store values for the donated items when you drop them off.                                    

Receipts for non-reimbursed business expenses 

Examples of these items are money spent on uniforms, travel, business-required education 

or dues that are not reimbursed by your employer.                                                                    

Self-employment Income/Expenses Documentation 

Gather & organize your receipts, or if you track such expenses on your computer, print out 

a year-end report. 

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