SERVICES
MILEAGE & EXPENSE TRACKING
We recommend downloading this mileage and expense tracking app which automatically track your miles, so you’ll never miss a mile or need to keep a paper log again.
If you download the app through my unique link below, you’ll be set up as my client and you’ll be able to send me your reports from Everlance. One less thing for you to worry about.
What Do I Bring To My Tax Appointment
Every taxpayer’s situation is unique, and thus it is impossible to list all the items one must bring in for a tax appointment for every type of tax situation. When in doubt, bring the item in question to your tax appointment. The following is a good general list of the items to bring in with you for your scheduled tax appointment
Prior Year Tax Return Copies
Tax Identification Numbers are mandatory items on your checklist. All taxpayers will need the following to do their taxes.
- Your social security number or tax ID number
- Your spouse’s full name, social security number or tax ID number, and date of birth
- Identity Protection PIN, if one has been issued to you, your spouse, or your dependent by the IRS
- Routing and account numbers to receive your refund by direct deposit or pay your balance due if you choose
If you are a new client, please bring copies of your last 3 years federal and state income tax returns. Elite Financial Consulting will review them for FREE, and we may be able to amend mistakes/omissions getting you back additional refunds.
Dependent Information
- Dates of birth and social security numbers or tax ID numbers
- Childcare records (including the provider’s tax ID number) if applicable
- Income of dependents and of other adults in your home
- Form 8332 showing that the child’s custodial parent is releasing their right to claim a child to you, the noncustodial parent (if applicable)
Many of these forms won’t be needed to file taxes every year. For example, you will only receive the investment forms you may need to file your taxes if you had distributions or other activity.
Employed
- Forms W-2
Unemployed
- Unemployment (1099-G)
Self-Employed
- Forms 1099, Schedules K-1, income records to verify amounts not reported on 1099-MISC or 1099-NEC
- Records of all expenses — check registers or credit card statements, and receipts
- Business-use asset information (cost, date placed in service, etc.) for depreciation
- Office in home information, if applicable
- Record of estimated tax payments made (Form 1040–ES)
Rental Income
- Records of income and expenses
- Rental asset information (cost, date placed in service, etc.) for depreciation
- Record of estimated tax payments made (Form 1040–ES)
Retirement Income
- Pension/IRA/annuity income (1099-R)
- Traditional IRA basis (i.e., amounts you contributed to the IRA that were already taxed)
- Social security/RRB income: SSA-1099, RRB-1099
Savings & Investments or Dividends
- Interest, dividend income (1099-INT, 1099-OID, 1099-DIV)
- Income from sales of stock or other property (1099-B, 1099-S)
- Dates of acquisition and records of your cost or other basis in property you sold (if basis is not reported on 1099-B)
- Health Savings Account and long-term care reimbursements (1099-SA or 1099-LTC)
- Expenses related to your investments
- Record of estimated tax payments made (Form 1040–ES)
- Transactions involving cryptocurrency (Virtual currency)
Other Income & Losses
- Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions – 1099-K
- Gambling income (W-2G or records showing income, as well as expense records)
- Jury duty records
- Hobby income and expenses
- Prizes and awards
- Trust income
- Royalty Income 1099–MISC
- Any other 1099s received
- Record of alimony paid/received with ex-spouse’s name and SSN
- State tax refund
The types of deductions you can take depend a lot on your life situation. It’s likely you won’t need all of the documents listed below for your taxes.
Home Ownership
- Forms 1098 or other mortgage interest statements
- Real estate and personal property tax records
- Receipts for energy-saving home improvements (e.g., High-efficiency heating & cooling systems, water heaters, windows, doors, insulation, qualified solar electric property, solar water heating property, fuel cell property, small wind energy property and geothermal heat pump property)
- All other 1098 series forms
Charitable Donations
- Cash amounts donated to houses of worship, schools, other charitable organizations
- Records of non-cash charitable donations
- Amounts of miles driven for charitable or medical purposes
Medical Expenses
- Amounts paid for healthcare, insurance, and to doctors, dentists, and hospitals
- Amounts paid for qualified insurance premiums if paid outside of the Marketplace or an employer provided plan
Health Insurance
- Form 1095-A if you enrolled in an insurance plan through the Marketplace (Exchange)
Childcare Expenses
- Fees paid to a licensed day care center or family day care for care of an infant or preschooler
- Amounts paid to a baby-sitter or provider care of your child under age 13 while you work
- Expenses paid through a dependent care flexible spending account at work
Educational Expenses
- Forms 1098-T from educational institutions
- Receipts that itemize qualified educational expenses
- Records of any scholarships or fellowships you received
- Form 1098-E if you paid student loan interest
K-12 Educator Expenses
- Receipts for classroom expenses (for educators in grades K-12)
State and Local Taxes
- Amount of state and local income or sales tax paid (other than wage withholding)
- Invoice showing amount of vehicle sales tax paid and / or personal property tax on vehicles
Retirement & Other Savings
- Form 5498-SA showing HSA contributions
- Form 5498 showing IRA contributions
- All other 5498 series forms (5498-QA, 5498-ESA)
Federally Declared Disaster
- City/county you lived/worked/had property in
- Records to support property losses (appraisal, clean-up costs, etc.)
- Records of rebuilding/repair costs
- Insurance reimbursements/claims to be paid
- FEMA assistance information
- Check the FEMA website to see if your county has been declared a federal disaster area
Self-Employment
Most small business owners either file Schedule C with their Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, or file both a business and personal tax return, so this list covers both
Employer identification number. Your tax preparer needs this number if your business has a separate EIN.
W-2s and 1099s. These forms report wages, independent contractor payments, interest, dividends, capital gains, retirement plan distributions, and more. Be sure your tax preparer has all of these so they can include all taxable income on your return.
Business financial statements. At a minimum, your tax preparer needs a copy of your balance sheet, income statement, and general ledger. If you use cloud accounting software, consider giving your tax pro accountant access to your file. That allows them to dig into the details if they have questions about certain balances or business expenses.
Cryptocurrency transactions. Did you receive, buy, sell, or exchange Bitcoin or other forms of digital currency during the year? If so, give your tax preparer a schedule of all cryptocurrency transactions or print out transaction reports from each exchange platform you used during the year.
Mileage log. If you use your personal vehicle for business, get the total business miles and personal miles driven for the year from your mileage log or mileage tracking app.
Asset purchase details. If you bought any long-term assets for your business, such as furniture, computers, vehicles, equipment, or real estate, your tax preparer needs a description of the item, the purchase price, and the date you placed the item in service.
Payroll records. Bring copies of your year-end payroll records or payroll tax returns, as well as W-2s issued to employees and 1099-NECs issued to independent contractors. Our office is able to assist in issuing W-2s and 1099-NECs.
Home office. If you have a home office, your tax preparer needs the square footage of the office vs. the square footage of your entire home. They also need deductible home office expenses, such as mortgage interest or rent payments, utilities, repairs, cleaning, property taxes, and homeowners’ insurance.
Itemized deductions. Bring a copy of your Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement and other information supporting itemized deductions, such as out-of-pocket medical expenses, receipts for charitable donations, and state and local taxes.
Self-employed health insurance premiums. Gather the premiums paid for medical, dental, and vision insurance for you, your spouse, and your dependents.
Dependent care expenses. If you paid for childcare, your tax preparer needs your daycare provider’s name, address, EIN, and the amount paid during the tax year.
Retirement plan contributions. Document your donations if you contributed to an IRA, SEP-IRA, or another retirement plan.
Education expenses. Your tax preparer needs copies of Form 1098-E, Student Loan Interest Statement for any student loan interest paid, Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement for college tuition, and fees paid for you or your immediate family members. If you contributed to a 529 plan for your dependents, bring your total contributions for the tax year as well.
Prior year overpayments. If you overpaid your taxes in the prior tax year and had your overpayment applied to this year’s estimates, that figure should be on your prior-year return. Be sure to let your tax preparer know if you received a notice from the IRS that they changed your return.
Estimated payments. Most small business owners must make estimated tax payments throughout the year. Let your tax pro know how much you paid toward your federal and state taxes and when you made the payments.
Extension payments. If you requested an extension of time to file your return, you might have made an estimated payment with your extension.
If your move is employment related, please summarize your moving expenses. You can only deduct the cost to move your household goods, storage and the one time trip to make the final move to your new location.
Finally, please bring any other official tax documents you received not mentioned above. When in doubt, bring it!
If you have any other questions with respect to what to bring to your appointment, please CONTACT US!
WHERE’S MY REFUND?
Federal Refund Status
Check your federal refund status
Federal Amended Refund Status
Check your federal amended refund status*
*Note: Allow at least 3 weeks before checking the status of your amended return.