By Adedayo Busari Vanduren · Aaiss Tax & Bookkeeping Services
Published September 24, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026
Organizing your records before tax preparation can reduce delays and make it easier to identify missing information. The exact documents you need depend on your tax situation, but most taxpayers should begin with identification, income records, deduction and credit documentation, and prior-year information.
Have the legal names, dates of birth and taxpayer identification information needed for everyone included on the return. If the IRS has issued an Identity Protection PIN to you, your spouse or a dependent, have the current-year IP PIN available.
Gather all Forms W-2 and applicable Forms 1099, including forms reporting independent-contractor income, interest, dividends, retirement distributions and other reportable payments. Do not begin with only the first form you receive if you expect additional tax documents.
Self-employed taxpayers should organize gross receipts and business expenses such as advertising, supplies, software, insurance, professional fees, vehicle records and other ordinary business costs. Keep business and personal transactions separated where possible and reconcile records before preparation.
Depending on your situation, relevant records can include mortgage-interest statements, property-tax records, charitable contributions, education forms, childcare information, health-insurance forms and other documents that support a deduction or credit.
Keep a copy of your prior-year return available. It can help identify carryovers, prior elections, estimated payments and information that may need continuity from one year to the next.
Aaiss Tax & Bookkeeping Services works with individuals, independent contractors and small-business owners. Start with our online intake, then use TaxesToGo for secure document delivery.
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This article provides general educational information and is not individualized tax advice.