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Free tool · Tax document checklistWhat to gather for your 2026 tax return.
Pick individual or business, tick what happened this year, and print the list of documents to bring your preparer. A general checklist, not tax advice: your preparer has the final word.
A general checklist, not tax advice. Every return is different. Confirm what you need with your tax preparer, and send documents through your preparer's secure portal, never by regular email.
Everyone filing a personal return (Form 1040)
- Photo ID for you, and your spouse if filing jointly
- Last year's federal and state returns, if your preparer doesn't already have them
- Social Security numbers and dates of birth for everyone on the return (give them through your preparer's secure portal, never by regular email)
- Your Identity Protection PIN, if the IRS sent you one (CP01A notice or your IRS online account)
- Bank routing and account number for a direct-deposit refund or a payment
- Any letters or notices from the IRS or a state tax agency
Every business return
- Last year's business return and depreciation schedule
- Year-end profit and loss statement and balance sheet, or access to your bookkeeping file
- December bank, credit card and loan statements for every business account
- The business's EIN, and its formation date if this is the first return
- Any letters or notices from the IRS or a state tax agency
Sole proprietor or single-member LLC (Schedule C, filed with your 1040)
- Income records: invoices, deposits, and any Form 1099-NEC or 1099-K you received
- Expenses by category: supplies, software, advertising, insurance, rent, phone, professional fees
- Vehicle mileage log, if you drove for the business
- Home office: square footage of the office and of the home, plus rent or mortgage interest, utilities and insurance
- Dates and amounts of estimated tax payments you made
- Your Schedule C is part of your personal return, so also use the individual checklist
Partnership or multi-member LLC (Form 1065)
- Each partner's name, address, taxpayer ID and ownership percentage, and any change during the year
- Capital contributions and distributions for each partner
- Guaranteed payments to partners
- The partnership agreement, if it changed this year
- Each partner will receive a Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) for their own return
S corporation (Form 1120-S)
- Each shareholder's name, address, taxpayer ID and ownership percentage, and any change during the year
- Owner wages: the W-2 for each shareholder who works in the business
- Distributions paid to each shareholder
- Loans between the company and its shareholders, with balances
- Health insurance the company paid for shareholders owning more than 2%
- Each shareholder will receive a Schedule K-1 (Form 1120-S) for their own return
C corporation (Form 1120)
- Dates and amounts of corporate estimated tax payments
- Dividends paid to shareholders, and the Forms 1099-DIV you issued
- Officer compensation
- Last year's Florida corporate income tax return (Form F-1120), if the company files one
Worked as an employee
- Form W-2 from every employer you worked for during the year
Freelance, gig or side work
- Forms 1099-NEC from clients, and Form 1099-K from payment apps or card processors if you got one
- Your own income records for work no form covers
- Expense receipts and a mileage log
- Dates and amounts of estimated tax payments
Tips or overtime pay
- Your W-2, plus pay stubs or employer statements showing tips and overtime
- Ask your preparer about the federal deductions for qualified tips and overtime (tax years 2025 to 2028)
Bank interest, dividends or investment sales
- Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV, or the consolidated 1099 from your brokerage
- Form 1099-B for sales of stocks, bonds or funds
- Schedule K-1s from partnerships, S corporations, trusts or estates you own a share of
Sold, traded or earned crypto
- Form 1099-DA from each crypto broker or exchange
- Your own records of what you paid and when, for every sale or trade
- Records of crypto received as pay, rewards or staking income
Rental property
- Rent received, by property
- Expenses: repairs, insurance, property tax, HOA, management fees, utilities you paid
- Form 1098 for mortgage interest on the rental
- Purchase records and last year's depreciation schedule
- Days rented and days of personal use
- Form 1099-MISC, if a property manager sent one
Bought a home
- Closing Disclosure or settlement statement
- Form 1098 mortgage interest statement
- Property tax bills you paid
Sold a home
- Closing statement from the sale, and Form 1099-S if you received one
- What you paid for the home, and records of improvements
Children or other dependents
- Each dependent's Social Security number and date of birth (through the secure portal)
- Childcare costs, with the provider's name, address and taxpayer ID
- Form 1098-T for college tuition, and Form 1099-Q for 529 plan withdrawals
Paid student loan interest
- Form 1098-E from your loan servicer
Retirement income or Social Security
- Form SSA-1099 for Social Security benefits
- Form 1099-R for pension, annuity or IRA distributions
- Records of IRA contributions (Form 5498 often arrives in May)
Marketplace insurance or an HSA
- Form 1095-A if you bought insurance through HealthCare.gov
- Forms 1099-SA and 5498-SA for a health savings account
Unemployment or a state tax refund
- Form 1099-G
Bought a new car with a loan
- The purchase contract showing the vehicle's VIN, and the lender's year-end interest statement
- Ask your preparer whether the federal deduction for car loan interest applies to you
Gave to charity
- Receipts or acknowledgment letters for cash gifts, and a list of non-cash donations with values
Lived or worked in another state
- Dates you lived in each state
- Last year's return for any state that taxes income (Florida has no personal income tax, but other states do)
New to your preparer
- The last two years of returns, and any open IRS or state notices
Has employees (payroll)
- Forms 941 for all four quarters and Form 940
- Forms W-2 and W-3, or your payroll provider's year-end reports
- Florida reemployment tax reports (Form RT-6), or the reports from other states you pay in
- Retirement plan contributions made for employees
Paid contractors
- A list of contractors with the total paid to each, and their Forms W-9
- Copies of the Forms 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC you filed, or ask your preparer which ones are needed (due February 1, 2027)
Bought or sold equipment, vehicles or property
- Purchase and sale invoices with dates and prices
- Business-use percentage and mileage for vehicles
- Loan documents for anything financed
New loans or lines of credit
- Statements showing the year-end balance and interest paid
Carries inventory
- Year-end inventory count and how it was valued
Collects Florida sales tax
- Copies of the Florida sales and use tax returns (Form DR-15) filed for the year
Ownership changed during the year
- Documents showing who bought or sold a share, the percentage and the date
Does business in other states
- Sales, payroll and property by state, and any notices from other states
Federal deadlines for the 2026 tax year
| Date | What is due |
|---|---|
| Jan 15, 2027 · Fri | Fourth-quarter 2026 estimated tax payment (Form 1040-ES) |
| Feb 1, 2027 · Mon | W-2s to employees and the SSA; 1099-NEC to contractors and the IRS; Forms 941 (Q4) and 940. January 31 is a Sunday, so the deadline moves to Monday |
| Mar 15, 2027 · Mon | Partnership (Form 1065) and S corporation (Form 1120-S) returns, or a Form 7004 extension |
| Apr 15, 2027 · Thu | Individual returns (Form 1040) and calendar-year C corporations (Form 1120), or an extension (Form 4868 for individuals, Form 7004 for corporations). An extension gives more time to file, not to pay |
| Sep 15, 2027 · Wed | Extended partnership and S corporation returns |
| Oct 15, 2027 · Fri | Extended individual and C corporation returns |
Calendar-year filers. Computed from the IRS due-date rules (Publication 509, When to file): a deadline on a weekend or legal holiday moves to the next business day. The IRS often postpones deadlines for Florida counties after a hurricane; check IRS disaster relief.
From advanceai.ai/tax-document-checklist · Form names as published on IRS.gov, November 2026.
This is the email a firm's clients could get.
Tax Season Front Office sends each client a checklist like this, built from your own list and return types, with your portal link, then reminds them about what is still missing. It answers calls and website chat 24/7 and never gives tax advice.
Questions
What documents do I need to file my taxes?
Everyone needs ID, last year's return, Social Security numbers for everyone on the return, bank details for a refund, and any IRS notices. Then it depends on your year: W-2s from employers, 1099s for freelance work, interest, dividends, investment sales and crypto (Form 1099-DA), Form 1098 if you have a mortgage, Form 1095-A for marketplace insurance, and records for rentals, dependents and a home purchase or sale. Tick what applies above for your own list.
What does a business need to give its accountant?
Last year's return and depreciation schedule, a year-end profit and loss statement and balance sheet (or access to the books), December bank, credit card and loan statements, and payroll and contractor records. Partnerships and S corporations add each owner's percentage, contributions and distributions; S corporations add owner wages.
When are 2026 tax returns due?
For calendar-year filers: partnership and S corporation returns on Monday, March 15, 2027; individual and C corporation returns on Thursday, April 15, 2027. Extended returns are due September 15 (partnerships, S corporations) and October 15, 2027 (individuals, C corporations). W-2s and 1099-NECs are due February 1, 2027, because January 31 is a Sunday.
Is this tax advice?
No. It's a general list of documents people commonly gather. Your preparer tells you what your return actually needs, and whether any deduction or credit applies to you.
Do you store what I tick?
No. The checklist is built in your browser. Nothing you choose is saved, and nothing is sent to us or anyone else.
Should I email my documents to my preparer?
Use your preparer's secure client portal if they have one. Regular email isn't a safe way to send Social Security numbers or tax forms.
I run a tax firm. Can my clients get a checklist like this from us?
Yes. Our Tax Season Front Office emails each client a checklist like this, built from your firm's own list, with your portal link, then sends timed reminders for what is still missing.