More than half of the United States population goes to a tax preparer to submit their tax returns. It’s quick, easy, and convenient. If you want the most out of your tax return experience, it’s important that you gather and organize all the necessary documents prior to visiting your paid preparer.
Common Forms
After the month of January, you should have received numerous information return documents in the mail. Verify them to ensure that they match your records. Some of these forms include, but are not limited to: W-2, 1099, W-2G, SSA-1099, and others.
Various Receipts
The ones that you need depend on what you’re choosing to itemize instead of claiming a standard deduction. Look to see which one would produce the greater write-off. How you can achieve this is through comparing your itemized deductions to your standardized deductions. This does however, require more work on your end.
Charitable Contributions
If you’ve made any charitable contributions throughout the year that are equal to, or greater than, $250 or more, you can request acknowledgement from the charity stating the amount of your total gift. Be sure that you request all of these statements as you’ll need to bring them to your tax preparer.
Other Information
Go through your records and write down specific notes that you need to complete your return like the phone number of the dependent that you claim or information about the property that you bought. These little, but important, details can be easily gathered from your records.
Bio: Kuba Jewgieniew heads Realty ONE Group, a real-estate brokerage that builds their business around their agents, empowering them to succeed with all of the necessary tools.