Get organized before tax preparation begins.
The right documents can make tax preparation smoother, reduce unnecessary back-and-forth, and help your tax professional understand your financial situation more completely.
Use this checklist to gather common tax documents that may apply to you, your household, your investments, your property, or your business activity.
You may not need everything on this list. Start with the sections that match your situation.
Documents to Gather
Only see the document categories that may apply to you.
Tell us what happened during your tax year. We will highlight the checklist sections that may be most relevant to your situation.
This tool is for document organization only. It does not determine filing requirements, status, liability, deductions, or credits.
This is a preparation guide, not a complete tax intake.
Every tax situation is different. The documents you need may depend on income, filing status, dependents, employment, self-employment, investments, property, life changes, and other circumstances.
APK may request additional information after reviewing your situation.
Do not delay getting started because you are missing one document.
Begin with what you have and APK can help identify what may still be needed.
The documents most taxpayers should think about first.
Start with the people included in the return.
Gather documents from every employer.
If you worked for yourself, income may come from several places.
Income Records
Business Records
Potential Expense Support
A tax form is not always a complete record of self-employed income. Tell APK about applicable business income even if you did not receive a 1099.
Explore Self-Employed & 1099 Tax Services →Do not forget income earned from financial accounts.
Investment activity can create additional reporting requirements.
If you sold investments, APK may need both sale information and purchase or cost-basis information.
Gather records related to retirement distributions and income.
Tell APK about unusual retirement activity such as early distributions, rollovers or account conversions.
Some government payments may affect your return.
Property income requires more than the rent collected.
Income
Operating Records
Property Activity
Buying, owning or selling a home can affect your tax documents.
If you bought or sold a home during the year, make sure APK knows.
Keep records related to tuition and education expenses.
Tax treatment depends on circumstances. Provide relevant records even if you are unsure whether they apply.
Dependent-related information may affect your return.
Tell APK about changes involving custody, residency, support or dependent status.
Some health-related records may be relevant to your return.
If you purchased coverage through a marketplace, provide the applicable tax form.
Keep records that support contributions you want reviewed.
APK can review whether and how those contributions apply to your circumstances.
Tell APK what you already paid.
Do not assume APK can see every payment automatically. Providing your records can help with reconciliation.
Last year's return can provide important context.
This may be especially important for new APK clients.
Some situations require a different starting point.
Unfiled Tax Years
Gather what you can, year by year.
Do not wait until everything is perfect. APK can help identify missing information and determine what may be needed for each year.
Explore Prior-Year Return Services →Amending a Return
Bring the original return and the new information.
APK should review the situation before determining whether an amended return is appropriate.
Explore Amended Return Services →IRS & State Notices
Bring the entire notice.
Do not send only a photo of the first page if the notice contains multiple pages. APK may need the complete document to understand what is being requested.
Get Help With a Tax Notice →Documents are important. Context matters too.
Family
- Marriage
- Divorce / separation
- Birth / adoption
- Death in family
- New dependent
- Custody change
Work & Business
- New job
- Job loss
- Started self-employment
- Started business
- Closed business
Property & Financial
- Bought home
- Sold home
- Purchased rental property
- Sold investments
- Retired
- Started Social Security
Location & Tax
- Moved to another state
- Received significant tax notice
Not every event changes your tax return, but APK should know about major changes before preparation is completed.
Your business return starts with the financial records.
Before sharing financial documents or account access, confirm with APK which delivery method is approved for your engagement. Never send passwords or banking credentials through public forms.
View Business Tax Preparation →If the business is new, bring the setup information too.
More files do not always mean better preparation.
Duplicates
One clear copy.
Sending the same document repeatedly.
File Names
W2_EmployerName_2026.pdf
scan0037.pdf
Multi-Page Documents
All pages.
Page 1 only.
Tax Years
Keep 2025 and 2026 separate.
Mixing years together.
A little organization can reduce back-and-forth.
You do not need to create a perfect filing system.
The goal is simply to make documents easier to identify when you are ready to share them using a method APK has confirmed for your engagement.
Start with what you have.
You do not need to delay contacting APK because every document is not already organized.
Begin with the records available to you and let APK know what may still be missing. Depending on your situation, APK can help clarify what additional information may be needed next.
Tax documents contain private information.
Tax documents may contain Social Security numbers, bank information, payroll data and other sensitive personal or financial information.
Do not send sensitive tax documents through ordinary public website forms or other unapproved channels.
Before sending sensitive information, ask APK which delivery method is approved for your engagement. Do not assume that ordinary email or any public website form is appropriate.
Start Tax PreparationConfirm the approved delivery method directly with APK.
Still not sure what to bring?
Do I need every document on this page?
No. This checklist covers many different situations. You only need the documents that apply to your circumstances along with any additional information APK requests.
What if I am missing a tax document?
Start with what you have. APK can help identify missing information and discuss possible next steps.
Do I need my prior-year return?
It can be especially useful if you are a new APK client or if prior-year information may affect the current return.
Should I bring original documents?
In many cases, clear digital copies may be sufficient for review. APK can let you know if an original or additional documentation is needed.
Can I email my Social Security number or tax documents?
Do not send sensitive tax information through ordinary public website forms. Confirm with APK which delivery method is approved for your engagement before sending it.
What if I receive another document after giving APK my information?
Let APK know that additional information was received and confirm the approved delivery method before sending the document.
What if I have self-employed income but did not receive a 1099?
Tell APK about the income and provide your available business records. A tax form is not necessarily the only record of income that may need review.
What if I cannot find my prior-year documents?
Contact APK. Depending on the circumstances, there may be other ways to identify information that is needed.
Should business owners use this checklist?
Yes, but business owners should also review APK's business-specific preparation requirements because additional financial records are commonly needed.
Is this checklist personalized tax advice?
No. The checklist provides general educational guidance. Individual circumstances may require different or additional documentation.
Your tax situation may require additional documentation. This checklist is intended as a general preparation resource and does not include every document that may be relevant to every taxpayer. Tax requirements vary based on individual circumstances, business activity, applicable law and the tax year involved. APK may request additional documentation after reviewing your information.
Bring the documents.
APK will help with the next step.
You do not have to know every form or answer every tax question before beginning. Gather the records that apply to your situation and let APK help you move forward from there.
A clearer tax preparation process starts with organized information.