Gathering tax documents before meeting with us to prepare your tax return makes filing go smoother

As you are getting ready to file your taxes, one of the first things we ask you to do is to gather your supporting documentation. This avoids delays with our filing your return and if you are due a refund, it helps us process your return so you can receive your refund faster.

It's important for you to have all the needed documents on hand before meeting with us. Doing so helps us file a complete and accurate tax return. Here are some things we ask you to provide before we begin doing your taxes:

• Social Security numbers of everyone listed on the tax return. Many times you may have these numbers memorized for yourselves but we SSN numbers for all members of the household, including young children. it's a good idea to have them on hand so we can double-check that the number on the tax return is correct. An SSN with one number wrong or two numbers switched will cause processing delays.
   
• Bank account and routing numbers. We will need these if you want us to have your refunds direct deposited. Direct Deposit is the fastest way for you to get your money and avoids a check getting lost, stolen or returned to IRS as undeliverable.
   
• Forms W-2 from employers.
   
• Forms 1099 from banks, mortgage companies, and other payers.
   
• Any documents that show income, including income from virtual currency transactions. Taxpayers should keep records showing receipts, sales, exchanges or deposits of virtual currency and the fair market value of the virtual currency.
   
• Forms 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement. You will need this form to reconcile advance payments or claim the premium tax credit.
   
• Your adjusted gross income from their last year's tax return. We typically just ask you to provide your previous year's tax return so we can obtain this number for you.

Forms usually start arriving by mail or are available online from employers and financial institutions in January. You should review them carefully for accuracy. If any information shown on the forms is inaccurate, You should contact the payer ASAP for a correction.

Should you find that you have not received a needed 1099 or W-2 and you've been unable to get one from the payor, we can file your return without one with a special form. Just let us know when you drop off your documents to us.

Would you like some visual guidance? Download our personal tax organizer here which you can download, complete and submit to us to help you know what documentation you need and what questions we may ask.