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Tax Documents Needed for 2025

 PERSONAL AND SMALL-BUSINESS RECORDS:

Personal Records

  • You’ll need the full legal names, SSNs, addresses, percent ownership, ownership acquisition date and distribution details for you, your spouse, any dependents and any other business owners.

Last Year’s Federal and State Tax Returns

  • Gather both personal and small-business returns.

Current Financial Statements and Bookkeeping Records

  • This includes journal entries, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, etc.

Income Records

  • You need all 1099 forms plus W-2s from your spouse (if applicable).

Estimated Tax Payments

  • Gather all paperwork related to tax payments made during year, including state, federal, property, etc.

General Ledger

  • Your ledger should list out contents of every expense category you plan to deduct from your small-business tax return.

ITEMIZED BUSINESS EXPENSE RECORDS:

General Business Expenses

Keep receipts for all business-related expenses you plan to deduct (itemize by category, vendor name, date, amount, etc.). Examples of common business-expense categories:

  • Meals and entertainment

  • Travel (hotel, airfare, transportation, etc.)

  • Advertising (business cards, website, ads, etc.)

  • Legal and accounting fees

  • Business insurance

  • Tax, business license, and permit fees

  • Office supplies

  • Internet and cell phone

  • Bank fees

  • Business loan interest

  • Equipment, storage, and office rent

  • Home Office Deduction

If you work out of your home, there are many tax deductions you can take advantage of. The following are examples of expenses you can report on Form 8829, which is attached to Schedule C of your 1040:

  • Square footage of the home

  • Square footage of the office space

  • Utilities plus repairs

  • Homeowner’s/renter’s insurance

  • Form 1098s for mortgage interest

  • Property taxes

Vehicle Deduction

If you use your car for business, keep a logbook of your mileage for business use. You cannot deduct the following business-related expenses without a logbook and itemized receipts:

  1. Fuel and oil costs

  2. Lease payments

  3. Insurance and tax payments

  4. Parking fees and toll charges

  5. Repair and maintenance fees

Sold or Purchased Assets

Keep proper documentation of all business-related assets you’ve bought or sold during the year (purchase orders, invoices, receipts or checks, etc.).

Asset Depreciation

Keep record of the cost and acquisition date of key business assets along with the sales price and disposition date of assets sold within the calendar year.

Salaries and Wages Paid to Employees

You’ll need copies of W-2 and W-3 forms along with federal and state payroll returns (Form 940).

Commissions to Subcontractors

You will have to issue a Form 1099-MISC to anyone you paid for services of $600 or more (installation, bookkeeping, etc.).

  • Fringe Benefits

Keep records of any benefits offered to employees. This could include:

  • Employer-based pension/profit sharing contributions

  • Employer-paid HSA contributions

  • Employer-paid health insurance premiums

Keep records of any additional self-employment-related expenses, including:

  • Pension plan contributions

  • IRA contributions (Form 5498)

  • Health insurance payments

  • Health Savings Account contributions (Form 5498-SA)

  • Job-hunting and job-related educational expenses

OTHER EXPENSE RECORDS:

Charitable Contributions

Keep a detailed list of donations. You must have receipts for contributions over $250 and a Form 1023 for vehicle donations.

Health Care Expenses

Keep records of medical and dental costs.

Alimony Expenses

Provide ex-spouse’s full name and SSN.

Education Expenses

These include Forms 1098-T (tuition statement and itemized receipts of educational expenses) and 1098-E (student loan interest statement).

Child and Dependent Care Expenses

Be sure to get the name, address and tax ID or SSN of the provider.


Personal

  •  Your Social Security number or tax ID number

  •  Your spouse's full name and Social Security number or tax ID number

Dependent(s)

  •  Dates of birth and Social Security numbers or tax ID numbers

  •  Childcare records (including the provider's tax ID number) if applicable

  •  Form 8332 when the child’s custodial parent is releasing their right to claim a child to the noncustodial parent (if applicable)

Income

  • Employed

    • Forms W-2

  • Unemployed

    • Unemployment (1099-G)

  • Self-Employed

    • Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-K

    • Income records to verify amounts not reported on 1099s

    • Records of all expenses – check registers or credit card statements, and receipts

    • Business-use asset information (cost, date placed in service, etc.) for depreciation

    • Home office information, if applicable

    • Record of estimated tax payments made (Form 1040ES)

  • Rental Income

    • Records of income and expenses

    • Rental asset information (cost, date placed in service, etc.) for depreciation

    • Record of estimated tax payments made (Form 1040ES)

  • Retirement Income

    • Pension/IRA/annuity income (1099-R)

    • Traditional IRA basis (prior-year Forms 8606 showing amounts already taxed)

    • Social Security/RRB income (SSA-1099, RRB-1099)

  • Savings & Investments or Dividends

    • Interest, dividend income (1099-INT, 1099-OID, 1099-DIV)

    • Income from sales of stock or other property (1099-B, 1099-S)

    • Dates of acquisition and records of your cost or other basis in property you sold (if basis is not reported on 1099-B)

    • Expenses related to your investments

    • Record of estimated tax payments made (Form 1040ES)

  • Other Income & Losses

    • State refunds (Form 1099-G)

    • Income from K-1s either as investment or as active owner

    • Gambling income (W-2G or records showing income, as well as expense records)

    • Jury duty records

    • Hobby income and expenses

    • Prizes and awards

    • Trusts

    • Royalties (1099 Misc.)

    • Any other 1099s received

    • Record of alimony paid/received with ex-spouse’s name and SSN

    • Health Savings Account and long-term care reimbursements (1099-SA or 1099-LTC)

Deductions

  • Home Ownership

    • Form 1098 or other mortgage interest statements

    • Real estate and personal property tax records

  • Charitable Donations

    • Cash amounts donated to houses of worship, schools, other charitable organizations

    • Records of non-cash charitable donations

    • Amounts of miles driven for charitable purposes

  • Medical Expenses

    • Amounts paid for healthcare insurance and to doctors, dentists, hospitals

    • Miles driven for medical purposes

    • Travel expenses for medical, including hotels, planes, tolls, parking, etc

  • Health Insurance

    • Form 1095-A if you have health insurance through a State Marketplace (Exchange)

  • Childcare Expenses

    • Daycare paid for a child under age 13 so the taxpayer (and spouse) can work

    • Wages paid to a babysitter

  • Educational Expenses

    • Forms 1098-T from educational institutions

    • Receipts for qualified educational expenses

    • Records of scholarships or fellowships

    • Form 1098-E for student loan interest

  • State & Local Taxes or Sales Tax

    • Amount of state/local income tax paid (other than wage withholding), or amount of state and local sales tax paid

    • Invoice showing amount of vehicle sales tax paid

    • Amount of real estate taxes paid

    • Amount of personal property taxes paid

  • Retirement & Other Savings

    • Form 5498-SA showing HSA contributions

    • Form 5498 showing IRA contributions

    • All other 5498 series forms (5498-QA, 5498-ESA)

  • Federally Declared Disaster

    • City/county you lived/worked/had property in

    • Records to support property losses (appraisal, clean-up costs, etc.)

    • Records of rebuilding/repair costs

    • Insurance reimbursements/claims to be paid

    • FEMA assistance information

Please upload all supporting documents into your client hub portal located at the top right of the web page.

YES! Our goal is to collect as much data as possible to get the information transferred to our tax software. You will get an email for interview questions to fill out to help guide us on the data information we need to file your tax return properly. The software is MyTaxPrepOffice which is where the email will come from to fill out to get things started.

Simple Returns: 2 days

Individual complex returns: 5-15 days (depends on the complexity)

Schedule C with a 1040: 7-10 Days (it is based on audit reviews and sign-offs)

S-Corp: 7-10 days (it is based on audit reviews and sign-offs)

C-Corp: up to 30 days (lots of audits and reviews plus constant changes from IRS and politicians)