they don’t have to eat the rhino all in one bite.
by barry j. friedman, cpa
industrynewsletters
don’t let your clients find themselves frantically searching for information they need to file their tax returns at the last minute. help them reduce filing difficulties and possibly their tax bills by knowing what documents to have at your fingertips.
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most of the papers they need to document the income, interest and withheld taxes they report arrive in your mailbox in january, with investment-related 1099s often coming in february. they can get ready for that arrival by creating print and online folders. it’s a good idea to create a paper and an email tax folder for messages relating directly to tax information.
email announcements that documents are available online will land in their inbox. the postal service may deliver their w-2s in their physical mailbox – although some companies post them on a secure site for downloading. mortgage providers, banks and other financial institutions often post important 1099 forms on their online accounts.
paperless banking may have turned shoeboxes into receipt relics of the past, while these online statements often contain key backup records for such potential deductions as:
- charitable donations
- outlays for health care
- gambling winnings and losses
- property tax expenditures
many clients ignore the line items on these statements until they start their annual tax-filing ritual. however, they may save time by taking a few extra minutes each month to jot down tax-related information, like:
- expense title
- check numbers
- payee names
- dollar amounts
- dates
they can create a spreadsheet dedicated to tax records. throughout the year, they can consider downloading and printing online documents that will be available for only a limited time.
keeping track of everything
here are some of the documents they should have handy:
- documents related to life events – marriage, death of a spouse or divorce, deductible alimony payment records, adoption papers, and child custody agreements should all be saved.
- paperwork related to childbirth. they’ll want the newborn’s social security card, child care receipts and details on college savings plans.
- home ownership information. keep such paperwork as closing documents – it’s good to keep closing documents in case they paid real estate taxes or points when they closed that don’t appear on their year-end mortgage interest statement. save annual mortgage statements.
other documents to consider:
- last year’s taxes, both federal and state. these are handy as good refreshers of what they filed and documents they’ll need.
- retirement account contributions. keep track of their contributions to a traditional ira or a self-employed retirement account. keep this information handy for tax time.
- education expenses. documents help their deduction claim here.
- state and local taxes. save these documents so that they can be easily retrieved.
the value of a tax return doesn’t end on april 15. your clients will need to provide this document to get a mortgage, apply for student loans and check the status of their refund. generally, the irs can audit them for three years after a filing date, and in some cases, even longer.
tell them to hold on to their return copies and supporting documents just in case. the irs can audit them years after you file, so be prepared.