The tax document checklist to send every client before tax season
A tax document checklist is only useful if it names the forms. "Send your tax documents" gets you a W-2. A list with the 1099-B, the 1095-A and the K-1 on it gets you a return you can finish.
This is the list a firm sends its individual clients before tax season, and the one a client can work through on their own. Every line is a form, a statement or a figure the return needs, grouped the way the paperwork actually arrives: from employers, from banks and brokers, from the government, and from the client's own records.
Last reviewed against 31 primary sources.
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Tax document checklist
The full list as a printable PDF for clients, as an Excel workbook, and as a CSV you can load into your own tools. Written for 2026 returns filed in 2027.
Download the PDF Download for Excel Download the CSVNo email required.
Next step: send this list to the client as a request list in FirmHello. They upload against each line, and reminders chase whatever is still open.
Get startedIt is a tax preparation checklist of documents, not questions. The questions about the client's year, such as whether they married, sold a home or opened a foreign account, belong in a tax organizer, and each yes there adds lines here. Most firms send both together.
The list is written for returns filed in 2027, covering the 2026 tax year, and several lines reflect changes that took effect for it. It is not tax advice for any one client. Cut the groups that do not apply before you send it, and use the tax preparation engagement letter to set the date you need everything by.
The list
Send the groups that fit the client. Every line is one thing to upload; the note under it says why it matters, or where clients usually go wrong.
You and last year
- Last year's federal and state returns, if our firm did not prepare them Carryovers, such as a capital loss or unused credit, come from last year's return.
- Your Identity Protection PIN from the IRS, if you have one A new IP PIN is issued every year, and a return filed without the current one is rejected or delayed.
- Date of birth and Social Security number or ITIN for everyone on the return
- Any letter from the IRS or your state received during the year
- Bank account and routing number for a refund or payment
Wages and income statements
- A W-2 from every employer you worked for during the year Employers must send them by February 1, 2027, because January 31 falls on a Sunday.
- 1099-NEC for any work you did as a contractor For payments made in 2026 a payer only has to send one at $2,000 or more. List smaller jobs even without a form.
- 1099-K from any payment app or online marketplace These are issued above $20,000 and 200 transactions, so most side income arrives without one.
- 1099-MISC for rents, royalties, prizes or other income
- 1099-G for unemployment compensation or a state or local tax refund
- SSA-1099 for Social Security benefits It should arrive by early February.
- 1099-R for any pension, annuity, IRA or 401(k) distribution
- Pay records showing tips and overtime, if you received either Qualified tips and overtime can be deducted, within limits, for 2025 through 2028.
Investments, K-1s and digital assets
- 1099-INT for interest from each bank
- 1099-DIV for dividends from each fund or broker
- 1099-B, or the consolidated 1099, from each brokerage account Brokers have until mid-February, and corrected forms often follow. Wait for the final version before we file.
- 1099-DA for digital assets sold through a broker Brokers report gross proceeds from 2025, and basis for certain transactions from 2026.
- Records of any digital asset you received, sold or exchanged without a 1099-DA Form 1040 asks every filer a yes-or-no question about digital assets, whether or not a form was issued.
- Purchase cost for anything sold where the 1099-B shows no basis
- Schedule K-1 from each partnership, S corporation, estate or trust Partnerships and S corporations are due March 15 but can extend six months, so a late K-1 can hold up the whole return.
- Schedule K-3, if one came with a K-1
Self-employment
- Income for the year by source, including payments with no 1099
- Business expenses by category, with receipts for large purchases
- Equipment or vehicles bought for the business, with invoices
- Business mileage log, if you claim vehicle costs
- Size of your home office and of the whole home, if you claim one
- Health insurance premiums you paid as a self-employed person
- Copies of any 1099-NEC you issued to contractors
Rental property (one set per property)
- Rent received, and any 1099-MISC or 1099-K for it
- Form 1098 mortgage interest and the property tax bill
- Repairs, insurance, utilities, HOA and management fees
- Improvements made during the year, with invoices and dates
- The closing statement, if you bought or sold the property during the year
- Days rented and days used personally, if you also used it yourself
Home, health and education
- Form 1098 for mortgage interest on your home
- Property tax bills you paid during the year
- The closing statement and Form 1099-S for any home you sold A sale must be reported if you received a 1099-S or cannot exclude the whole gain.
- Form 1095-A, if anyone had coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace It is needed to work out the premium tax credit on Form 8962, and to reconcile any advance payments made during the year.
- Form 1099-SA and Form 5498-SA for any health savings account Form 8889 is required if there was any HSA activity, even if only an employer contributed.
- Form 1098-T for each student in the family
- Form 1098-E for student loan interest
- Child care provider's name, address, taxpayer ID and the amount paid Form W-10 is the IRS form for asking a provider for these details.
Deductions and credits
- Written acknowledgment from the charity for any single gift of $250 or more You need it in hand by the date you file. A bank statement alone does not support a gift of that size.
- Receipts for other cash gifts to charity From 2026, a filer who does not itemize can deduct up to $1,000 of cash gifts, or $2,000 on a joint return.
- A list of donated goods, with dates and descriptions Larger noncash gifts need Form 8283, and some need an appraisal.
- Medical and dental expenses, if they were large
- State and local taxes you paid outside your paycheck
- Loan statement and VIN for a new US-assembled vehicle bought for personal use Interest on these loans can be deducted, within limits, for 2025 through 2028. The VIN goes on the return.
- Your last Form 5695, if a clean energy credit carried forward The credit ended for property placed in service after 2025, but an unused amount still carries forward.
- IRA contributions made outside payroll
Tax already paid
- Federal estimated payments, with the date and amount of each They are due April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15. Your IRS online account shows five years of payments.
- State estimated payments, with dates
- Any amount paid with an extension request
- Last year's refund, if you applied it to this year
Changes during the year
- Date of marriage, divorce or separation
- Name and Social Security number of a child born or adopted A child born from 2025 to 2028 may qualify for the $1,000 Trump account pilot contribution, elected on Form 4547.
- Dates you moved, if you moved to another state
- Statements for any foreign account, if the total was over $10,000 at any time That triggers an FBAR, FinCEN Form 114, which is filed separately from the return.
- Documents for a business you started or closed
Before you use this
Supplied as-is, with no guarantee. These templates are general information, not legal advice, and not a substitute for it. Have your own legal adviser review and adapt one to your practice and your jurisdiction before you put it in front of a client. FirmHello accepts no responsibility or liability for any use made of them.
This season's thresholds
The dollar figures that decide which forms a client receives, and which deductions need paperwork behind them, for the 2026 tax year. The three deductions also phase out above income limits.
| Figure | Amount | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form 1099-NEC | $2,000 or more paid to one contractor | Payments made in 2026 | IRS, Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC (12/2026) |
| Form 1099-K | More than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions | 2026 tax year | IRS, Form 1099-K threshold FAQs |
| Deduction for qualified tips | Up to $25,000 | 2025 through 2028 | IRS, One Big Beautiful Bill deductions |
| Deduction for qualified overtime | Up to $12,500, or $25,000 on a joint return | 2025 through 2028 | IRS, One Big Beautiful Bill deductions |
| Deduction for car loan interest | Up to $10,000, new vehicles assembled in the US | 2025 through 2028 | IRS, One Big Beautiful Bill deductions |
Checked against the IRS pages on October 17, 2026. These change; check them again before the season starts.
How do you get tax documents from clients?
Send one named list, cut to the client, in January, and track each line until it arrives. "Send your tax documents" gets whatever the client remembers; a list of forms gets a return you can finish. Firms with hundreds of returns run it the same way for every preparer, which is what a tax client portal for large accounting firms is for.
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1
Cut it to the client
Delete the groups that do not apply. A retired couple with an IRA and a brokerage account should not scroll past rental and self-employment lines.
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2
Send it with the organizer, in January
The tax organizer asks what changed; the checklist collects the paper. Sent together, a yes to "did you sell a home" and the line for the 1099-S arrive in the same place.
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3
Mark what arrives late
K-1s, corrected brokerage 1099s and the 1095-A are the usual stragglers. Mark them expected, and chase them by date rather than by feel.
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4
Review before you prepare
Compare the list against last year's return before you start. An account that paid interest last year and sent nothing this year is a question for the client, not a zero.
Where tax document checklists go wrong
Filed before the corrected 1099
The consolidated 1099 arrives in February, the return goes in, and a corrected one follows in March. Wait for the final version, and say so on the list.
The K-1 that holds the return
A partnership can file as late as September on an extension. A client with a K-1 needs to hear in January that their return may need an extension too, and that an extension does not delay payment.
The acknowledgment that came too late
A gift of $250 or more needs the charity's written acknowledgment by the time the return is filed. Asking for it in April, after the return is in, is too late.
Send this as a request list in FirmHello
Save the list once as a template, trim it for each client, and send one link. Each line becomes an item the client uploads against, so a missing brokerage form shows as an open line rather than a gap you notice in April. Reminders go out on the schedule you set until every line is in or you close it, and what arrives stays in the client's vault. FirmHello does not read the forms or pass them to your tax software; your team still reviews what comes in. See the client portal for accountants.
Questions about tax document checklists
What documents do I need for a tax return?
A W-2 from every employer, every 1099 you received, Form 1098 if you pay mortgage interest, Form 1095-A if you had Marketplace coverage, any K-1, records of estimated payments, and last year's return if your preparer is new. The list above names the rest, group by group.
When should clients expect their forms?
W-2s by February 1, 2027 this season, and most 1099s around the end of January. Brokerage forms can take until mid-February, SSA-1099s arrive by early February, and a partnership that extends its return by six months may send its K-1 long after that.
What is the difference between a tax document checklist and a tax organizer?
The checklist lists documents; the tax organizer asks questions about the client's year. A yes in the organizer, such as a home sale, adds lines to the checklist, such as the 1099-S and the closing statement.
Should the list go to clients as a PDF?
A printed list works for clients who gather paper. The trouble comes at the other end: a PDF cannot tell you which lines are done. That is the case for sending it as a request list that tracks each line.
Is this list complete for every client?
No list is. It covers the documents most individual returns draw on. Cut what does not apply, add your state's forms and what your practice needs, and have it reviewed against your own procedures before you send it.
Sources
The primary sources this page is written against, last read against it on . Check them before relying on a detail; rules and thresholds change.
- IRS IP PIN is six digits, a new one is generated each year, valid one calendar year
- IRS Employers must furnish Copies B, C and 2 of Form W-2 to employees by February 1, 2027…
- IRS Form 1099-NEC reports nonemployee compensation
- IRS Form 1099-K threshold reverted to more than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions
- IRS Form 1099-MISC reports rents, royalties, prizes and awards, and other miscellaneous income
- IRS Form 1099-G reports unemployment compensation and state or local income tax refunds,…
- IRS Form SSA-1099 is the Social Security Benefit Statement
- IRS Form 1099-R reports distributions from pensions, annuities, IRAs, retirement and…
- IRS Deductions for qualified tips (up to $25,000) and qualified overtime
- IRS Form 1099-INT reports interest income
- IRS Form 1099-DIV reports dividends and other distributions
- IRS Form 1099-B reports broker sales of stocks, commodities, securities and barter exchange…
- IRS Recipient statements for Forms 1099-B, 1099-DA, 1099-S and 1099-MISC (boxes 8 or 10) are…
- IRS Form 1040 digital asset yes/no question
- IRS Form 1065 and Form 1120-S due on the 15th day of the 3rd month after year end
- IRS Form 1098 reports mortgage interest of $600 or more received from an individual
- IRS Home sale must be reported if a Form 1099-S was received or the whole gain cannot be…
- IRS Form 1095-A is needed to figure the premium tax credit and reconcile advance payments on…
- IRS Form 1099-SA reports HSA distributions, Form 5498-SA contributions
- IRS Form 1098-T is filed by eligible educational institutions for each enrolled student with…
- IRS Form 1098-E reports student loan interest
- IRS Child and dependent care credit requires the provider's name, address and TIN on Form 2441
- IRS Cash gifts of $250 or more need a contemporaneous written acknowledgment, obtained by the…
- IRS Contents of a written acknowledgment for gifts of $250 or more
- IRS From tax year 2026, non-itemizers may deduct up to $1,000 of cash contributions
- IRS Residential clean energy credit not available for property placed in service after Dec.…
- IRS Individual estimated tax due dates April 15, June 15, September 15, January 15
- IRS IRS online account shows up to 5 years of payment history including estimated payments
- IRS Extension (Form 4868) gives until October 15 to file
- IRS Trump account pilot contribution
- IRS FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) required when foreign accounts exceed $10,000 in aggregate at any…
What changed
- Added an Excel (.xlsx) copy of the checklist beside the PDF and CSV.
Send the list once, and let it chase
Each line becomes something the client uploads against. Reminders go out on your schedule until the list is complete, and every file lands in the client's vault.
No card and no sales call. If you would rather tell us about your firm first, use the longer form.