Documents to Bring to Your CPA
Nobody arrives with all of this, and you do not need to. The list exists so you can see what a complete picture looks like and gather what you have; the gaps are part of the conversation. Send documents through the client portal rather than by email — email is not a secure channel for a Social Security number.
Always useful
The last two or three filed tax returns
The single most useful thing you can send. Prior returns carry forward depreciation schedules, capital loss carryforwards, elections, basis and state history that have to continue correctly.
Any IRS or state notice you have received
Send the whole notice, both sides. The notice number in the corner determines what happens next and what the response deadline is.
Identification details for everyone on the return
Legal names, dates of birth and Social Security or ITIN numbers for you, your spouse and any dependents.
Bank details for a refund or a payment
Routing and account number, if you want a direct deposit or direct debit.
If you are an individual filer
Income documents
W-2s, 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, 1099-INT and 1099-DIV, 1099-B for investment sales, 1099-R for retirement distributions, SSA-1099 for Social Security, and K-1s from any partnership, S corporation, trust or estate.
Deduction and credit documents
Mortgage interest (1098), property tax paid, charitable contribution receipts, medical expenses if they are significant, student loan interest (1098-E), tuition (1098-T), and childcare provider details including their tax ID.
Anything that changed this year
Marriage, divorce, a birth, a death, a move between states, a home purchase or sale, a large inheritance or gift, exercising equity compensation, or a year you were out of work.
Foreign accounts and income
If you hold accounts outside the US, the maximum balance during the year for each. Reporting thresholds for FBAR and FATCA are separate from whether tax is owed.
If you own a business
Formation and entity documents
Articles of organization or incorporation, the operating or partnership agreement, the EIN letter, and any S corporation election on file.
Financial statements for the year
Profit and loss and balance sheet, ideally from a reconciled accounting file. If the books are behind or have never been reconciled, say so — that is a normal starting point, and it changes what the first piece of work is.
Bank and loan records
Year-end statements for every business account and credit card, plus loan statements showing principal and interest split.
Payroll and contractor records
Payroll summaries and quarterly returns, and 1099s issued to contractors.
Asset purchases
Invoices for equipment, vehicles or improvements bought during the year, with the date each was placed in service.
States you operated in
Where you have employees, property, inventory or significant sales — this determines where you have a filing obligation.
If you own rental property
The closing statement from purchase
For each property. This sets the basis that depreciation runs from for the next few decades, so it is worth finding.
Income and expenses by property
Rents received, management fees, repairs, insurance, utilities, HOA and property tax — kept per property rather than pooled.
The existing depreciation schedule
Usually attached to the prior year's return. Improvements made during the year should be listed separately from repairs.
For short-term rentals: your hours log
Contemporaneous records of hours you personally spent on the rental, and the average length of guest stay. If material participation is what makes a loss usable, this log is the evidence.
Exchange documents
If a property was sold in a 1031 exchange, the qualified intermediary's paperwork and the identification and closing dates.
The information on this site is general in nature and is not tax, legal, or accounting advice for your situation. Tax law changes and the right answer depends on facts we would need to review with you. Please speak with a qualified professional before acting on anything you read here.
Next steps
- Schedule a consultationWhat the first conversation covers, and what is worth having to hand.Go
- Personal tax1040 preparation, planning, and multi-state or expatriate filings.Go
- Business taxEntity returns, multi-state filings and corporate compliance.Go
- Rental real estateSchedule E, depreciation, 1031 exchanges and the STR rules.Go
Talk to a tax expert
Tell us what you are dealing with and we will tell you how we would handle it.