Free tax document checklist: Documents needed to file taxes

Income sources 

• Savings & investments or dividends
  • Interest and dividend income (Forms 1099-INT, 1099-OID, 1099-DIV)
  • Income from sales of stock or other property (Forms 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 Form 1099-B)
  • Expenses related to your investments
  • Record of estimated tax payments made (Form 1040-ES)
  • Forms 1099-B, 1099-K, or 1099-MISC from crypto/digital/virtual currency, NFTs and all other similar types of income or loss
• Childcare expenses
  • Daycare paid for a child under age 13 so the taxpayer (and spouse) can work
  • Wages/amounts paid to caregivers
• Employed
  • Forms W-2
• Unemployed
  • Unemployment (Form 1099-G)
• Self-employed
  • Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-K
  • Income records to verify amounts not reported on 1099 forms
  • 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 1040-ES)
• 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 1040-ES)
• Retirement income
  • Pension/IRA/annuity income (Forms 1099-R, CSA1099-R, CSF1099-R)
  • Traditional IRA basis (prior-year Forms 8606 showing amounts already taxed)
  • Social Security/RRB income (Forms SSA-1099, RRB-1099)
• Savings & investments or dividends
  • Interest, dividend income (Forms 1099-INT, 1099-OID, 1099-DIV)
  • Income from sales of stock or other property (Forms 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 Form 1099-B)
  • Expenses related to your investments
  • Record of estimated tax payments made (Form 1040-ES)
  • Forms 1099-B and/or 1099-DIV from crypto/digital/virtual currency, NFTs and all other similar types of income or loss
  • Cost of all crypto/digital/virtual currency, NFTs and other similar types of income sales
• Other income & losses
  • State refunds (Form 1099-G)
  • Partnership, S-corporation, or trust Schedule K-1s as investor, active owner, or beneficiary
  • Gambling income (Form W-2G or records showing income or expense)
  • Jury duty compensation records
  • Alimony received
  • Hobby income and expenses
  • Prizes and awards
  • Royalties (Form 1099-MISC)
  • Any other 1099 forms received
  • Health Savings Account and long-term care reimbursements (Form 1099-SA or 1099-LTC) deductions
  • Records of property sales (Form 1099-S)
  • Cancellation of debt (Forms 1099-C, 1099-A)

Deduction sources

• Home ownership
  • Form 1098 or other mortgage interest statements
  • Real estate and personal property tax records
• Charitable donations
  • Cash amounts donated to religious organizations, schools, and other charitable organizations
  • Records of non-cash charitable donations
  • Miles driven for charitable purposes
• Medical expenses
  • Amounts paid for healthcare insurance and payments to doctors, dentists, and hospitals
  • Miles driven for medical purposes
  • Travel expenses for medical treatment, including hotels, planes, tolls, parking, etc.
• Health insurance
  • Form 1095-A if you have health insurance through a state Health Insurance Marketplace (Exchange)
• Alimony paid
• Household employee expenses
• 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 and sales tax
  • Amount of state/local income tax paid (other than wage withholding), or amount of state and local sales tax paid
  • Invoice for large-item purchases such as cars, boats, motorcycles, etc.
  • 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 (e.g., 5498-QA, 5498-ESA)
• Federally declared disasters
  • 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