Preparing for Your 2026 Tax Filing
Your annual tax appointment is more productive when your documents tell the full story of the year. Organized records help your advisor prepare an accurate return, identify available deductions and discuss changes that may affect next year's taxes.
This checklist covers the 2026 tax year, generally filed in early 2027, for individuals filing Form 1040. Gather the items that apply to you, including records for your spouse and dependents when relevant. You do not need every form on the list.
Start with what changed during the year
Before your meeting, make a short list of major changes: a new job, marriage or divorce, a child, a move, a home purchase or sale, a new business, retirement, an inheritance or a significant gift. Tell your advisor if you lived or worked in more than one state, had foreign accounts or investments, or received an IRS or state tax notice.
Also bring your questions. A planned property purchase, stock sale or retirement withdrawal may deserve a separate planning conversation before the transaction takes place.
Your tax meeting checklist
Personal information and prior returns
☐ Photo identification and current contact information.
☐ Full legal names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers or ITINs for everyone included on the return.
☐ Current-year IRS Identity Protection PINs for anyone who received one.
☐ Your most recent federal and state returns, especially if this is your first appointment with NMA.
☐ Updated bank routing and account information for a refund or tax payment.
☐ Records explaining changes in dependents, custody or household support, if applicable. [1, 2]
Employment and other income
☐ Every Form W-2, including statements from employers you left during the year.
☐ Forms 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC and 1099-K, plus records of income not reported on a form.
☐ Forms 1099-G for unemployment benefits or relevant government payments.
☐ Forms 1099-R and SSA-1099 for retirement distributions, pensions and Social Security benefits.
☐ Forms W-2G and your gambling winnings and loss records.
☐ Schedules K-1 from partnerships, S corporations, estates or trusts. Let us know if you are still waiting for one. [1]
Receiving no tax form does not necessarily mean income is exempt. For payment apps and online sales, separate business receipts from personal transfers and identify sales of personal items so the amounts can be classified correctly.
Investments and digital assets
☐ Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV, and complete brokerage tax statements, including Form 1099-B.
☐ Purchase dates and cost basis for investments sold, especially transferred, inherited or gifted holdings.
☐ Forms 1099-DA and transaction exports from all cryptocurrency exchanges and wallets used during the year.
☐ Records of digital asset sales, exchanges, payments, mining or staking rewards, including dates, amounts, proceeds and basis.
☐ Documents for employee stock transactions, such as Forms 3921 or 3922 and restricted stock or option statements. [1, 3]
Digital asset reporting can require information beyond the broker's form. Providing your full transaction history helps identify missing basis and transfers between your own accounts. [3]
Homeownership and real estate
☐ Forms 1098 for mortgage interest and records of property taxes actually paid.
☐ Closing statements for property purchases, sales and refinances, including any Form 1099-S.
☐ Records of significant improvements, purchase costs and prior depreciation for property sold or converted to rental use.
☐ For each rental: income and expense summaries, management statements, acquisition records, improvement invoices and existing depreciation schedules.
☐ Rental and personal-use days for vacation homes or properties used for both purposes. [4]
Keep repairs and improvements separately identified in your records so their tax treatment can be reviewed.
Deductions and family expenses
☐ Charitable contribution receipts and acknowledgment letters, including records for noncash gifts and any appraisals obtained.
☐ State and local tax payment records, including estimated payments and property taxes.
☐ Unreimbursed medical, dental and vision expense summaries when substantial.
☐ Childcare expenses, the provider's name, address and tax identification number, and employer dependent care benefits.
☐ Forms 1098-T, tuition payment records, scholarship information and receipts for potentially qualifying education expenses.
☐ Forms 1098-E for student loan interest, plus Form 1099-Q and supporting expenses for education account distributions. [2, 5, 6]
Retain donation records even if you expect to take the standard deduction. Beginning in 2026, qualifying cash gifts may provide a deduction for taxpayers who do not itemize. [5]
Health coverage and retirement accounts
☐ Form 1095-A for Marketplace coverage, including corrected forms. This is needed to reconcile advance Premium Tax Credit payments.
☐ Forms 1099-SA and 5498-SA, if available, plus HSA contribution records and receipts supporting HSA withdrawals.
☐ Dates of health coverage changes, Medicare enrollment and any other coverage that could affect HSA eligibility.
☐ IRA contribution records, including amounts designated for 2026 but paid in early 2027.
☐ Records of Roth conversions, rollovers, nondeductible IRA contributions and qualified charitable distributions, when applicable. [7, 8]
Some contribution statements arrive after the filing deadline. Bring your own contribution confirmations rather than waiting to begin the meeting.
Business and self-employment activity
☐ A year-end profit and loss statement or organized income and expense summary.
☐ Business bank and credit card summaries, with personal spending identified.
☐ Equipment purchase invoices and the dates assets became ready for business use.
☐ Vehicle mileage records showing business mileage and total mileage.
☐ Home office measurements and related expenses, if applicable.
☐ Self-employed health insurance and retirement plan contribution records.
Tell us about a new entity, employees, business financing or an interest in another company. These can create filing obligations beyond your individual return.
Tax payments and correspondence
☐ Dates and amounts of federal and state estimated tax payments, including payments made in January 2027 for the 2026 tax year.
☐ Extension payment confirmations and prior-year refunds applied to 2026.
☐ IRS and state notices, amended returns and payment plan information.
☐ Documents concerning foreign income, foreign taxes paid and foreign financial accounts, if applicable.
Additional records for the newer deductions
The OBBBA introduced deductions for qualified tips, qualifying overtime, certain vehicle loan interest and eligible seniors. To evaluate these benefits, bring your employer's tip and overtime reporting, supporting pay records, and any relevant loan interest statement. For a qualifying vehicle purchase, include the purchase and loan documents, VIN and evidence of final assembly in the United States. [9]
Marketplace coverage also deserves attention: beginning with tax year 2026, excess advance Premium Tax Credit payments generally must be repaid in full. Bring Form 1095-A and information about income or household changes so the reconciliation reflects your circumstances. [7]
Make the meeting easier
Organize documents by category and provide complete, readable statements with all pages. Identify missing forms and corrected statements, and use the secure document delivery method your advisor provides for sensitive information.
An appointment can take place before every document arrives. Filing should wait until the necessary information is complete. If a K-1 or another record will be delayed, discuss an extension early; additional time to file generally does not extend the deadline to pay. [10]
At Nathrop Maxwell Advisors, we use your annual tax meeting to review both your return and the decisions ahead. Schedule your appointment and bring this checklist to help us focus on what matters to you.
This checklist provides general information as of October, 2026. Additional records may be needed depending on your tax situation.
Sources
1. IRS guide to gathering tax documents
2. IRS tax preparation checklist
3. IRS digital asset reporting and recordkeeping
4. IRS Publication 527 on rental property
5. IRS charitable contribution guidance
6. IRS education credit documentation
7. IRS advance Premium Tax Credit repayment changes
8. IRS Publication 969 on HSAs and other health plans
9. IRS Schedule 1 A deduction overview