Almost 85 million taxpayers pay professionals to complete and submit their tax returns, according to the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If you're one of them, it is import𒉰ant to organize your receipts, forms, and oth💜er documents well before tax time.

Your preparer may take information directly from you or ask you to complete a questionnaire. Either way, a little preparation will help you get through the process quickly and easily. Even if you do your own taxes, the steps below will help you get organized.

1. Choose a Tax Preparer

If you don’t have a tax preparer, a good way to find one is to ask friends and advisors (such as an attorney you know) for referrals. Be sure the person you choose has a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:preparer🍌 tax identification number (PTIN) showing they are authorized to prepare federal income tax returns.

Be sure to inquire about how much they charge in fees. This, of course, depends on the complexity of your return. Avoid using a firm that takes a percentage of your refund. The IRS website has tips for choosing a preparer and a link to the , which you can search by credentials and location.

2. Schedule an Appointment

The sooner you meet with your preparer, the sooner you should be able to complete your return—even if you decide to file for an extension. If you 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:anticipate a refund, you'll get that sooner, too.

If you wait too long to schedule an appointment with a tax preparer, it might not happen before the filing deadline. That means you could miss out on opportunities to lower your tax bills, such as making a deductible contribution to an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:individual retirement ac♍count (IRA) or a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:health savings account (HSA).

3. Gather Your Documents

You should receive all the tax documents you need from your employer or employers as well as from banks, brokerage firms, and others with whom you do business by the end of January. 💎Check that the information matches your own records o🐻n each form.

These are some of the most common forms:

• Form W-2 if you had a job.
• The various 1099 forms that report other income you received, such as dividends (澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Form 1099-DIV), interest (澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Form 1099-INT), and nonemployee compensation paid to independent contractors (澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Form 1099-MISC). Brokers aren't required to mail 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Form 1099-B, which reports gains and losses on securities transactions, until mid-February, so those may come a little later.
• 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Form 1098 for reporting any mortgage interest you paid.
• 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Form W-2G if you had certain gambling winnings.

4. Round Up Your Receipts

The receipts you'll need to provide depend on whether you itemize your deductions or claim the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:standard deduction. You'll want to choose whichever produces the bigger write-off, but the only way to know for sure is to add up your itemized deductions and compare the result with you🅠r standard deduction.

For the 2022 tax year, the standard deduction for single taxpayers is $12,950; for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:married couples filing jointly, it is $25,900. Those figures increase in 2023 to $13,850 for singles and $27,700 for married couples filing jointly.

Make sure you look for receipts for medical costs not covered by insurance or reimbursed by any other health plan (such as a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:flexible spending account (FSA) or an HSA), pro🌜perty taxes, and investment-related expenses. These are all subject to limits, but if they're substantial enough, it may be worth your while to itemize.

If you itemize your deductions, you'll also need to collect any backup you have for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:charitable contributions. For example, donations of $250 or more require a written acknowledgment from the charity stating the amount of your gift and that you did not receive anything (other than perhaps a token item) in return. If you don't have such an acknowledgment, contact the charity and request it. You can find more details on charitable deductions in IRS Publication 1771.

If you have business income and expenses to report on 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Schedule C, you will need to share your books and records, such as QuickBooks or any other accounting system, receipts for expenses, and relevant bank and credit card statements.

5. List Your Personal Information

You probably know your 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Social Security number (SSN), but do you know the S⭕ocial Security number of each dependent you claim? You'll want to jot those dℱown (in a safe place, of course), along with any other information your tax preparer is likely to need.

If you own a vacation home or rental property, for example, note the addresses. If you sold a property in the past year, note the dates you bought and sold it, the amount you originally paid for it, and how much 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:you received from the sale.

6. Decide Whether to File for an Extension

If you need more time to complete all of these tasks, you can 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:request an extension to October 15th for filing your tax return. However, you'll stil✤l have to estimate the amount of tax you owe and pay that amount by the regular April deadline to avoid penalties and interest.

7. Plan Ahead for Any Refund

If you expect a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:tax refund, you have several options for how it's handled.

• You can apply some or all of the refund toward next year's taxes. If you usually pay estimated taxes throughout the year, that can help cover the first quarterly installment.
• The government can send you a paper check by mail or deposit the refund directly into your 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:checking or savings account.
• You can contribute some or all of your refund to certain types of accounts (IRAs, health savings accounts, education savings accounts) or buy U.S. savings bonds through TreasuryDirect.

You can also split your refund among the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:direct deposit choices by completing Form 8888.

You'll need to let your tax preparer know what you want to do so they can indicate it on your return.

8. Find a Copy of Last Year’s Return

If you use the sam🌱e preparer you used last year, they will likely have your previous information. If you use a new preparer, last year’s return can serve as a reminder to the preparer—and you—of some items you don’t want to overlook. Here are two examples:

• Interest and dividends: Last year's return should indicate which banks, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:mutual funds, and other 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:financial institutions sent you 1099 forms. Use that list to make sure you received 1099s from them again this year (unless you closed those accounts or sold the investments in the meantime).
• Charitable deductions: If you made small gifts, you might not have received any acknowledgment from the organization, but you can still deduct these contributions as long as you have a receipt, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:canceled check, or other proof. Consult last year’s list of organizations you donated to and see whether you made similar gifts this year. The list can also help you remember to make a donation this year to charities you usually support.

The Bottom Line

Whether you do your own taxes or hire someone else to handle the task, organizing your records in advance 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:will save you time and, in the case of a paid preparer, money. The earlier you start, the more smoothly it should go, and the sooner you'll have put the process behind you for another year. For more advice, visit the IRS's own list of "steps you can take now to make tax filing easier in 2023."