Tax season will soon be upon us. The deadline to file tax returns in 2021 is April 15. People can file their returns in various ways.
Before men and women can begin preparing their returns, they first must gather all of the necessary forms and documents. If any forms are not included, taxpayers may have to prepare tax amendments, which leads to more work and may delay the time it takes to receive a refund. Taxpayers who have questions about their returns can access 24-hour tax help via the IRS website at www.irs.gov.
According to eFile.com, an authorized IRS efile provider, the following forms and documents may be needed in order for taxpayers to file their returns promptly and correctly.
Taxable income forms, documents
W-2 Form(s) for wages, salaries and tips
Interest income statements: Form 1099-INT, 1099-OID
Dividend income statements: Form 1099-DIV
Sales of stock, land, etc. for capital gains: Form 1099-B
Sales of real estate: Form 1099-S
State tax refunds: Form 1099-G
Alimony received or paid
Unemployment compensation received
Miscellaneous income: Form 1099-MISC
Retirement income: Form 1099-R
Social security income and railroad retirement income: Form SSA-1099
Business income and expenses
Rental income and expenses
Farm income and expenses
Form K-1 income from partnerships, trusts, and S-corporations
Tax deductible miles traveled for business purposes
Tax credits
Child tax credit
Child care provider address, I.D. number and amounts paid for the child and dependent care credit
Earned income tax credit (EITC)
Adoption expense information for the adoption credit
Foreign taxes paid
First-time home buyer tax credit
Tax deductions and expenses
Medical expenses for the family
Medical insurance paid
Prescription medicines and drugs
Doctor and dentist payments
Hospital and nurse payments
Tax deductible miles traveled for medical purposes
Home mortgage interest from Form 1098
Home second mortgage interest paid
Real estate taxes paid
State taxes paid with last year’s return (if claiming itemized deductions)
Personal property taxes paid
Charitable cash contributions
Fair market value of non-cash contributions to charities
Unreimbursed expenses related to volunteer work
Tax deductible mileage for volunteer purposes
Casualty and theft losses
Amount paid to professional preparer last year
Unreimbursed expenses related to your job
Miles traveled related to your job
Union and professional dues
Investment expenses
Job-hunting expenses
IRA contributions
Student loan interest paid
Moving expenses
Last year’s tax return preparation fee
Tax estimate payments
Estimated tax payments made with ES vouchers
Last year’s tax return overpayment applied to this year
Off-highway fuel taxes paid
General information
Copy of last year’s tax return
Social security numbers for you and your spouse
Educational expenses for you and your spouse
Dependents’ names, years of birth and social security numbers
Dependents’ post-high school educational expenses
Child care expenses for each dependent
Prior year adjusted gross income (AGI)
Routing transmit number (RTN), for direct deposit/debit purposes
Bank account number (BAN), for direct deposit/debit purposes
More information about filing 2021 tax returns can be found at www.irs.gov.
