How to Organize for Tax Season
One of the best ways to reduce tax time stress is to get organized for the tax season ahead of time.
Organizing your documents in advance will help make doing your taxes smoother and easier. Here’s how to get ready.
- Keep last year’s tax return handy. You’re going to need your prior-year Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) or a Self-Select PIN to e-file. If you filed a Form 1040, your AGI can be found on line 37. Those who filed a 1040EZ can find their AGI on line 4.
- Block out 30 minutes on your calendar. Then use a leading online tax program to prepare and e-file. When you use ezTaxReturn.com, you just answer easy questions and the program does the math…and accurate calculations are 100% guaranteed.
- Want the largest possible refund? You can lower your tax bill by adjusting your tax withholding, maxing out your 401K or contributing to an HSA.
- Tax documents not organized yet? Start simple. Label a large envelope “tax documents,” and store everything you’ll need to prepare your tax return.
- Be sure to organize e-documents. Create a folder on the computer to save and organize these electronic documents for when you’re ready to file.
- Make sure all your charitable deductions are organized. Start tracking down your receipts now and don’t forget about compiling records for any miles you drove for charitable work. For 2018, the charity mileage rate is 14 cents per mile.
- When to expect your W-2. Employers are required to mail your W-2 by January 31st. If you don’t receive yours by mid-February, you can call the IRS at 800-829-1040 for assistance.
- Check out the ezTaxReturn Tax Prep Checklist. Make sure you have all the documents you need to get the biggest possible refund.
