How to prepare for your US individual tax return

Keep your records together by tax year

Your tax records generally relate to one specific tax year. Keeping each year separate — in folders, labelled files or a simple naming pattern — helps you avoid mixing statements from different years, which is one of the most common causes of confusion during preparation.

If a document arrives late, or a corrected version replaces one you already have, keep both and mark clearly which one is the later version.

Think about your income sources first

Instead of starting from paperwork, it can help to start from what happened during your year: employment, contract or freelance work, savings accounts, investments, retirement distributions, rental activity or anything else you received money from.

Working from that list makes it easier to spot a statement you were expecting that has not arrived.

Why your prior-year return may help

If you filed a return last year, it is often a useful reference. It can remind you what you reported before, which identifiers you used and whether anything carried forward. It does not decide what this year requires, but any differences between the two years are usually worth discussing.

Changes to consider

Changes like these can affect what needs to be reported and which records matter to you. Noting them in advance means they come up at the right time rather than late in the process.

• A change in your marital status or household
• A move to another state, or work you performed in a different state
• Starting or stopping self-employment or a side activity
• Buying, selling or renting out property
• Changes to your education, retirement or health coverage arrangements

Questions to discuss with your tax professional

Write down questions about your own situation as they occur to you. A short list of open points is far more useful in a first conversation than trying to remember everything on the spot.

Why complete and accurate information matters

Your return is prepared from the information you provide. Missing or inaccurate details can cause rework, delay preparation, or produce a return that does not reflect your actual circumstances. If you are unsure about something, you should disclose it rather than leave it out.