What Documents Will I Need to File My Taxes?

When beginning your return, there are a number of documents/forms which may become necessary and that you may want to have handy before starting. This is designed to assist you in identifying what forms or documents you may want nearby.

A Federal Wage and Tax Statement form, otherwise known as a W-2, is issued to the taxpayer from their employer. The W-2 will state how much they were paid and how much was withheld during the last year. The information will almost always be required by anyone filing their taxes. If you are filing jointly with a spouse, their W-2s must be used as well.

The next form that is required in the filing of your taxes will be a 1099. This form, is used to report any other various types of income which are not considered wages, salaries, or tips. Often this will include scholarships and grants, contractor services over $600, pensions, annuities, retirement plans, insurance contracts, etc. These forms may be mailed out to the taxpayer by a government agency, contracting company, a health insurance provider, financial institution as well as other entities who may have distributed proceeds to the taxpayer throughout the year. All of the various versions of this form can be found in this list:

The next form you may want to be looking for is the 1098. This form is used to report the amount of deductible interest paid during the tax year (such as mortgage-related interest). This is particularly important because what it reports represents potential deductions that can reduce your taxable income. This form comes in three common supplemental variations:

These are the forms that are commonly utilized by most tax payers. Depending on your particular situation you may need additional documents/forms before beginning your return. However, having these handy when starting is always a good practice.

For more information on W-2, W-4, 1098 or 1099 forms visit:
Popular IRS Forms for Taxpayers
Avoiding Inaccurate Federal Withholding