How to organize your records for tax season

1. Make one folder — paper or phone

Take one envelope or folder and write "Taxes 2026" on it. On your phone, make an album or a folder with the same name. Everything about money from 2026 goes in there, the day it arrives. That is the whole system.

2. What goes in the folder

• Work: W-2s from every job, and every 1099 (1099-NEC, 1099-K from apps, 1099-MISC).
• Family: Social Security cards or tax ID numbers and dates of birth for everyone on the return; child care receipts with the provider's name, address and tax ID.
• Home and health: Form 1095-A if you had Marketplace insurance, mortgage interest (Form 1098), property tax, rent paid in New York.
• School: Form 1098-T for college tuition, and student loan interest (Form 1098-E).
• Money: bank interest (1099-INT), stock or crypto sales (1099-B), unemployment (1099-G), retirement and Social Security (1099-R, SSA-1099).
• Letters: any letter from the IRS or New York State — even if you think it is nothing.

3. Self-employed, gig or delivery work? Do this every month

• Download each app's monthly or yearly earnings summary (Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and others).
• Keep a mileage log, or turn on the app's mileage tracker. No log usually means no mileage deduction.
• Use one bank account or card for work only. It makes everything easier to prove.
• Photograph receipts for phone, supplies, tools and equipment the day you buy them.
• Write down every estimated tax payment you made and the date.

4. When your forms arrive

Most W-2s and 1099s must be sent by January 31. Marketplace forms (1095-A) and most bank forms arrive by mid-February; some investment forms come later in February or March. Don't file before you have them all — a missing form is the most common reason for an IRS letter.

5. Keep these years

Keep your returns and the papers behind them for at least 3 years after you file — longer if you own a business or property. Store them somewhere safe and dry, or scan them.

6. Never send these by email, text or WhatsApp

Social Security numbers, IDs and tax forms go through our secure client portal or straight to our office. See the full what to bring checklist — you can print it.