What Documents Are Required to File My Taxes?
With January 31, 2016 marking the deadline for employers to send out important tax documents, you are now probably gathering the other required information needed for filing your 2015 tax return. And while tax time can be a promising time for some, others are burdened with having to search out and retrieve any other ways in which they earned or spent money during the 2015 year.
Indiana tax attorneys have provided below a compiled list of items any tax preparer is going to request from you the day you want to have your return completed. If you have found that you have forgotten one piece of information, you always have the option of returning to your preparer and having them amend your tax return. However, tax lawyers believe this is not an ideal situation and could be avoided if you simply use the checklist provided to ensure you have everything you need the first time around.
Keep in mind when glancing through the list below that some of the documents may not be applicable to some.
- W-2 from current, or previous jobs you worked for during the 2015 year
- Any income invested, usually filed with a 1099(-INT, -DIV, -B, etc.), K-1s, or stock forms
- Unemployment received, generally with the 1099-G form
- Proof of any alimony received
- Pension distributions or IRA, which may be on forms 1099-R, 8606
- Any money spent on rental property or income received
- If you received social security benefits, form SSA-1099
- Business or farming income
- If you work from home and have any expenses resulting from that
- Any income received from sales of property, form 1099-C
- Installment sale information, form 6252
- All other income received, including jury duty, scholarships, student loans, etc.
While the IRS expects to receive all proof of any money received or spent each year to ensure the appropriate amount of tax is paid out, you can only hope once you follow through on your part, that they allow you to continue on with your daily livelihood without any harassment in regards to your filed tax return. Unfortunately, the IRS sometimes feels the need to audit taxpayers, which is a burden no individual wants placed on their shoulders.
The IRS and their selection of who gets audited is generally based on a tax return that appears fraudulent, therefore requiring that person to provide them with the proof they are demanding to see. Regardless of what year the IRS is questioning, if you receive notice that you are being audited for a previous tax return, don’t wait until it’s too late and you find yourself with the obligation of having to pay back money that was rightfully yours.
Take action by hiring a tax fraud lawyer in Indiana who can take over the situation, and represent you in any way possible when it comes to these outrageous demands from prior years back. And remember, to be safe rather than sorry, always provide your tax preparer with all documentation as well as accurate numbers that truly reflect the income and money reportedly spent.
