Individual Tax Time Client Instructions

Individual “Tax Ready” Documents

Please submit no later than March 15  (or the day after Labor Day, if extended)

The following guide helps you determine which information Accountability Services will need to prepare your Individual Tax Return(s).

Note: This is an expansive list. Not all items will be relevant to all tax payers. Remember to check all online accounts to ensure all your tax forms are covered.

​To avoid additional time & cost for your preparation, be sure to ONLY upload PDF, Word or Excel files. JPG (photos), Mac or Google files are difficult or impossible to convert and can delay your preparation.

    • No summary document is required: Simply provide the appropriate tax forms.
    • Do not send receipts or bank statements: Do keep receipts and bank statements should you need them in the future, but with the exception of some charitable donations, we do not require your receipts, proof of payment, or bank statements to prepare your taxes.
  1. Tax Preparation Agreement
  2. W-2 Forms
  3. Your IP PIN: Identity Protection Personal Number, if IRS sent you one
  4. Copy of your Driver’s License (state-mandated requirement)
  5. Proof of Economic Impact Payments received for both spouses. Copy of Notices 1444, or IRS transcript, or bank statements as proof of exact exact amounts received and dates received
  6. Proof of Child Tax Credit Payments received. Copy of IRS Information Letter 6419, or transcript, or bank statements as proof of exact amounts received and dates received
  7. 1099 Forms (Ex: 1099-INT, 1099-R, 1099-B, 1099-S, etc.)  These will be included in your year-end Investment statements. Please submit the entire package.
  8. 1099-LTC for Long Term Care (also send all medical expenses – see #35)
  9. Provide crypto currency transaction reports, including income, expenses, and original cost basis
  10. If you have stock options through your employer:  provide the Realized Gain (Loss) Year End report, or Supplemental Stock Plan Lot Detail report
  11. Pension distributions: explicitly indicate on any 1099-R if it is a distribution from a State or Federal pension
  12. If your Form 1099-R forms indicate that the taxable amount is “unknown” provide supporting details (examples: Qualified Charitable Donations, Court-Ordered distributions, etc.)
  13. K-1 Forms from estates and trusts
  14. K-1 Forms from S-corporations and partnerships:  If this is the first year we are preparing your tax return, we must receive your basis schedules.  You or your former CPA should have this information.
  15. ​K-1 packages from Trusts, Publicly Traded Partnerships, etc.  Please provide the complete package including the cover letter from the partnership; compliance for these K-1s is complex –and expensive for you, as the taxpayer.
  16. All foreign income from foreign financial institutions, corporations, self-employment, etc.
  17. Form 1098-Mortgage Interest
  18. Real Estate Taxes paid
  19. If you refinanced a property (home, investment property, etc.), we will need a copy of the Closing Statement
  20. Form 5498 related to your tax-free IRA, SEP retirement, or Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions
  21. Copy of your Auto License Renewal Form showing RTA (Seattle area) tax paid for autos
  22. Proof of quarterly estimated tax payments you made specifically for the tax year.  We need either (1) copy of the EFTPS / IRS report, or (2) copies of cancelled checks.  DO NOT include taxes applied from last year’s tax return.  We need all dates and individual amounts paid each date.
  23. If you expect a refund, send us your checking account Bank Name, Routing #, Account #
  24. If you expect to pay and want the IRS to auto-deduct your tax from your checking account, send us your checking account Bank Name, Routing #, Account #
  25. Let us know if you are interested in having us calculate your maximum allowable retirement (IRA, SEP, or Roth contributions)
  26. Cost basis for Sales of Securities.  If you had > 10 sales for the year, please download the transactions into an Excel worksheet.  Click here to request a Securities template.
  27. Charitable donations (separately list cash from non-cash).  Please provide receipts for (1) auctions, (2) vehicle donations, and (3) stock donations.  Otherwise, we do not need your receipts.  For cash gifts, send us a total.  Be sure to include your annual total funding to a Donor Advised Fund.  For non-cash gifts, Goodwill provides an easy to follow guide.  Non-cash gifts require date of donation, fair market value, name of charity, and descriptions.
  28. Please provide a report or provide a list or amount of any Qualified Charitable Donations (QCDs) made from your IRA
  29. Form 1098-T: University or College tuition and educational expenses – if box 1 is blank, submit proof of payment
  30. Form 1098-E: Student Loan Interest paid (in your name)
  31. Form 1099-Q: Payments made from a Qualified Educational Program (e.g., 529 plan)
  32. If you bought a vehicle or made significant home improvements, or built a home last year, provide sales tax amounts on materials only (without labor)
  33. HSA contribution and distribution tax forms (Form 5498-SA and Form 1099-SA)
  34. Long term care insurance premiums
  35. Net out-of-pocket medical costs.  We do not need your receipts; please provide only your totals for (1) Prescription medicines and drugs, (2) Doctors, dentists, nurses, (3) Hospitals, outpatient centers, nursing home reports.  Also send us your medical-miles driven.
  36. Dependent care statements with EIN and address of provider
  37. ​If you had a household employee (nanny, driver, aide, et al), provide copies of W-2s and all www.care.com/homepay paperwork
  38. Rental income + expenses for each property (QuickBooks Profit & Loss Statement and Balance Sheet). **ALSO: please specifically tell us if you spent 250 or more hours working on your rental last year. The definition includes: advertising, negotiating/executing leases, verifying tenant applications, collecting rent, daily operation, management, repair, purchasing materials, supervising employees and independent contractors.​**
  39. Did your Rental business make any payments last year to vendors that would require you to file Form(s) 1099? (e.g., landscapers, painters, maintenance, web developers, attorneys). If ‘Yes,’ did you or will you file all required Forms 1099?
  40. How many days was each property rented?  How many days did you use the property for personal use?
  41. Closing Disclosure or Settlement statements for all properties, purchased, sold, or rented for the first time last year
  42. For properties sold: Form 1099-S, original purchase price, list with costs of improvements
  43. Foreign Bank Account information and interest earned on those accounts. Failure to disclose can result in a $10,000 penalty! Click here to request a Foreign Bank Accounts turnaround worksheet.
  44. ​Gifts greater than $15,000 total to any one person during the year
  45. Any other tax forms and/or miscellaneous deductions
  46. Let us know if your marital status changed, new child, moved, etc.
  47. If you are a new client, if you haven’t yet done so, please provide a full copy of last year’s tax return with all schedules, and dates of birth for all family members.
  48. Foreign bank Information for which you have signatory authority:
      • Name of bank(s)
        Address(es)
        Highest balance last year (USD)
        Account number(s)

Foreign Companies – if you personally own 10%+ stock in a foreign company, please also provide:

  1. Foreign entity comparative Balance Sheet (in Excel) translated to English and USD*
  2. Foreign entity Profit & Loss Statement (in Excel) translated to English and USD*
  3. Copy of the foreign tax return, translated to English
  4. Exchange rate utilized
  5. Summary of all intercompany transactions by type
  6. Description of all intercompany transactions and methods utilized to determine amounts
  7. List of all payments paid to shareholders (dates, amounts, payee) along with GL account name(s)
  8. Let us know where manufacturing or services occur? In US? Or in the foreign country?

* We can perform exchange rate conversions for you.

How do I submit my documents?

Tax documents can be submitted in digital or hard copy format.

Option #1: Digitally

Your Accountability Services CLIENT PORTAL provides a fast, easy, secure, password-protected system to safely and confidentially upload your tax documents and files.

CLICK HERE to access your Client Portal.

    • Go to the Tax Year > Source Documents folder
    • Click the + Upload Files button
    • Drag or browse files on your computer to Upload

Once you have uploaded ALL tax documents through your client portal, please notify us at taxteam@accountabilityservices.com. Our tax team will let you know if we have everything we need from you to get started.

VERY IMPORTANT:  Please DO NOT send files via email. We cannot guarantee the security or confidentiality of any files transmitted via email.

Option #2:  Drop-off, Mail or Fax

Accountability Services is more than happy to accept your printed documents or to receive them via fax.

Events or Situations that will drive up the cost of your tax return

    • Late arrival of your tax forms or incomplete information
    • Rental properties, including Delaware Statutory Trusts
    • Pass-through income from businesses, trusts, or estates
    • Sale of real property (rental, residence, second home, etc.)
    • K-1s from Publicly Traded and Master Limited Partnerships
    • Correcting mistakes made if you previously self-prepared
    • Form 3115 for changes in accounting method (examples:  Missed Depreciation or going from Accrual to Cash, etc.)
    • Form 8824 for deferred gains on like-kind-exchanges (example: exchanging one rental for another, etc.)
    • Forms 5471, 5472, etc., for those owning stock in foreign privately-held corporations
    • Forms 114 and 8938 for disclosure of foreign bank accounts and asset reporting