Key Takeaways
- Personal and business identification details, including Social Security numbers and business IDs
- Complete income records
- Documentation that supports deductions, credits, and major purchases
- New forms and records required for the 2026 filing season under recent law changes
Tax season is not far off. And as your Rockville, MD bookkeeper, my goal is to ensure your financial story is clear before you ever sit down with your tax preparer.
Because the better organized we are, the less time and money you’ll spend in their office.
(And, the higher your chances of not overpaying.)
Let’s walk through exactly what you need to bring for a seamless tax filing appointment.
What do I need to bring to my tax appointment for personal identification?
You’ll need these items to establish who you are in the eyes of the IRS and how your return is tied together.
- Social Security information: Full legal names for you, your spouse, and any dependents, and Social Security numbers exactly as shown on Social Security cards
- Address information: Your current home address and your business address (if different). A street address is required; a P.O. Box should only be used if street delivery is unavailable
- Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- IRS Identity Protection PIN
And a few other basic items your tax preparer will need:
- Prior-year tax return: A complete copy of last year’s federal (and state, if available) return to confirm carryovers, elections, credits, and payment history
- Forward-looking information: Any expected major changes in the coming year, like changes in income, asset purchases or sales, family changes, or filing-status changes
What income documents should a small business owner bring to a tax pro?
Your tax preparer will need to make sure all income is properly reported and properly matched with what the IRS already has.
Related to wages, investments, and income, gather every form you’ve received, including:
- W-2 forms
- 1099 forms: including but not limited to independent contractor income, interest income, dividend income, capital gain distributions, and retirement plan distributions
Basically, if you received it, bring it. Even if it feels small or irrelevant.
Note: The threshold for 1099-K (third-party processors like Venmo/PayPal) has returned to $20,000 and 200 transactions. Even if you didn’t receive a form because you fell below this limit, you still need to bring your internal records of that income.
For your business’s financial information, your tax pro will need:
- Income statement (profit & loss)
- Balance sheet
- General ledger
- Inventory Records (if you sell products): Final year-end inventory count and valuation (at cost), plus a total for your ‘Beginning Inventory’ as of January 1, 2026
- Year-end Reconciliations: Confirmation that all bank and credit card accounts are reconciled through December 31, 2025
- Loan Amortization Schedules: Documentation for any new or existing business loans to correctly separate principal and interest payments
- Owner’s Distributions/Draws: A clear record of any funds taken out of the business for personal use during the year
For payroll and contractor records, you’ll need to bring:
- Year-end payroll records
- Payroll tax returns
- W-2s issued to employees
- 1099-NECs issued to independent contractors
And if you use cloud-based accounting software, be prepared to grant your tax pro access to review transactions and balances if questions arise.
If you engaged in any digital asset activity during the year, bring:
- A complete list or report of digital asset transactions: for receiving, buying, selling, or exchanging crypto
- Transaction histories or CSV files from each exchange or wallet platform used during the year
What do I need to bring to my tax appointment to claim business owner deductions and tax credits?
This is where organization can have the biggest impact on your tax result.
If you used a personal vehicle for business:
- Mileage log or mileage app summary: showing total business and personal miles for the year
- Vehicle registration
If you purchased long-term assets (think furniture, computers, or machinery) for your Rockville, MD business, bring details for each item, including:
- Description of the asset
- Purchase price
- Date the asset was placed in service
If you qualify for a home office deduction (or think you might), bring:
- Square footage of the home office
- Total square footage of your home
- Records for deductible home expenses: including mortgage interest or rent, utilities, repairs, cleaning, property taxes, and homeowners’ insurance
As far as itemized and personal deductions go, gather (if applicable):
- Form 1098 (Mortgage Interest Statement)
- Documentation for out-of-pocket medical expenses, charitable contribution receipts, and state and local tax payments
For health, family, and education expenses, bring records for:
- Self-employed health insurance premiums: medical, dental, and vision for you, your spouse, and dependents
- Dependent care expenses: Daycare provider name, address, EIN, and total amount paid during the year
- Retirement contributions: IRA, SEP-IRA, or other retirement plans
- Education expenses: Form 1098-E (student loan interest), Form 1098-T (tuition statements), records of qualified tuition and fee payments, total 529 plan contributions made for dependents
- Healthcare coverage: Form 1095-A, 1095-B, or 1095-C, and state healthcare coverage verification if required by your state
Do I need to bring records for tax payments made during the year?
Yes, taxes already paid need to be credited correctly. Bring records for:
- Prior-year overpayments: Amounts applied forward from the previous year and any IRS notices indicating changes to prior returns
- Estimated tax payments: Federal and state payments made during the year, with dates and amounts of each payment
- Any payments submitted with a filing extension
What do I need to bring to my tax appointment in 2026 under OBBBA?
- Form 1099-DA: Issued by crypto exchanges or wallet providers to report proceeds from digital asset transactions. If you didn’t receive a 1099-DA, bring a complete CSV or transaction history to reconcile against IRS records
- Documentation for new tips & overtime deductions: Monthly tip logs and payroll stubs showing qualified overtime pay
- 100% Bonus Depreciation: Receipts or invoices for qualified property purchased after January 19, 2025 that show exact purchase date and date placed in service
- SALT (State & Local Tax) Expansion: Property tax bills and state income tax payment records
- Sunsetting energy and clean vehicle credits: If you purchased energy-related assets, bring EV or solar “Seller Reports” and exact purchase and installation dates
- New car loan interest deduction: If you bought a new personal-use vehicle in 2025 or 2026 that was assembled in the U.S., bring your year-end interest statement (Form 1098-C/similar) and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
- Domestic R&D expenses: If your business developed new products, software, or technology in the U.S., bring a breakdown of those costs to take advantage of the new immediate 100% expensing rule
And of course, if you received any notice from the IRS or your State Department of Revenue in 2025 or 2026, bring it to your tax preparer. These usually contain information about changes to your account that they’ll need to know to avoid processing delays.
Final thoughts
Yes, this is a beast of a list. But that’s on purpose, so your tax pro can file your return with surgical precision. Their work is as good as the data you give them.
So, let’s schedule a pre-tax review call to go through your records and make sure you won’t leave any money on the table this tax season (and let’s do so soon, before your tax pro’s calendar fills up):
FAQs
“What specific documents do I need for my 2026 business tax appointment?”
You should bring complete income records (W-2s, 1099s), business financial statements (P&L and Balance Sheet), and documentation for deductions like mileage logs or home office expenses. Under recent law changes for the 2026 filing season, you also need specific records for digital assets (Form 1099-DA) and domestic R&D costs.
“How does the “OBBBA” change what I should bring to my tax preparer?”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) introduced several new requirements for 2026, including the 100% Bonus Depreciation rule which requires receipts showing exact “placed in service” dates for equipment. You must also provide documentation for new tips and overtime deductions, as well as “Seller Reports” for any clean vehicle or energy credits claimed.
“Do I need to report Venmo or PayPal business income if it’s under $20,000?”
Yes. While the 1099-K reporting threshold for third-party processors has returned to $20,000 and 200 transactions, the IRS still requires you to report all business income. If you fall below the threshold and don’t receive a form, you must bring your internal bookkeeping records to your appointment to ensure all income is properly matched.
“What records are required to claim the home office deduction in 2026?”
To claim the home office deduction, you need the square footage of your dedicated office space compared to the total square footage of your home. Additionally, gather records for deductible home expenses such as mortgage interest, utilities, repairs, property taxes, and homeowners’ insurance.
“How do I document digital asset or crypto transactions for my tax pro?”
For the 2026 filing year, you should receive Form 1099-DA from your exchange or wallet provider. If you did not receive this form, you must bring a complete CSV file or transaction history covering all buying, selling, or exchanging of digital assets to reconcile against IRS records.