Gather personal and household changes, income records, deduction support, estimated-payment confirmations and complete tax-agency notices before your tax appointment. Upload tax documents through the Canopy client portal, not ordinary email or the contact form.
General information for 2026 planning; individual facts and current law control.
A productive tax appointment starts before the conversation. Bringing organized records helps your preparer understand the year, identify missing information and avoid treating assumptions as facts. You do not need to know which deduction applies before you send a relevant document. You do need a reliable way to gather the information and flag questions that deserve a closer look.
For a return involving 2026 activity, organize records by tax year and person or business. Keep current-year information separate from prior-year notices and corrected forms, while making those items available too. If you are unsure which year a document belongs to, explain that uncertainty rather than changing the date or discarding it. A short note can prevent considerable confusion and help focus the review on the right year.
Begin with personal information and changes
Have identifying information for everyone on the return, along with dates of birth and current contact details. Tell your preparer about a name change, move, marriage, separation, divorce, birth or death. The facts affecting filing status and dependents are not always obvious from income forms. Changes in where you lived or worked can also affect state returns.
New clients should provide the previous federal and state returns and relevant supporting schedules. An ongoing item, such as depreciation or a carryforward, may depend on information from earlier years. If you received an identity-protection PIN, share it securely for the applicable filing year. Confirm bank details through the firm's secure process rather than putting account information in a general inquiry.
Gather every type of income
Collect wage statements, interest and dividend forms, brokerage reports, retirement statements and Social Security tax documents when applicable. Include partnership or S corporation schedules and records from freelance or gig work. Digital asset activity can require reporting even when no tax form arrives. Explain sales, exchanges and other transactions instead of sending only the year-end account balance.
Income records are not limited to information returns. Keep records of cash, checks, payment-app receipts and other business income. If a corrected form arrives, identify it clearly and retain the original for comparison. Tell the preparer which documents remain outstanding, especially investment reports and business schedules, so an incomplete package is not mistaken for a complete one.
Bring support for deductions and credits
Depending on your situation, useful records may include mortgage interest, property taxes, charitable gifts, childcare costs, education expenses, health coverage and retirement contributions. Marketplace health insurance documents can be especially important. Keep receipts and supporting statements, not just a total you cannot later explain. Your preparer can determine which items affect the return.
Business owners should provide reconciled books, expense records and details about assets bought, sold or taken out of service. Rental owners should gather income and expense totals, personal-use information and improvements separately from repairs. New clients should include prior depreciation schedules. A purchase invoice alone may not show when an asset became available for business use, so include that detail where known.
Include payments, notices and questions
Provide estimated-tax confirmations for both federal and state payments, showing dates and tax years. Bring complete tax-agency notices, including response deadlines and all pages. Mention any payments already made in response. A notice can involve a previous year but still affect the work being discussed now.
Use the Canopy client portal for tax documents rather than the website contact form or ordinary email. A simple cover note listing missing items, unusual events and your main questions helps focus the discussion. If more documents arrive after the appointment, send them promptly and identify what changed. Contact Kalish & Associates, P.A. if you would like guidance on the records to gather for your situation.
Got your papers together, or close to it? Upload them through the Client Portal, and we'll take it from there.
Frequently asked questions
What should a new client include?
Provide previous federal and state returns and relevant supporting schedules, including prior depreciation information where applicable.
What if some documents have not arrived?
List the missing items, explain unusual events and identify corrected forms. Do not let an incomplete package be mistaken for a complete one.
Services and client resources
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Related resources: Individual tax preparation · Client tax forms and checklists.