What to hand your tax preparer at year end (and what they wish you would)

A clean year-end package makes the return faster, the bill smaller, and the questions fewer.

The list

• Income: total invoiced and total received, with unpaid invoices listed separately.
• Expenses by category: supplies, vehicle, insurance, phone, software, subcontractors, and so on, with a total for each.
• Mileage: the log, with the year's total.
• Assets: anything over a few hundred dollars that will last more than a year (a mower, a laptop, a van), with the date and price.
• People you paid: anyone paid for work who is not an employee, with totals and their address, so forms can be issued if needed.
• Last year's return, if this preparer did not do it.

Where York fits

If the year was kept in York, this package is a question: "give me the year-end summary." Income, expenses by category, mileage and the client list come out of the records you already have, as files your preparer can open. What goes on the return is theirs to decide; York gives no tax advice.

If the year was not kept anywhere

Bank and card statements are the backbone. Bring every month, plus whatever receipts survived. A bookkeeper can rebuild the year from those; see My Maine Bookkeeper at the same office.