5 Tips to simplify tax time

April 15 always seems to sneak up, and surely this year will be no different. While there’s no escaping the tax deadline, this year will be the easiest tax season ever. Use the following tips to streamline the tax return process and minimize stress.

1. Review and complete the tax organizer. The organizer provides you with your prior year information and helps your tax professional gather valuable information about you that may impact your tax return.

2. Provide electronic documents whenever possible. The electronic tax documents obtained directly from your banks and brokerages are high quality and easy to read, which minimizes errors.

3. Respond to communications from your tax professional as quickly as possible. Often our questions just require a short answer to finalize the preparation of your tax return.

4. Review your prepared tax return as soon as it’s available so that any necessary corrections can be made well before the April 15 filing deadline. If no corrections are needed, sign the e-file authorization to complete the process.

The four tips outlined above are suggestions we’ve made for years. They help streamline the process for you and your tax professional. With your help, we can focus on maximizing valuable tax deductions.

If you are someone who wants less paper clutter in your life and is interested in an electronic way to send us your tax documents, contact us about Tax Caddy. Tax Caddy is iPhone and Android friendly and can also be used through your desktop computer. TaxCaddy makes it easier than ever to gather your 1040 tax documents and deliver them to us, communicate with us, answer your questionnaire electronically, and sign documents like the e-file authorization.