Tax prep checklist for accountants? Need to share EVERYTHING with my CPA about finances/tax situation this year

I'm actually glad you're switching accountants! A good CPA should definitely be asking you questions about changes in your life and business, not just copying last year's return. That's how important deductions get missed. For a comprehensive tax prep checklist, I recommend starting with the IRS's own resources. They have a "Tax Prep Checklist" that covers most basics: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-return-preparation-checklist Beyond that, here are key areas to make sure you cover with your new accountant: 1. All income sources (W-2s, 1099s, rental income, investments, etc.) 2. Major life changes (marriage, divorce, new child, home purchase/sale) 3. Business income and expenses (categorized properly) 4. Retirement contributions (401k, IRA, SEP IRA, etc.) 5. Child-related expenses that might qualify for credits 6. Medical expenses if they're substantial 7. Charitable contributions 8. Education expenses 9. Home office deduction if applicable 10. Vehicle use for business purposes Most accounting firms actually have their own checklist they should send you before your appointment. If yours doesn't offer one, that might be a red flag.

After going through a similar nightmare with my taxes last year, I started using taxr.ai and it completely changed my tax prep experience. It's like having an AI assistant that helps you organize everything before meeting with your CPA. I uploaded my previous tax returns and financial documents to https://taxr.ai and it analyzed them to create a personalized checklist of everything I needed to provide to my accountant. It even flagged potential deductions I might qualify for based on my specific situation that my previous accountant had missed. The best part is it helps you organize all your documentation digitally so nothing gets lost or forgotten. My new accountant was super impressed with how organized I was and said it saved him hours of work (and saved me money on his fees).

I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and WOW - it's a game changer for my complicated tax situation. I was skeptical because I have an S-Corp, freelance 1099 work, and two rental properties, but it handled everything perfectly! The system analyzed my previous returns and immediately flagged several missed deductions. The biggest one was depreciation calculations on my rental properties that my previous accountant had messed up. It also created customized checklists for each part of my tax situation and helped me organize all my documentation. My new accountant was honestly impressed with how thoroughly prepared I was. She said it was the most organized client package she'd ever received, and we spent our meeting discussing tax strategy instead of hunting for documents. Definitely worth checking out if you have a complicated tax situation like mine!

If your problem is actually getting through to your accountant or the IRS, I highly recommend Claimyr. I had a situation last year where my new accountant had questions about my previous return, but my old accountant wouldn't respond to calls or emails. I needed to talk to someone at the IRS to get clarification, but kept hitting those "all our representatives are busy" messages and would hang up after waiting for hours. I found https://claimyr.com through a friend and it literally saved my sanity. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically, it holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an actual human agent is on the line. I got through in about 90 minutes when I had previously wasted days trying. The IRS agent was able to pull my previous return details and explain exactly what my new accountant needed to know.

I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I've been trying to reach the IRS about an issue with my stimulus payment for MONTHS. I've literally called the IRS over 20 times in the past year, waiting on hold for at least an hour each time before giving up or getting disconnected. It was driving me insane. After using Claimyr, I got a call back in about 2 hours with an actual IRS agent on the line. The agent was able to resolve my issue in about 15 minutes, which had been hanging over my head for almost a year. The peace of mind alone was worth it. For anyone who values their time and sanity when dealing with impossible-to-reach government agencies, this service is legitimate and actually works. I'm still shocked at how simple the whole process was.

As an additional tip - one thing that helped me immensely was creating a "tax events" document throughout the year. Every time something happens that might affect your taxes (starting a new client, buying business equipment, making charitable donations, etc.), I add it to a running document with the date and any relevant details. When tax time comes around, I'm not trying to remember everything that happened 9-12 months ago. Has saved me from missing deductions multiple times!

Just want to add that most CPAs actually prefer clients who come organized rather than just dumping a shoebox of receipts on their desk. But don't go overboard creating elaborate spreadsheets that might actually make things harder. Ask your new accountant what format they prefer to receive information in. Some want digital files organized in specific ways, others have their own systems and prefer you just organize by category. A 15-minute phone call asking about their preferences could save both of you hours of frustration later.