The following items should be included when you mail us your completed Tax Data Questionnaire.  Please do not fax or email any documents.

Please fill out the Questionnaire completely and do not write “see enclosed” or “see attached sheet” on the Questionnaire instead of filling it out.  Please list a social security number for each person.  It is helpful if you remove your documents from their original envelopes before inserting them into the package to mail to us.

(This checklist is for your information only; do mail this form to us.)

Please do not use staples when mailing us the following items.

W-2s
Your employer should provide you a W-2 with several copies.  Please include at least 3 of each of your W-2’s.  Many times, the W-2’s are printed with 3 or 4 copies of the W-2 on one page – in which case we would only need the one page.

1099s
Please include a copy of each 1099 you receive.  These include 1099-DIV, 1099-B, 1099-R, 1099-HSA, 1099-MSA, 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC, 1099-K, and 1099-Q. Do not send 3 copies of 1099 forms.

• If you receive a 1099-B we will need to know your basis (usually your original purchase price).  If you do not know your basis and this information is not on the 1099-B, please ask your investment company for either a cost basis statement or a statement of gains and losses.
• If you received a distribution from a retirement account, we must have your 1099-R in order to properly prepare your return.  Be sure to fill out the 1099-R section on page 3 of our Tax Data Questionnaire and if your distribution is from a traditional IRA, please include Form 5498(s).
• If you have a Medical Savings Account or a Health Savings Account, be sure to include your 1099(s) and fill out Question 11 on page 5 of the Tax Data Questionnaire.
• Please list all income from your 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC on the Tax Data Questionnaire page 2, under Schedule C.  There is also space to list any expenses you have that are related to the 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC income.  If the chart is inadequate for your needs, please fill out a Schedule C and mail it with your completed Questionnaire.  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040sc.pdf
• If you receive a 1099-Q, please let us know the amount you paid for room & board and the year-end value of the account.

IRA DISTRIBUTIONS    Along with your 1099-R, please send us Form 5498 if you have IRA distributions.

1098-T     Send any 1098-T you receive from educational institutions. We cannot prepare forms for education credits without this document.

PREVIOUS YEAR’S TAX RETURNS    Please send us your tax returns from the previous year if we did not prepare your taxes.  If we prepared your taxes, then we already have copies.  If you use Turbo Tax, H & R Block or a similar service you may have pages of additional statements and backup…we only need the official IRS forms and schedules.

HEALTH CARE INFORMATION    If you maintained qualified health care coverage the entire year then we do not need any information from you.  Do not check the box on Question 8 on the Tax Data Questionnaire.   Qualified health insurance coverage includes insurance with essential minimum benefits as defined by the affordable care act.

If you obtained insurance through the Marketplace (federal or state exchanges online) you will receive form 1095-A.  Please include this form and if you were not insured for the entire year include the specific months you were not covered for each family members.  WE DO NOT NEED A COPY OF 1095-B or 1095-C.

FORM 4361
If you have filed Form 4361 and we do not yet have a copy, please include a copy of your approved 4361 for our files.   You do not need to include a copy if we already have one.

CLOSING STATEMENTS
If you bought a home, please include copies of your settlement statement (the settlement statement shows a list of the closing costs and is usually 1 or 2 pages).  PLEASE do not send all of your closing documents.  If you refinanced your home your points are deductible, please include your settlement statement.

If you sold a home, we need a copy of both the closing statement from the original purchase and the closing statement from the sell if any one of the following are true:  1.  You had rental income from renting out the home or  2.  You sold your home for more than $500,000 ($250,000 if one owner) or  3.  You did not live in the home for any 2 years of the past 5 years.  If you lived in the home for 2 of the past 5 years and you never collected rent for renting out the home then do not include closing statements but rather list the number of years on Question 3, page 5, of the Tax Data Questionnaire.

RENTAL INCOME AND EXPENSES
If you have a rental, please include a separate sheet of paper listing your income and itemizing expenses.  If this is the first year of the rental include the building value (land is not depreciable) and the month and year the property became a rental.  Note:  A mortgage payment is not a deductible expense–mortgage interest, real estate taxes and insurance are valid rental expenses.

ADOPTION
If you have a completed an adoption, please include a separate sheet of paper listing your child’s full name and the date the adoption was finalized.  Let us know if the adoption was considered a “special needs” adoption by the state and if not, include the amount spent in qualified adoption expenses.  Qualified adoption expenses include reasonable and necessary adoption fees, court costs and attorney fees, traveling expenses (including amounts spent for meals and lodging while away from home), and other expenses that are directly related to and for the principal purpose of the legal adoption of an eligible child.

K-1

If you believe you will receive a Form K-1, please wait until you receive it before mailing us your return.

MAILING YOUR TAX PACKET
Do not mail your return to us for preparation until you have received all pertinent tax documents. Even if you have to wait until after the deadline to get all of your documents.

Mail us your return using First-Class mail.  If you wish to meet the April deadline, mail your information so that we receive it by March 25th.  Please mail everything together in one envelope.   If you wish to expedite delivery to us, use USPS Priority Mail. Do not send anything requiring a verification signature. Do not send tax packets via FedEx or UPS.

We mail your return back to you via regular First-Class mail.    If you want to expedite receiving your completed return include a pre-paid USPS Priority Mail envelope with the tax packet you mail to us.

CONTRIBUTIONS
Because we do not have fees for our services we are often asked: “Can we contribute to your ministry in appreciation for all that you do for Pastors, Churches, and Missionaries?”  Yes, you can.  Although it is not a requirement your contribution is greatly appreciated as tax laws have become more complex.

FOREIGN MISSIONARIES
Most missionaries prefer to use a U.S. address on their tax returns.  If you were to receive an IRS notice you have a limited time to respond so whatever address you use should allow you to receive your mail in a timely fashion.  If you do use a U.S. address, please provide us with your foreign address as well.  Do not forget to answer question 14 on page 6 of the questionnaire.  Please be aware that if you have income from foreign sources or foreign assets/accounts we cannot prepare a tax return for you.

FOREIGN RETURNS
If you are in the U.S. on a R-1 VISA, be sure to let us know.  Please note that we cannot prepare returns for you if you have income or deductions from foreign countries.  We are a small non-profit with limited resources.