Tax-document checklist before you file

List your jobs and life events; get a plain checklist of W-2s, 1099s and records to gather before you file.

What it does

No bot required. The IRS says to keep the documents you need in one place so you can file an accurate return, claim credits you're due, and avoid errors that delay a refund. Paste a short description of your year (jobs, side gigs, kids, school, home) into any chat AI and it builds a gather-first checklist from the IRS list: Social Security numbers for everyone on the return, W-2s and common 1099s, records for credits and deductions, and the extra paperwork for freelance or gig work. You do the gathering and filing yourself (or with your tax person). It's a checklist, not tax advice.

Copy-paste prompt

No bot needed: paste this into Grok, ChatGPT, or Claude.

Help me gather what I need before I file my federal taxes, using the IRS "Gather your documents" page.

About my tax year: [e.g. W-2 job, side gig on a payment app, sold some stuff online, married filing jointly, 2 kids, paid daycare, had a mortgage, put money in a 401k, I'm a student].
Don't ask for my Social Security number, bank account numbers, AGI, PINs or any form amounts. Use roles and document types only.

1. Make a checklist grouped like the IRS page:
   - Personal info to have ready (SSN/ITIN for everyone on the return, current address, last year's AGI if I e-file, IP PIN if the IRS sent me one). Tell me to keep those offline, not in this chat.
   - Income forms I should watch for: W-2s, and only the 1099 types that fit what I described (for example 1099-NEC for freelance, 1099-K for payment apps/marketplaces, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-G, 1099-R, SSA-1099, W-2G, 1095-A).
   - Credit/deduction records that fit (childcare, mortgage/property tax, charity, HSA/FSA, education expenses, retirement contributions).
   - If I have side jobs or self-employment: bank/payment-app statements, mileage log, office expenses, estimated tax payments.
2. Note that payers generally send these in January or February, and tell me what the IRS says to do if a W-2 is missing (without walking through filing steps).
3. End with: this is a document checklist, not tax advice; for filing help point me to IRS.gov or a tax professional.

Keep it short and easy to print or save.