It is a good idea to organize your tax file year-wise for effective Financial Planning and future reference. Keep the following information ready for doing your current year taxes.

Personal Info

• Residential Status (Citizen/Green Card Holders/H1B) 
• Social Security Numbers (Taxpayer/Spouse/Children) 
• Child Care Provider (Name, Address and Tax ID/SSN) 
• Dependents (SSN, Months Lived with you, Date of Birth)

Income Info

• W-2 Forms 
• Interest Income (Form 1099-INT & 1099-OID) 
• Interest on Foreign Financial Accounts
• Dividend Income (Form 1099-DIV) 
• Rental Income
• Stock Transactions (Form 1099-B) 
• Miscellaneous Income (Forms 1099-MISC) 
• Gambling/Lottery Winnings 
• Scholarships/Fellowships/Grants Prizes/Awards/Bonus 
• State/Local Income Tax Refunds (Form 1099-G) 
• Tips/Commissions Other Income, if any

Home Info

• Residential Address, County Name, School District  
• Mortgage Interest paid (Form 1098)  
• Sale of House/Real Estate (Form 1099-S) 
• Real Estate Taxes paid

Expense Info

• Child Care Expenses 
• Job-related Education expenses  
• Property Tax information (Automobiles) 
• Student Loan Interest paid 
• Gifts/Donations to Charity 
• Volunteer Work (Expenses, Mileage)  
• Medical Expenses  
• Casualty/Theft Losses 

Foreign Financial Assets Info

• Taxpayers with specified foreign financial assets that exceed certain thresholds must report those assets to the IRS on Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, which is filed with an income tax return. 

• FBAR must also be filed if the aggregate value of the foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the Tax Year. Non-compliance will put the taxpayers in heavy civil/criminal penalties.

• Following information is required for each Bank/Institution: 
  • Bank/Institution/Insurance/Mutual Fund Name and Address 
  • Account Type (Bank Account/Stock/Mutual Fund etc) 
  • Account Number 
  • Maximum Balance at anytime during the Calendar Year 
  • Ending Balance on December 31st 
  • Interest/Dividend Income 
  • Foreign Tax Paid/Deducted, if any 
  • Joint Holder Name and SSN, if Joint Account

Other Info

• Retirement Plan contributions (IRA, Keogh etc.) 
• HSA Distributions (1099-SA) 
• Any other information.