How to Organize Your Tax Stuff Without Crying Into a Pile of Receipts

Tax season is done, and if you’re like most people, you’re determined to stay organized this coming year. Next April won’t take you by surprise or have you bawling as you search for that one vital receipt. If you have ADHD or tend to procrastinate, this is a particularly difficult task.

So, let’s get off on the right foot this year. I’m here to help, in more ways than one. Today, we’ll look at how you can organize your tax stuff and avoid the existential crisis next year.

Step 1: Create a Tax “Landing Zone”

The main problem with being unorganized is just finding the stuff you need. All that paperwork gets put in different spots, and good luck finding it when you need it. Your first step is to pick a box and a folder (one real life and one digital) and just dump all tax related crap into those two places.

Don’t even worry about sorting or anything. As long as all tax-related paperwork and digital files are in the same spot, you are off to a great start. Bonus points if you snap photos of every paper item and add them to the digital file. Worst case scenario, you can simply send the folder to your tax pro when needed . . . but let’s try to do a little better.

Step 2: Gather Like Items

For this step, you’re going to schedule 10-15 minutes a week or month, depending on how often you need to do this. Divide your tax stuff into categories. These should be things like expenses, income, deductions, etc.

Digital folders make this easy on a computer, or you can use actual folders for paper items. The idea here is just to shove everything into its appropriate category, and you’re good to go. If it’s hard to concentrate, listen to a podcast or audiobook to keep your brain busy while you sort.

Step 3: Gamify It

Having trouble staying focused or remembering to put tax papers in the right spot? Use an app like Finch to gamify the task. Set it to remind you to place any tax items in the appropriate spot each week, and you’ll find it much simpler to stay organized. It may even help with other aspects of your life!

Step 4: Know When to Call for Backup

Still swimming in a sea of receipts and unable to figure out what goes where? It may be time to call in some help. A tax expert can help you sort through everything and figure out what you need to do to stay on top of things.

Since the tax pro knows exactly how everything will be categorized and filed, they can help you determine what goes where. Just make sure you contact the pro before April 1st, when they’ll already be booked through the end of the month!

Need a hand with getting your taxes in order? Ask Anna Tax is here to help. Contact me today to learn more.