DCWP - Documents You Need to File with NYC Free Tax Prep

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NYC Free Tax Prep: What You Need to File


Are you a small business owner, freelancer, or gig worker? See checklist of documents for NYC Free Tax Prep sites specifically for the self-employed.

Get Your Documents Ready

Below is a checklist of what you need to file your 2024 tax return at an NYC Free Tax Prep site.

Identification:

▢ Government-issued photo ID (includes IDNYC)
▢ Social Security cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN). ITIN determination letters (original, copy, or electronic document) and birth dates for you, your spouse, and your dependents

Proof of Income:

When filing taxes electronically, filers must sign and validate their electronic tax return by entering their prior-year Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) or their prior-year Self-Select PIN. You can find your prior year AGI on last year's tax return or by visiting the IRS's online transcript portal.

▢ Form 1099-G if you received unemployment insurance at any point during 2024

To obtain a form, visit dol.ny.gov and search “1099-G.” or call 1-888-209-8124 to have the New York State Department of Labor mail the form to the address they have on file for you.

▢ Forms W-2, 1098, 1099, or income and expense records if you are self-employed

Forms may include:

Form W-2 (wages from each job)

Form 1099-INT (interest)

Form 1099-DIV (dividends)

Form 1099-R (retirement plans)

Form W-2G (gambling winnings)

Form SSA-1099 (Social Security benefits)

Form 1099-MISC (miscellaneous income)

Form 1099-K (deposits and earnings)

Form 1099-B (sale of stock)

Form 1098-T (scholarships and grants)

Form 1099-C (cancellation of debt)

Form 1098-T (tuition payments to attend a university or technical college)

Form 1098-E (interest paid on student loans)

Other income documentation if you are self-employed may include:

Log books showing income received and clients served
Raw estimates are not acceptable.

Copies of bank statements

Other:

▢ Documentation of business expenses if you are self-employed, including:

Paid invoices

Remitted checks

Credit card charges

Information about any home office

Raw estimates are not acceptable.

▢ Filed Forms 1040-ES (federal) and IT-2105 (New York State) showing estimated tax payments for 2023

▢ Copy of 2023 tax return or transcript (required for Assisted Self-Prep)

To request a transcript, call the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at 1-800-908-9946 or visit irs.gov and search “Get Transcript.”

▢ Form 1095-A if you, your spouse, or dependents enrolled in a health insurance plan through the Health Plan Marketplace

▢ Payment records for child care, including the provider’s name, address, and Employer Identification Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, or Social Security number

▢ Records of cash and non-cash charitable contributions

To learn more about specific filing obligations for self-employed people, please visit our toolkit for Self-Employed Filers.

Banking Information:

▢ Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of your refund
Need to open a bank account? Visit nyc.gov/safestart to find out how you can open an NYC SafeStart Account. The NYC SafeStart Account has no overdraft fees and no monthly fees if you maintain a minimum balance of $25 or even less depending on the financial institution.

▢ NY 529 account, routing, and plan numbers to directly deposit all or part of your state refund into a college savings account
Did you know you now can split your NYS refund and directly deposit all or part of it into a 529 College Savings account? There's no minimum balance needed to open an account. Visit nysaves.org or call 1-877-NYSAVES (1-877-697-2837) to learn more and to create an account.

If you are married and filing jointly, both you and your spouse must sign the required forms.

This page was updated on 11/2024.