Free tool
Tax document checklist
Every return needs a different stack of paperwork. Tick the situations that applied to your year and get a tailored, printable list of exactly which documents to gather, no account, no email, free. For the why behind each form, read the documents you need for tax season.
Step 1
Which of these were true this tax year?
Tick everything that applies. The checklist below updates as you go, and links each named form to a plain explainer. Leave the rest unchecked.
4 documents to gather
Tax Document Checklist
Made with Granite, an AI document vault. granite.co
Before you file
This checklist is a starting point, not tax advice. Every return is different, so check with a tax professional about your situation. Granite organizes your documents; it doesn't prepare or file your taxes.
How it works
Build your list in under a minute
No software, no account. The list starts empty and only fills with what your situation actually calls for.
- 1
Tick your situations
A W-2 job, freelance income, a mortgage, kids, tuition, investments, a marketplace health plan, a big life change. Tick everything that was true this tax year.
- 2
Get your tailored list
The checklist assembles itself as you go, grouped by category, with each named form linked to a plain explainer so you know what you're looking for.
- 3
Print it or copy it, then check forms off
Print the list or copy it to text, then tick each form as it arrives in January and February. When nothing's left unchecked, you're ready to file.
Why it’s different
A list of your forms, not everyone’s
Most “tax documents checklist” pages hand you one giant static list, dozens of forms, almost none of which apply to you. You end up scanning for the five rows that matter and second-guessing the rest.
This tool works the other way around. It starts empty and adds a document only when you tell it the situation that produces it. Freelancers see 1099-NEC and 1099-K; homeowners see the 1098 mortgage interest statement; parents see the childcare records line. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored, so it’s safe to use with your real situation, then printed and kept by the mail.
Once the forms start arriving, the filing is the part that usually gets messy. That’s the rest of what Granite does: drop each W-2, 1099, or 1098 in and it’s read and filed automatically, grouped into a collection for the year, ready to hand to your accountant.
Questions
Tax documents, answered
- What documents do I need to file my taxes?
- It depends on how you earned and spent money this year. Everyone needs Social Security numbers for the people on the return and last year's return for reference. From there it branches: a W-2 if you were employed, 1099-NEC or 1099-K for freelance and gig work, 1098 for mortgage interest, 1098-T for tuition, 1095-A for a marketplace health plan, and so on. Tick your situations above and the tool builds the exact list for you.
- Is this checklist personalized?
- Yes. Most tax checklists are one long static list where most rows don't apply to you. This one starts empty and adds only the documents your situation calls for as you tick the boxes, so you're not hunting for forms you'll never have.
- Do you store anything I enter?
- No. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is saved. The whole tool runs in your browser, there's no account and no email, and the checklist disappears when you close the tab. Copy it to text or print it before you go.
- When should I start gathering tax documents?
- Most income forms (W-2s, 1099s, 1098s) are required to be sent by late January or mid-February, so early February is a good time to start a checklist and tick forms off as they arrive. Build the list now and you'll know immediately if something's missing.
- What if a form never arrives?
- Issuers sometimes miss the deadline or mail to an old address. If a W-2 or 1099 you're expecting hasn't shown up by mid-February, contact the employer or payer first. You're still responsible for reporting that income even without the paper form, so your own records matter.
- Is it really free?
- Yes. No account, no email, no watermark. It's a free tool from Granite, an AI document vault that reads and files the documents you drop into it.
Keep exploring
Related from Granite
- The documents you need for tax seasonThe plain-English companion read: what each form is, what it reports, and how long to keep it after you file.
- Granite for small businessReceipts, 1099s, and contracts read and filed automatically, ready to hand to your accountant.
- More free toolsChecklists and calculators for getting your documents in order, no account needed.
The checklist gets you to the pile
Gathering the forms is half the battle. Granite is the other half: drop in each W-2, 1099, and 1098 and it's read, filed, and grouped into a tax-year collection, ready when you are. Free for your first 25 documents.