Year-End Tax Prep Checklist Template

Checklist

Who should use this checklist

Owner-operators preparing to hand off records to a tax preparer, and anyone who has been doing their own bookkeeping and wants to confirm nothing is missing before filing season. The checklist works whether you use accounting software or a spreadsheet — the categories are the same, just the source of the totals differs. First-time filers will find this particularly useful for understanding what a preparer typically asks for.

Income records to gather

1099-NEC forms from each carrier or broker who paid you $600 or more during the year. Carrier settlement statements for every week or pay period — these are your backup documentation even if you received a 1099. If you use a factoring company, request a year-end earnings statement showing total invoices factored and fees charged. Check carrier portals starting in early January — most are required to issue 1099s by January 31, but having settlement statements is important regardless.

How to work through the Assets row

For truck or trailer purchases, note the date acquired, purchase price, any trade-in allowance, and how it was paid (cash, loan, or lease). Your preparer needs this to determine depreciation, potential Section 179 expensing, and whether a trade-in affects your basis in the old equipment. For sales, note the date, sale price, and your approximate cost basis. These items have a significant effect on the tax return and are often the area where preparers need the most clarification.

The Notes and questions column

Write down anything that happened during the year you're unsure how to handle: a major repair that might be a capital improvement rather than a maintenance expense, an insurance claim settlement that came in during the year, a dispute with a carrier over a settlement deduction, a missed quarterly payment, or a new factoring arrangement. You don't need to know the tax answer — that's the preparer's job. Flagging the question in advance means the preparer can research it before the appointment instead of discovering it mid-meeting.

Before sending the packet

Confirm you have at least one copy of everything for your own records. Label each document so the preparer can identify it without asking. If sending digitally, a folder structure that mirrors the checklist rows — Income, Fuel, Repairs, Insurance, Assets — is easier to work with than a single folder of unsorted files. Send the packet at least a week before the appointment, not the morning of.

Helpful Tools

• Year-End Tax Packet Builder

FAQ