Tax season always starts the same way. You tell yourself you will file early this year, then you open your inbox, and realize half the paperwork is still floating somewhere out in the world.
Freelancers feel this more than anyone because your return depends on other people doing their admin correctly, on time, and with your name spelled right.
The fastest way to get stuck is waiting for a form that never shows up, or assuming a missing form means missing income. Missing forms are common. Missing income is expensive.
This checklist fixes the bottleneck. It shows you what you are missing, who to contact, and what you can finish today using your own records.
Start here: list every place money touched your business
Before you chase anything, write down every source that paid you last year. Clients, platforms, agencies, affiliates, brand deals, payment processors, banks, and marketplaces.
Then list every place you spent money. Cards, accounts, subscriptions, mileage, equipment, home office costs, contractors, and taxes.
If you want a clean place to start tracking right away, use a spreadsheet that already has categories and totals built in. This one is made for freelancers and 1099 work: Independent Contractor Expenses Spreadsheet.
The missing documents checklist
Income documents
- Your own invoice list for the year, including paid, unpaid, and partially paid invoices
- Year-end payment summaries from major clients and platforms
- Payment processor exports from PayPal, Stripe, Square, and similar tools
- Bank deposit list covering the full year, so you can match deposits to invoices
- Any tax forms you receive that summarize payments, keep them, then reconcile them against your books
If your invoicing system is a mess, you can reset it fast with a clean template and consistent numbering using a Google Sheets Invoice Template.
Expense proof
- Business credit card year-end summaries, or monthly statements if you do not have a summary
- Receipts for software, subscriptions, and renewals that hit quietly
- Equipment purchases, laptops, monitors, phones, cameras, and upgrades
- Home office documentation, square footage plus rent or mortgage statements and utility bills
- Contractor payments you made, including names and contact info you used to pay them
If you want a lightweight, all-purpose way to track spending month by month, this one is a solid baseline: Google Sheets Expense Tracker Template.
Travel and mileage
- A mileage log, do not rely on your calendar memory in February
- Parking, tolls, and travel receipts tied to work
If you need a log you can maintain from your phone, start with a Mileage Log Template for Google Sheets.
Easy-to-forget items that change the outcome
- Estimated tax payment records, dates and amounts, federal and state
- Retirement contribution confirmations if you contribute to a SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, or solo 401(k)
- Health insurance documents, especially if you used a marketplace plan
Use a tracker so you stop relying on memory
Create a one-page tracker with these columns: Source, Expected document, Expected arrival window, Status, Follow-up date, Notes. When you do this, your brain stops running background tasks.
What to do when something is missing
Step 1: Confirm the basics
Most missing forms went to an old email, a prior address, or the wrong legal name. Confirm what the payer has on file before you escalate.
Step 2: Ask for totals, not paperwork
A form can take time. A year-end total is usually available right away. If your goal is to file cleanly and early, totals get you moving.
Step 3: Build your return from your books
Your tax return should be built from invoices, deposits, and expense records, then cross-checked against any forms you receive. That order keeps you in control.
Two short messages you can copy and send
Client follow-up
Hi, quick tax-season question. Can you confirm the total amount paid to me last year, and the name and email address you have on file for any required tax forms? Thanks!
Platform support follow-up
Hi, I am preparing my taxes and need my full-year payout summary, including dates and totals. Can you point me to where I can download it, or send it directly? Thanks!
Quick FAQ
What if I never receive a tax form?
You still report your income. Use your invoices, deposits, and platform exports to calculate totals, then reconcile if a form arrives later.
What if a form shows the wrong amount?
Reconcile it against your records. If it is still wrong, ask the payer for a corrected form and keep documentation of your request.
What is the fastest way to stay organized next year?
Track income and expenses monthly, not in February. If you want a clean starting point, the independent contractor expenses spreadsheet makes it easier to keep categories consistent.
Bottom line
List what you expect, track what arrives, follow up early, and build your return from your own records first. When the missing documents show up, they become a cross-check, not a roadblock.