2025 U.S. Check List

For U.S Returns

• March 15, 2026: Foreign Grantor Trust- Form 3520-A (TFSA’s)

• April 15, 2026: Regular deadline and payment due date 

• June 15, 2026: Automatic expat extension (Form 4868 extension available)
  

• October 15, 2026: Extended deadline (only if you file Form 4868)  (Filing deadline - April 15, 2025).

 Our checklist is designed for filing a federal personal income tax return.

Personal information Please ensure we have the following information in our files.
1. Social Insurance Number (SIN) for all persons in your family.
2. Dates of birth for all persons in the family.
3. Are you (and family members) Unitied States citizens?  
4. Current address.
5. Prior 2 years' income tax returns. (New clients only)
6. If you were not present in U.S for the entire year, please provide the number of days you were in the U.S. include specific dates.

Request an Extension -U.S. Individual Tax Return:
It is better to extend than to amend!  If you need more time to prepare your return, please request that we file for an extension . We will file an extension only upon your request, provided we receive sufficient information prior to the deadline. Please send information as early as possible.  Note:  An extension does not give you more time to pay your taxes!

Request an Extension - Foreign Grantor Trusts- Form 3520-A (TFSA’s) :
Please contact us if you will require an extension of this return. (IRS can impose a civil penalty equal to the greater of $10,000 or 5% for the gross value for the late filing of Form 3520-A and a similar penalty for the late filing of Form 3520).

Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) The IRS are urging all taxpayers to obtain an IP PIN. An IP PIN is an IRS-assigned identification number used to verify your identity, it is designed to help combat ID theft by preventing someone else from filing a tax return using your SSN. Use this link to apply for an IP PIN online

Taxes you've paid
You’ll need records of any prepaid taxes, which are subtracted from the amount you owe on your tax return (withheld federal income taxes will be shown on W-2 and 1099 forms).

• estimated or other tax payments made for the tax year

• tax payments made with a request to extend the time to file

U.S Foreign Financial Asset and/or Foreign Controlled Corporation reporting

1. Foreign Bank and Financial Account Reporting (FBAR's) - Form 114  must be filed if the aggregate maximum values of your foreign financial accounts (outside the U.S) exceed $10,000 at any time during the calendar year. The new annual due date for FBAR filing is April 15th to coincide with the federal income tax filing deadline.   FinCEN will grant an extension to October 15th each year.
All foreign (non US) bank and financial accounts you have signing authority over must be reported, including retirement accounts.

Click here for more information and a template to assist you in organizing your foreign bank accounts.

Details of all foreign (non U.S.) bank and financial accounts, including RRSP(s), LIRA(s) TFSA(s), RESP(s), FHSA(s) and insurance policies with a cash value.
- Bank Name and Address
- Account number
- Account owner(s)
- Approx. maximum balance during the year.

2. Reporting of Foreign Controlled Corporations - Form 5471 : US citizens and residents who are officers, directors or shareholders in foreign corporations may have additional filing requirements.   Form 5471-Information Return of U.S. Persons With Respect to Certain Foreign Corporations may be expected with your annual income tax return.  For Form 5471 additional details, please check this link. For additional information regarding Controlled Foreign Corporations use this link.

Income for the tax year

Gather the tax forms, records, and other information identified below – along with any other related documents – if you have any of the common types of income listed (you may also have additional forms of taxable income).

Wages, tips, and other compensation from employment

• W-2 & T4 forms

• tips received but not reported on W-2 forms

• household employee wages not reported on W-2 form (such as from work as a nanny, babysitter, maid, cook, private nurse)

Retirement income

• 1099-R forms for distributions from retirement plans (like IRAs), pensions, and annuities

• SSA-1099 forms for Social Security benefits

• RRB-1099 forms for Railroad Retirement Board benefits

Self-employment income (Schedule C)

• 1099-NEC/MISC forms for non-employee compensation

• T4A’s and/or 1042-S

• 1099-K forms if you receive business payments through a third-party payment processor or online marketplace, such as PayPal 

• sales records

• profit and loss statements

• expense receipts and records, including for the:

  • business use of your home (such as home size, office size, home expenses, and office expenses)

  • business use of motor vehicles (such as mileage or actual costs, parking fees, tolls, registration fees)

  • cost of goods sold (such as inventory counts, materials, supplies, labor costs)

• other records or information about self-employment income

Investment income

• 1099-B forms for proceeds from the sale of stock, bonds, or other securities

• 1099-DIV forms for dividends and other distributions from investments

• 1099-INT forms for interest income

• cost and other basis information for property sold

• digital asset transaction records, such as for buying or selling cryptocurrency

• Details of capital transactions for the year (sales of stocks, bonds, other capital property)

Rental income

• 1099-MISC forms showing rent payments received

• rents receive but not reported on 1099-MISC forms

• profit and loss statements

• number of days property is rented

• receipts and other records for expenses, such as mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, repair and maintenance costs

• depreciation schedules, if you’re claiming depreciation on your rental property

Real estate sales income

• 1099-S forms for proceeds from sale of real estate

• escrow closing statements

• cost and other basis information for property sold

Other common forms of income

• alimony received for divorce settlements finalized before 2019 (records of alimony payments and date of settlement agreement)

• business income from S corporations, partnerships, and LLCs (Schedule K-1 forms)

• gambling winnings (W-2G forms)

• prizes or awards (records showing amount of cash or value of property received)

• refund of state or local income tax (1099-G forms)

• scholarships used for incidental expenses or received as payment for services (records showing how scholarship funds were used and why given)

• stock options (dates, stock value, and other information about granting and exercising options and sale of stock)

• unemployment compensation (1099-G forms)

Tax deductions and credits

Collect the tax forms, records, and other information identified below – along with any other related documents – if you qualify for any of the common personal income tax deductions or credits listed (additional tax breaks may also be available).

Alimony deduction (only if divorce settlement was finalized before 2019)

• amount of alimony paid

• ex-spouse’s Social Security number

Charitable gifts deduction

• receipts, bank or credit card statement, canceled checks, or other records showing amount, date, and recipient of cash donations

• for gifts of $250 or more, a written acknowledgment from the charitable organization showing amount of money or description of property donated, and stating whether or not the organization gave you any goods or services in return

• 1098-C forms for contributions of motor vehicles, boats, and airplanes

• appraisals for deductions over $5,000 for donations of property (over $500 for donations of clothing and household items)

• mileage for use of your motor vehicle to do volunteer work for charitable organizations

Medical and dental expense deduction

• receipts and other records for unreimbursed payments for doctor or dentist visits, tests, treatments, and other services

• insurance premiums paid for medical and dental coverage (unless paid through payroll deductions with pre-tax money), including premiums for Medicare and long-term care insurance

• mileage for use of your motor vehicle for medical reasons

• lodging expenses (but not meals) while away from home to receive medical care

• receipts for payment of other deductible medical expenses

Mortgage interest and points deduction

• 1098 forms

• home mortgage interest or points not reported on 1098 forms, including recipient’s name, address, and taxpayer identification number 

State and local taxes (SALT) deduction

• estimated state and local income tax payments

• sales tax payment records, such as sales receipts (will be used if you end up deducting sales taxes instead of state and local income taxes, and you’re not using the IRS’s optional sales tax tables to calculate your sales tax deduction)

• real estate tax payment records, including escrow closing statements from mortgage refinancing or home purchase

• personal property tax payment records, including for motor vehicle license fees based on the value of your vehicle

Student loan interest deduction

• 1098-E forms

• loan statements if 1098-E form not received

• loan origination fee or capitalized interest records (for loans made before September 1, 2004)

Other common tax deductions

• Archer medical spending account (MSA) deduction (5498-SA forms)

• disaster/casualty and theft loss deduction (documents and records showing amount of damage, basis and value of damaged or stolen property, insurance reimbursements)

• gambling losses, if you have gambling winnings (receipts, raffle tickets, gambling logs, and other gambling records) 

• health savings account (HSA) deduction (5498-SA forms)

• investment interest expense deduction (documents and records for loans used to buy property held for investment)

• moving expense deduction for military personnel (receipts and records showing costs of transporting and storing household items and personal effects, traveling to new location, and other moving expenses)

• self-employed health insurance deduction (premium payment records, Form 1095-A if you bought insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace)

Child and dependent care credit

• amount paid for care of qualifying person

• care provider’s name, address, and taxpayer identification number

Clean vehicle credit (for purchase of electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or fuel cell vehicle)

• time-of-sale report from dealer (also called a seller report), which includes information about the dealer, vehicle purchased, sale price, transfer of credit to dealer (if applicable), maximum credit, and more

• MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price), if you buy a new vehicle (MSRP can be found on the vehicle information label attached to each vehicle on a dealer's premises)

Education tax credits (American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Credits)

• 1098-T forms

• records for payment of qualified educational expenses not included on 1098-T forms

Home energy tax credits (Energy-Efficient Home Improvement and Residential Clean Energy Credits)

• records for qualified energy-saving upgrades to your home, including for exterior doors, windows, skylights, insulation, central air conditioners, water heaters, furnaces, heat pumps, home energy audits, and more

• receipts for installing qualified clean energy systems to your home, including for solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal heat pumps, battery storage units, fuel cell generators, and more

• kilowatt capacity of fuel cell systems (if applicable)

Premium tax credit (for insurance purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace)

• 1095-A forms

Retirement savings contributions credit (Saver's Credit)

• amounts contributed to eligible retirement accounts and ABLE accounts

Other information

You’ll also want to pull together the following information.

• bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit or tax payments

• foreign bank account information (if Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) reporting is required)

• last year’s tax return for general reference and e-filing

• driver’s license information for e-filing (optional for additional security)

The above list is not intended to be comprehensive, but should serve as a general checklist for you. In many situations, other income or expense items may be relevant, as well as moving expenses, tuition fees and other issues.

If you require more information, please contact us at any time.