Small Business Tax Prep Checklist for Contractors: What to Bring Your Preparer
What does your tax preparer actually need from you?
More than a stack of receipts. A trades business return pulls from your books, your bank, your payroll, your subs, and your vehicles. Missing one piece can stall your return or leave a deduction on the table.
Here's what to gather for your 2026 business return, and when it's due.
Key Dates for 2026 Returns
January 15, 2027: Fourth-quarter estimated tax payment due.
February 1, 2027: Forms 1099-NEC due to your subs and the IRS.
March 15, 2027: S corp returns (Form 1120-S) and partnership returns due.
April 15, 2027: Sole proprietor returns (Schedule C on Form 1040) due.
Get your documents to your preparer at least a few weeks before your due date.
Business Basics
Your EIN and legal business name.
Last year's tax return, business and personal.
Formation papers if anything changed: new LLC, new owner, or a name change.
Your S corp acceptance letter (CP261) if you're an S corp, or your Form 2553 if you elected this year.
Any IRS or California tax notices you got during the year.
Your Books
This is the part that matters most. A preparer can only file what your books show.
Profit and loss statement for the full year.
Balance sheet as of December 31.
Proof the books are reconciled. Every bank and credit card account should match its statements through December.
Year-end bank and credit card statements for every business account.
If your books are behind, catch them up first. Filing from guesses usually means missed deductions or a bigger bill later.
Income Records
Forms 1099-NEC from any customers who sent them.
Forms 1099-K from payment apps or processors, if you got them. The IRS reporting threshold is back to $20,000 and more than 200 transactions.
Payout reports from Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, or your card processor. These show sales before fees, which is what your income should reflect.
Vehicles and Equipment
Mileage log for each vehicle used for business.
Purchase paperwork for any truck, van, or equipment bought this year, with the date it was put to work.
The GVWR (from the door sticker) for any vehicle bought this year. It decides how fast you can write it off.
Sale or trade-in paperwork for anything you got rid of.
Payroll and Subs
Year-end payroll reports, including Forms W-2 and W-3.
Quarterly payroll returns (Form 941, and California's DE 9 if you're in California).
A list of every sub you paid, with totals, and copies of the 1099-NECs you filed.
W-9s on file for each sub.
Payments You Already Made
Federal estimated tax payments, with dates and amounts.
California estimated payments, with dates and amounts.
Any payment made with an extension.
Owner Items
Health insurance premiums you paid as a self-employed owner.
Retirement contributions to a SEP IRA or Solo 401(k), including any you plan to make before the deadline.
Home office details: square footage of the office and the whole home, plus rent or mortgage interest, utilities, and insurance.
Extra Items for S Corps
Owner salary paid through payroll during the year.
Distributions you took, by owner.
Loans between you and the business, either direction.
Last year's basis records (Form 7203), if you have them.
Key Takeaway: The most important document isn't on this list by itself. It's a set of clean, reconciled books. Get those right, add the forms above, and your return goes faster and catches more deductions.
Before you file, run through our Small Business Tax Deductions Checklist for Contractors to make sure nothing was missed. Not on track with estimated payments? See Quarterly Estimated Taxes for Contractors: What to Pay.
At Civita Tax Solutions, we help home service business owners save money on taxes with all-in-one accounting. We handle your bookkeeping, advisory, and tax filing. You focus on the business. We handle the finances.
Want a preparer who already has your books? See our tax preparation pricing, or book a free consultation.
