85 - 3 things I am doing this month to organize my files and tax documents

1. Collecting tax documents.

Collecting, organizing and preparing tax documentation is overwhelming. I think it is because the information you need comes to you in a trickle through the mail, your email inbox and your own receipts - little by little - every day for weeks like Chinese water torture.

So I have come up with a few ways to alleviate my anxiety and take the torture out of tax preparation.

  1. Have a file, box or basket to put ALL incoming tax information.
  2. Make a master list AFTER you file your taxes this year of the documents you needed to find. Above is a picture of my list.
  3. Set aside  a 3-4 hour chunk of time to organize and prepare your taxes in one sitting. I actually look forward to this day. :)

2. Purging all my files & creating a color coded filing system.

After I file our taxes in early February I purge our filing cabinet. The first time I really did this it took days and I was able to get rid of 80% of what I had.
 
Download my FREE Printable - To Shred or Not to Shred
 

So I thought and thought and came up with this simpler, yet still cool, system. I already had colored hanging files {which I LOVE!!} and I assigned each category in my filing cabinet a color.

Then I purged each file as I put the contents in the new colored file.

 

3. Systematizing my home based business income & expenses for 2016.

Tax time has been a breeze the past few years because I have kept up with my business taxes each month.

Having been in business for myself for over 20 years, I know how hard it is to keep everything organized. This year I disciplined myself to do my finances in my business all by myself DAILY!

Each month I would reconcile and do my tax prep on the 1st of the month. I actually started to look forward to it because I have created a checklist and form to fill out each month so I didn't miss any expenses.

Each month I knew how much I actually made. I was able to continually refine my process and reduce my expenses.

This year I had my graphic designer make my pages in to adorable printables and they are available in my ETSY shop both as a digital download or printed with divider tabs in a DUO Binder.

Click here to read the full post, download the printable and enter the giveaway!

2356 232

Suggested Podcasts

sanjana nair

Mawer Investment Management Ltd.

VS

Poetry Foundation

Storic Podcasts -Tom McCaffrey

Brent Weinbach and Rob F. Switch

Hingdagong hegui

Savitha Nanjappa

Priyanka