Your personal tax documents checklist, with what's still missing
Tax season goes wrong when one form turns up two days before the deadline. This prompt has your todo.is agent build a checklist for your exact situation, search your Gmail for forms that already arrived, and nudge you each week about what's still missing.
The prompt
- Make me a tax documents checklist for the [TAX YEAR] tax year in [COUNTRY OR STATE]. My situation: [MY SITUATION]. Group it by income, deductions and credits, personal details, and last year's documents, and say for each item who sends it and usually by when. Search my Gmail for tax forms and statements that already arrived (from employers, banks, brokers, lenders, schools) and mark those as received with a link to the email. Give me the list as a PDF and a one-page Excel tracker with status columns. Then every [DAY AND TIME] until [FILING DEADLINE], send me on [WHERE TO REMIND ME] the items still missing. Don't give tax advice; add a note on which questions to bring to my accountant or tax preparer.
What to change
- [TAX YEAR]: E.g. "2026".
- [COUNTRY OR STATE]: E.g. "California, USA", "UK" or "Ontario, Canada". The forms differ a lot by country.
- [MY SITUATION]: E.g. "married, 2 kids, one W-2 job, freelance design income, mortgage, sold some stock, contributed to an IRA".
- [DAY AND TIME]: E.g. "Sunday at 18:00".
- [FILING DEADLINE]: The date you want to be ready, e.g. "March 15". Earlier than the official deadline is wise.
- [WHERE TO REMIND ME]: WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or email.
Example result
- 2026 tax documents checklist, California (USA)
- Married filing jointly · 2 kids · W-2 job + freelance income · mortgage · stock sales · IRA
- Personal details
- • [x] Social Security numbers and dates of birth for both of you and the kids
- • [x] Last year's federal and state returns (for carryovers and prior-year AGI)
- • [ ] Bank account and routing number for a direct deposit refund
- Income
- • [x] W-2 from Brightline Health (employer, usually by end of January) · found in Gmail Jan 24
- • [x] 1099-NEC from Orchard Studio (freelance client paying $600+) · found Jan 29
- • [ ] 1099-NEC from Kestrel Media · not found yet, ask the client
- • [ ] 1099-B and dividend 1099-DIV from your broker (often mid-February, corrected forms can follow)
- • [x] 1099-INT from your savings bank · found Jan 31
- • [ ] Your own record of freelance income and expenses (invoices, receipts, mileage)
- Deductions and credits
- • [ ] 1098 mortgage interest statement from your lender
- • [x] Property tax bill or payment records · found in Gmail
- • [ ] IRA contribution record (Form 5498 often arrives in May; your own statement is enough to start)
- • [ ] Childcare provider name, address, tax ID and amount paid
- • [ ] Charity donation receipts
- • [x] Health insurance form (1095) · found Feb 2
- Questions for your tax preparer
- • Should the home office be claimed for the freelance work?
- • Do the stock sales include any wash sales or old lots without cost basis?
- • Are quarterly estimated payments needed next year?
- Reminders
- Every Sunday at 18:00 on WhatsApp: "Still missing: 1099-B, 1098, Kestrel 1099-NEC, childcare details. 5 weeks to your March 15 goal."
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and describe your tax year, location and life situation in a sentence.
- Connect Google in todo.is so your agent can search Gmail, then paste the prompt on the Today screen.
- You get a PDF checklist and an Excel tracker, with received documents already ticked and linked.
- Each week you get the short missing list. Reply "got the 1098" and it updates the tracker.
Tips for a better result
- List life changes from this year (new job, baby, house, move, side income). They add documents people forget.
- Freelancers: your own income records matter more than the 1099s. Clients sometimes don't send one.
- Set your own goal date weeks before the official deadline, so a late form doesn't force an extension.
- Attach the documents to your agent as they arrive and ask for one zipped folder for your preparer.
tax documents checklist: FAQ
- What documents do I need to file taxes? Usually ID numbers, income forms (wage statements, freelance and investment forms), records of deductible costs and last year's return. The exact list depends on your country and situation, which is why the checklist is built for you.
- When do tax forms arrive? In the US, most W-2 and 1099 forms are due to you by the end of January, while brokerage forms often come in mid-February. Other countries have their own calendars, so check your tax office.
- Can todo.is file my taxes? No. It organizes the documents and reminds you. For filing and tax advice, use your tax software, a tax preparer or an accountant.
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