📞 Preparing for Your 30-Minute Call With a Tax Expert

A 30-minute consultation with a MyTax.Dog tax professional is the perfect way to get clarity, confidence, and a clear plan for your taxes. To make the most of your time, it helps to gather a few essential details ahead of the call. Even if you don’t have everything ready, reviewing the items below will help your tax expert understand your situation quickly, saving time and reducing stress.

1. Know Your Filing Situation

Think about the basics of your tax year:

• Are you filing solo, married, or head of household?
• Do you have dependents or anyone you financially support?
• Did your situation change this year—marriage, divorce, new baby, new job, relocation?

These details help us choose the correct filing status and identify deductions or credits you may qualify for.

2. Employment & Income Sources

List all sources of income you received, even if you don’t have the forms yet:

• W-2 income (jobs or seasonal work)
• Independent contractor income (Uber, Doordash, freelance work, consulting)
• Side gigs or cash work
• Social Security, disability, unemployment
• Rental property income
• Investment or crypto income (even small amounts)
• Business income (LLC, sole prop, Schedule C)
• Foreign income or accounts

You don’t need the actual documents in hand—just knowing the types of income helps us determine which forms you’ll likely need.

3. Expense & Deduction Categories

Think through the major categories where you spent money that could reduce your tax bill:

• Mortgage interest, property taxes, HOA
• Medical or insurance premiums
• Childcare expenses
• Education or tuition
• Charitable donations
• Work-related expenses (tools, uniforms, mileage)
• Business expenses (software, supplies, contractors, equipment)
• Retirement contributions (IRA, Roth, 401k)
• HSA contributions
• Energy-efficient home upgrades

Even a rough estimate gives your expert enough to advise on potential deductions and credits.

4. Previous Tax Filings

If you’ve filed before, it helps to know:

• Who prepared your return? (self-filed, CPA, other service)
• Any issues last year?
• Refund or amount owed?
• Whether you need to file previous years or amendments

If you are behind on taxes, don’t stress—just let us know which years are missing so we can help you catch up without judgment.

5. Documents to Gather (If Available)

You don’t need every document before the call, but if you have any of these available, keep them nearby:

• Last year’s tax return
• W-2s or pay stubs
• 1099s (NEC, K, R, INT, DIV, B)
• Brokerage statements
• Crypto transaction summaries
• 1098 mortgage statement
• Business P&L (even rough)
• Bank statements for cash income
• Childcare receipts
• Health insurance forms (1095-A if Marketplace)

6. Goals & Questions

Write down anything you want to ask—we want to cover everything important to you:

• How to lower taxes this year
• Whether you should change your business structure
• Estimated tax payment strategies
• What documents you need to submit
• How your refund or balance due will change based on income

7. Tech Setup

You’ll receive a link to join the call. Make sure:

• Your phone is charged
• You’re in a quiet place
• You can quickly access your email if we need to send files

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