Halfway to Tax Season: How to Stay Organized

Well, we’ve made it halfway through the year! Somehow summer is upon us, which only means that these next six months will fly by just as quickly as the last, if not more so. Before we know it tax season will be upon us yet again!

We at Harrington Group thought it might be helpful to give a little rundown of how you can stay (or start, no judgement) organized so that things are less stressful, dare we say frantic, once January rolls around.


1. Use a software to track expenses. Programs like Quickbooks are fantastic for helping to digitize all your expenses and receipts, keeping it in one easy-to-access place. These programs also help you break down and maintain order in the little nuances that will make a difference come tax time. You can even check the app store, there are so many helpful devices for us to access now, and they truly make life so much easier!

2. Have a filing system at home. It’s always a good idea to keep hard copies of bigger receipts, invoices, pay stubs, and deductions. Some people even keep hard copies of smaller receipts and expenses, just to have them when the season rolls around! Having a clear, concise, albeit simple system for keeping these things separated and accessible will save your tax season sanity.
We recommend folders similar to those mentioned above:
- income
- expenses,
- business/tax documents (receipts from charitable donations, business trips and deductions, etc.)

3. Lastly, have a folder ready for W-2s and 1099s and other documents when they start rolling in so everything of that nature is in one place. It’s also convenient to keep a folder for all your past tax documents, as well as one for all your past returns.