I've put a small, tax season gift for you on my website moneypilotadvisor.com. You can go there and download a free checklist “What Should I Consider When Reviewing My 2021 tax return”. This information also should help you prepare your return. 

If you take the standard deduction and made cash contributions to qualifying charities you can deduct up to $300 if you single or $600 for married filing jointly. A deduction reduces the amount of income we have to pay tax on. Be sure to have your donation receipts.

If you recently married or divorced, review your filing status which is determined by your situation on December 31, 2021. If you married any time last year, you'd be considered married for the entire year. The same as true if you had a child born in 2021. You would qualify for the child tax credit for the entire year. 

If have dependent children under age 18 you may qualify for the child tax credit. In 2021, half this tax credit should have been paid to you directly in monthly payments beginning in July. As long as you still qualify, you’re eligible to get the rest of the credit when you file your tax return. But you need to report the total amount you have already received  You can find this information in a letter the IRS sent to you, or from you online IRS account, or even reviewing you own bank records.

If you paid child care expenses for a dependent child under 13 so you and your spouse (if you're married) could work or pursue work, you can also qualify for the Child and Dependent Care tax credit. If you have dependent children or your spouse in college you may qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit or the American Opportunity Tax credit. There are quite a few rules associated with all these tax credits. So be prepared to answer questions about your family situation in detail  and bring receipts when you talk with your tax preparer or use tax preparation software to do it yourself.  

Did you receive the third COVID  Economic Impact Payment (EIP3)  in spring 2021? It was  $1,400 single, $2,800 for a married couple, PLUS $1,400 per dependent child or qualifying dependent relative. There was a phase out over certain income. If you enter the wrong amount you received on your tax return, it will go through a manual review at the IRS  delay any refund for months. The IRS is supposed to mail out reminders this month or in March of the amount of EIP3. If you don’t have the IRS letter, go back and look over your bank statements from spring 2021 to find it. 

If you find you owe more tax or get a higher refund this year than you expected consider changing your W-4 withholding through HR or military MyPay to adjust it.

Watch out for 1099 forms you should receive which report your investment capital gains, dividends, interest, and other income. You may need to log into your accounts and download them yourself. The key is to make sure you’ve rounded them all up and have them on hand.

One thing catching people off guard is reporting their income, gains and losses from trading, staking, interest, or rewards in crypto or digital assets. These are treated like other investments for taxation. It is critical to detailed records of all your transactions, even if you use a broker like Coinbase or Venmo. The 1099s they issue may have partial or inaccurate information.  If you’ve been an active trader, I highly recommend you use a CPA knowledgable in crypto to help you with your taxes and make sure your record keeping is up to snuff.