Tax season will officially kick off on Jan. 26, 2026, and taxpayers’ will soon be flooded with tax forms from their employers, banks, brokers, and others. Last year, the IRS processed more than 163 million tax returns, which means getting yours filed fast and flawlessly could help to avoid potential IRS processing delays. Before filing your federal and state tax returns, the Illinois CPA Society suggests making a checklist of the forms you anticipate receiving and needing to file. Every taxpayer’s situation is different depending on how they earn taxable income, so here’s a list of the most common forms to watch for:

W-2: Form W-2 is provided by employers annually to report an employee’s total compensation, taxes paid, and contributions to retirement accounts, among other payroll deductions and details. W-2s should be delivered by the end of January.

1098: Form 1098 is the mortgage interest statement provided by each lender for each mortgage a taxpayer is named on, reporting how much was paid in interest, insurance premiums, and other financial details.

1098-T: Taxpayers who received payments for qualified tuition and expenses, certain adjustments, scholarships, or grants will receive Form 1098-T from their educational institution.

1099-B: Taxpayers with proceeds from broker or barter transactions, like selling stocks or options, or exchanging property, will receive Form 1099-B from each applicable financial institution to report any capital gains or losses.

The deadline for filing individual tax returns is April 15, 2026, which is also the deadline for requesting a six-month filing extension. For the complete checklist or for more information, visit www.icpas.org/findacpa.