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Chasing missing documents

This category covers the part of tax season that eats the most time: knowing what is still missing and getting it. Posts cover tracking outstanding documents, using the prior-year return as a checklist, writing reminder and follow-up emails, handling unresponsive clients, and dealing with late or corrected 1099s, K-1s and W-2s and the extensions they cause. Gaps in a run of bank statements belong to Statement reconciliation. Start with "How to Track Missing Client Documents", which sets out a received, missing and duplicate status for every expected item.

  1. Corrected W-2 After Filing: When a W-2c Means Amending

    A corrected W-2 after filing arrives as a W-2c. Learn which box changes affect tax owed, when to amend, and what to do when the employer will not correct it.

    October 15, 2026form w-2camended returnspayroll

  2. A Tax Document Reminder Email Template for Each Stage

    A tax document reminder email template for each stage of the season, from the first nudge to the final notice, with subject lines and the missing list built in.

    October 15, 2026missing documentsemail templatesreminders

  3. When Do 1099s Arrive? Dates by Form

    When do 1099s arrive? The furnishing dates for each common 1099, the 1098 and the 5498, and why brokerage forms and corrected copies come later.

    October 14, 20261099deadlinesmissing documents

  4. Missing 1095-A: Getting the Marketplace Form

    What to do about a missing 1095-A: where to download the Marketplace form, why the premium credit needs it, and how to handle a corrected or wrong one.

    October 9, 2026form 1095-apremium tax creditmarketplace

  5. When a K-1 Arrives Late: Wait, Extend or Estimate

    When a K-1 arrives late: when partnerships, S corporations and trusts issue K-1s, why they slip, and whether to wait, extend or file with an estimate.

    October 9, 2026k-1extensionsmissing documents

  6. IRS Wage and Income Transcript for Missing Forms

    How to use the IRS wage and income transcript for missing forms: pulling it, when this year's data is complete, and what it leaves out before you file.

    October 9, 2026irs transcriptsmissing documentsinformation returns

  7. How to Get Clients to Send Tax Documents on Time

    How to get clients to send tax documents on time: a clear deadline, a short personal list, one place to upload, and engagement terms that make lateness cost.

    October 6, 2026missing documentsdeadlinesengagement letters

  8. Client Document Reminders: When and What to Send

    Client document reminders that get answers: a dated schedule from first request to extension call, what each reminder says, and which ones to automate.

    October 5, 2026missing documentsreminderstax season

  9. How to Chase Clients for Documents Without Nagging

    How to chase clients for documents in a fixed follow-up workflow: who owns each client, when to call instead of email, and how many reminders to send.

    October 3, 2026missing documentsfollow-uptax season

  10. Missing 1098-T: Claiming Education Credits Without It

    A missing 1098-T: where students download it, when an education credit can still be claimed without one, and which payment records to collect instead.

    October 2, 2026form 1098-teducation creditsstudents

  11. Filing an Extension Because of Missing Documents

    Filing an extension because of missing documents versus filing now and amending later: what Form 4868 does and does not cover, and how to decide per client.

    October 1, 2026extensionsmissing documentsform 4868

  12. Corrected 1099 After Filing: What Preparers Do Next

    A corrected 1099 after filing, or a 1099 the client forgot to send: how to judge whether the change matters and when an amended return is needed.

    September 29, 2026corrected forms1099amended returns

  13. How to File Taxes With Missing W2 Forms

    How to file taxes with a missing W2: the employer and IRS steps, building Form 4852 from pay stubs, and what to do when a client's W-2 never arrives.

    September 25, 2026w-2form 4852missing documents

  14. Missing 1099-B: Finding the Brokerage Figures

    What to do about a missing 1099-B: where the brokerage figures live, how to get the consolidated statement, and what happens if cost basis is not reported.

    September 12, 20261099-bbrokeragemissing documents

  15. Missing 1099-R: Finding the Retirement Payout Figures

    What to do about a missing 1099-R: asking the plan or IRA custodian, reading the account records, and using Form 4852 when the form never comes.

    September 10, 2026form 1099-rretirement distributionsform 4852

  16. Text Message Reminders for Tax Documents vs Email

    Text message reminders for tax documents compared with email: response, what fits in a text, consent rules, and when each channel is the better choice.

    August 25, 2026missing documentsreminderstexting

  17. Missing Document Tracker: Spreadsheet or Software?

    A missing document tracker can be a spreadsheet or dedicated software. Compare the columns, upkeep and failure points of each before tax season starts.

    August 8, 2026missing documentsspreadsheetstax season

  18. Documents Clients Forget to Send at Tax Time

    The documents clients forget to send most often, from childcare receipts to estimated payment records, and the one question that prompts each of them.

    July 15, 2026missing documentsreceiptsclient prompts

  19. New Income Source Not on Last Year's Return

    A new income source not on last year's return never shows up on a prior-year checklist. Learn the questions that catch it and how to drop closed accounts.

    June 25, 2026missing documentslife eventsorganizers

  20. How to Tell a Client What Is Still Missing

    How to tell a client what is still missing so they can act on it: name the issuer, the account and last year's form for each item, not just the form number.

    June 18, 2026missing documentsclient communicationchecklists

  21. Missing Tax Documents: What to Do Before Filing

    What to do about missing tax documents before filing: which forms you can rebuild from other records, which need the issuer, and when to stop and wait.

    June 18, 2026missing documentstax formsfiling

  22. Unresponsive Tax Clients: Extend, Wait or Withdraw

    What to do with unresponsive tax clients: the last-contact steps, putting the deadline risk in writing, and when a firm should extend, wait or withdraw.

    May 31, 2026missing documentsclient communicationengagement letters

  23. How to Track Missing Client Documents

    How to track missing client documents with one expected-items list per client and a received, missing or duplicate status, so nothing slips through.

    May 13, 2026missing documentstax seasonworkflow

  24. Missing W2 From Previous Years: How to Get a Copy

    Missing W2 from previous years? How to get the figures from an IRS wage and income transcript, the employer or the SSA, and which source fits which need.

    October 22, 2025w-2transcriptsprior years

  25. Using the Prior Year Return as a Checklist

    Using the prior year return as a checklist: read each schedule and line back to the form that fed it, then list every document you expect again this year.

    April 28, 2025prior-year returnchecklistsmissing documents