What documents do I need to bring?

Personal income tax return

To file your taxes

This is your yearly tax return: we gather your income and your family details, prepare Form 1040, and file it with the IRS for you.

Bring this:

• Your photo ID and your spouse's, if you file jointly.
• The Social Security cards for you, your spouse and each dependent — or the ITIN letter for anyone without a Social Security number.
• The dates of birth of everyone on the return.
• Your W-2s from every job you had during the year.
• Your 1099 forms: from the bank, from unemployment, from a pension or retirement plan, and the 1099-K or 1099-MISC if you worked for yourself.
• Your bank's interest and dividend statements (1099 forms), and the1099-INT if you were paid interest.
• Your SSA-1099, if you receive Social Security benefits.
• Your 1095-A, if you had Marketplace health coverage. That form comes from the Marketplace, not from us.
• What you paid for daycare and the provider's tax identifying number (their SSN or the business EIN).
• A copy of last year's return, federal and Illinois, if you have it.
• If you are a new client: your returns from the last three years, not just last year's. We go through them for mistakes worth amending, and for losses or credits from earlier years that you are still entitled to use.
• Your IP PIN, if the IRS assigned you one. It is six digits and it comes on notice CP01A. Without it — or with the wrong number — the IRS rejects your e-filed return.
• If you have a bank account, its numbers for the refund —see the direct deposit section. No bank account? We still file your return.

If you are paid another way, also bring:

• The 1099-NEC, the form that reports payments to someone who is not an employee, if you were paid as a contractor.
• The statement your lender sends showing your mortgage interest(Form 1098), if you own your home.
• The 1099-B, if you sold stock or traded through a broker.

When is it due? The filing deadline shifts from year to year with weekends and holidays, so we do not print it here: the full rule is in the tax documents guide (in Spanish).

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

Read the full guide to tax documents →(in Spanish)

ID and identity verification

To prove who you are

Almost everything we do starts the same way: we have to see your ID. What counts changes with the process, so here are the two lists that matter.

For your taxes, the IRS accepts:

• Valid U.S. driver's license
• Employer ID
• School ID
• U.S. state ID
• Military ID
• National ID (from your country)
• Visa
• Passport

The IRS asks for the original, yours and your spouse's if you file jointly.

To notarize a document, Illinois law requires an ID that:

• Is valid on the day of signing
• Was issued by a state agency, a federal agency or a consulate
• Bears your photograph
• Bears your signature

All four requirements come from Illinois law (5 ILCS 312/6-102). It also works if the Notary Public knows you personally, or if a credible witness the notary knows personally swears to who you are.

In the office we scan your ID and keep it in your file, so we do not have to ask for it again at every visit.

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

Read the full guide to ID and notarization →(in Spanish)

Signing your documents · power of attorney · travel letter

To sign

Eleven people have called us about this. It is usually a power of attorney, a travel permission letter for a child, or a paper someone sent you to sign. Our office rule is short:

• Everyone who signs comes in person, each with their ownphoto ID —the ones that work are listed above.
• We do not notarize a document you send us by mail, email or WhatsApp. The signing happens here, in front of the Notary Public.
• Come together if you can. If everyone signs in the same visit, it is one notarization with one seal. If each person comes on a different day, the document ends up with a separate seal for each signer — and some agencies do not like that and reject it.
• Do not sign or date the document before you come. Some have to be signed in front of the Notary Public: Illinois law uses the wording"signed and sworn to before me", so if your document carries an oath, the signature has to happen right there.
• Bring all the pages, not just the signature page, and make sure the document is complete, with no blanks.

If the signature is for your taxes:

• If you are filing jointly as a married couple: the IRS, in its free tax preparation program, requires both spouses to be present to sign an e-filed joint return.
• To e-file your return with the IRS you have to sign Form 8879 for us. We give you that one; you do not have to bring it.

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

Read the guide to powers of attorney and travel letters →(in Spanish)

Read the full guide to signing and notarization →(in Spanish)

Direct deposit · IRS refund

To receive your refund

If the IRS owes you money, these days it almost always sends it straight to a bank account. For that we need two numbers from you. But giving them is voluntary: without a bank account you can still file and still get paid.

If you have a bank account, bring:

• Your bank's routing number.
• Your account number.
• The safest way to bring them: a blank check from your account.
• The account has to be in your own name, or a joint account you share — not a relative's, and not anyone else's.

Check both numbers yourself before you sign. The refund has to land inyour account.

If you do not have a bank account, here is what the IRS says:

• Your return is filed just the same. Giving bank details is voluntary: a return with no banking information is still accepted and processed.
• Afterwards the IRS mails you a notice, CP53E, asking for an account. You have 30 days to answer it.
• If you do not answer, your refund still comes: as a paper check, about six weeks later.
• That notice can only be answered from your own IRS online account. No IRS employee can take your account number by phone or in person.
• For this, the IRS contacts you by letter only. If someone calls or texts you "from the IRS" asking for your bank account, it is not the IRS.

Since September 30, 2025, under Executive Order 14247, the IRS has generally stopped issuing paper refund checks to individuals; it still issues them in limited cases and when nobody answers the CP53E notice. The points above come from IRS fact sheet FS-2026-02. This change is still under way: verify before you file at irs.gov — checked September 11, 2026.

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

Read the full guide to tax documents →(in Spanish)

Mica · residencia · green card · tarjeta verde

To renew your green card (la mica)

Mica, residencia, green card, tarjeta verde: it is the same card, and our clients call it all four ways. When it expires or gets lost, it is renewed with USCISForm I-90. We assemble and check your package before it is filed.

What we ask for here:

• A copy of your green card, both sides.
• A photo ID.
• Your Social Security number, if you have one.
• Your birth certificate. It is optional, but we strongly recommend bringing it.
• Your most recent tax return. With it we check whether you might qualify for a USCIS fee waiver (requested on Form I-912). USCIS decides that, not us: we prepare the request from what you give us.
• Your current address, for USCIS correspondence.
• If the card was lost or stolen, the report helps too.

What USCIS asks for, depending on why you are renewing:

• It already expired, or expires within six months: a copy of your expired or expiring card. Careful: if you use this reason and your card will not expire within six months, your application may be denied.
• It was lost, stolen or destroyed: a copy of your card if you have one; if not, a government-issued ID showing your name, date of birth, photograph and signature (passport, driver's license or military ID).
• It is mutilated or partly destroyed: a copy of your card, or that same government-issued ID.
• Your name was legally changed: the legal document that proves it — a marriage certificate, divorce decree, adoption decree or other court order. It must have been registered with the proper civil authority.
• The card carries wrong data because of a government (DHS) error: here you send the original card, not a copy; USCIS does not accept a copy in this case. Plus proof of the correct information.
• You turned 14: after reaching 14, a lawful permanent resident must register and file Form I-90 within 30 days.

Other USCIS rules worth knowing:

• USCIS wants legible photocopies, not originals, except where the instructions ask for an original. If you send originals that were not requested,USCIS may destroy them.
• The signature has to be handwritten: USCIS will not accept a stamped or typewritten name.
• USCIS may call you in for biometrics — fingerprints, photograph and signature. They send you a notice with the date, time and place. If you do not attend, your application may be denied.

USCIS fee. For general filing, the USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055) shows$465 on paper and $415 online. Other categories have different fees, and these numbers change: verify before you pay at uscis.gov — checked September 9, 2026.

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

Read the full guide to green card renewal →(in Spanish)

ITIN Number · Form W-7

To get or renew your ITIN

The ITIN is the number the IRS issues so people who do not qualify for a Social Security Number can still file taxes. You apply with Form W-7, and you have to prove two things: who you are and that you are a foreign national.

The golden rule:

• A valid passport is the only stand-alone document.
• Without a passport you need at least two documents from the IRS list, and at least one has to carry your photograph (except dependents under 14, or under 18 if they are students).

The 13 documents the IRS accepts:

• Passport (the only stand-alone document)
• USCIS photo identification
• Visa issued by the U.S. Department of State
• U.S. driver's license
• U.S. military identification card
• Foreign driver's license
• Foreign military identification card
• National identification card (with name, photograph, address, date of birth and expiration date)
• U.S. state identification card
• Foreign voter's registration card
• Civil birth certificate
• Medical records (dependents under 6 only)
• School records (dependents under 24 only, if a student)

Details that matter:

• A passport and a national ID card only count if they are not expired on the day the W-7 is submitted.
• For a child under 18 without a passport, anoriginal birth certificate is required. A birth certificate never expires.
• If a dependent has to prove U.S. residency and their passport has no date of entry, one more document is needed: a U.S. medical record under age 6; a U.S. school record, state ID, driver's license or visa depending on age; and from 18 up, a U.S. bank statement, rental statement or utility bill showing their name and U.S. address also works.
• If a school record, medical record, bank statement, utility bill or rental statement reached you electronically and you printed it, the IRS may treat it as an original.
• Renewals: every W-7 renewal must include aU.S. federal tax return, unless you meet an exception.

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

See the full ITIN guide →

Passport · photo and application

For your passport

We do both parts here: we take the photo and we fill out the application. We are not a government passport acceptance facility — you submit the application yourself — but you leave with the photo and the paperwork ready.

If the passport is for a child, bring:

• The child's birth certificate.

If the passport is for an adult, bring:

• Your birth certificate or your passport.
• A photo ID.
• Your Social Security number.

That is what we need for the photo and the application. The government reviews your original documents when you submit the application.

And come ready for the photo:

• Everyday clothes. No uniforms, nothing that looks like a uniform, and no camouflage.
• No glasses — not prescription, not sunglasses, not pushed up on your head. The only exception is medical, with a signed note from your doctor.
• No hat or head covering, unless it is religious or medical; then it goes with a signed statement.
• You may smile, with your mouth closed and your eyes open.

These rules come from the Department of State's photo page and Form DS-11 — checkedSeptember 11, 2026. Our own advice, not a government rule: avoid clothing with large logos or printed slogans; the photo can end up rejected.

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

Read the full guide to passport photos and applications →(in Spanish)

Notarization · Notary Public

To notarize a document

A Notary Public certifies that the person who signed a document is who they say they are, and that they signed before the notary. We have a Notary Public in the office.

Bring this:

• A valid government-issued photo ID: valid on the day of signing, issued by a state agency, a federal agency or a consulate, bearing your photograph and your signature.
• The document unsigned and undated. Some have to be signed in front of the Notary Public.
• All the pages, not just the signature page.
• The document complete, with no blanks.

In the office we scan your ID for your file.

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

See the Notary Public service →

Work, reference and IRS letters →

Certified translations and apostilles

For a translation or an apostille

A certified translation puts your document into another language with a signed certification. An apostille is a state certificate that lets a U.S. document be accepted in another country. They are two different things, and they often travel together.

For a certified translation:

• Bring the original document. We take a copy and translate from the original, because many agencies require the translator to certify that the work was done from the original, not from a photocopy.
• Some processes do accept a clear photo or a copy you text us, and others do not. It depends on where the translation is going — which is why we cannot give one answer here. Call or stop by with the document and we will tell you which case is yours before you pay.
• Tell us what language it is in, and whether you need thewhole document or only part of it.
• You can send it ahead so we can get started. Bring the original when you come in; the certification is issued against that original.
• The work is paid up front, before it starts.

For an apostille, this is what we ask for:

• The original document. Always: an apostille cannot be done over a copy.
• A birth certificate or marriage certificate has to be acertified copy from the office that holds the record. For this purpose, that certified copy is the original.
• An affidavit or a similar document we can notarize here first, and then apostille.
• We handle documents from any state. An Illinoisdocument usually takes under seven days; one from another state takes longer, and how long varies from state to state — bring it and we will tell you what to expect.

And this is what the Illinois Secretary of State requires for an Illinois document:

• The document must be an original, and must be certified by a government official or notarized by an Illinois Notary Public.
• Birth certificate: a certified copy from the county clerk, the local registrar, or the Illinois Department of Public Health.
• Marriage license: a certified copy from the county clerk.
• Divorce decree: a certified copy from the circuit clerk of the court that granted the divorce. Do not notarize documents signed by a circuit clerk or a judge: those already carry the official's seal, signature, printed name and title.
• Transcripts and diplomas: your school's records official (usually the registrar or the principal) has to certify and sign the record in the presence of a Notary Public, who then notarizes that statement.
• Illinois does not translate. If your document is in another language, it has to be translated and notarized first, and then submitted for authentication.
• Illinois can only authenticate Illinois records. Documents from another state are apostilled by that state, and documents under the seal of a federal court or agency are authenticated by the U.S. Department of State.
• Once it is attached, do not remove the apostille: removing it makes it invalid.

The Illinois Secretary of State charges $2 for each apostille or certificate, and each document needs its own. These details change:verify before you pay at ilsos.gov — checked September 9, 2026.

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

Read the full guide to translations and apostilles →(in Spanish)

See the Notary Public, apostille and translation service →

Starting a business · payroll · bookkeeping

For your business, payroll or bookkeeping

These lists really are long, and each one has its own full guide. Here is what we ask for on day one, so you know whether you are ready to come in.

To start your business:

• Your photo ID, and the SSN or ITIN of the person who will be the business's responsible party with the IRS. It has to be a real person, not a stand-in representative.
• The name you want, plus one or two backups: the state will not register two companies with the same name.
• An Illinois street address for the registered agent. A P.O. box alone does not work.
• For each owner: full legal name, home address, date of birth, phone, SSN or ITIN, and ownership percentage.
• The real date the business started — not the date on the incorporation paper. Deadlines that cannot be recovered later run from that date.

To start payroll:

• The IRS CP 575 letter with your employer number (EIN). If you lost it, we request the copy.
• The business bank account: routing number and account number.
• Your Illinois numbers: the IDOR account and the unemployment (IDES) account. If the business is new, we file for them.
• Your workers' comp policy, active before the first employee.
• How often you pay — weekly, every two weeks or twice a month — and starting when. Nothing can start without it.
• From each employee: a signed W-4 and IL-W-4, theI-9, a photo ID and their Social Security card.

Four details without which nobody gets paid: first name, last name, address and Social Security number. A missing paper delays the file; a missing one of those four stops that person's paycheck.

For us to keep your books (bookkeeping):

• The business's bank statements and credit card statements for the full period.
• Sales, broken out by location, with the report from your register or point-of-sale system.
• The receipts and invoices behind those transactions.
• Once, at the start: the business's prior-year tax returns. The opening balances come from them.
• Any government letter, within 5 days. The deadline runs from the date on the letter, not from the day you show it to us.

If something is missing, come anyway or call us: we will tell you what can be done with what you have.

Read the full guide to opening your business →(in Spanish)

Read the full guide to payroll and bookkeeping →(in Spanish)

Payroll in Illinois: what it involves and the costly mistakes →

Bookkeeping: why keep the books every month →

Asked for a “CPA letter” for a loan? →