3 Organizing Tips to Prevent "The Last Minute Tax Prep Scramble"

No matter how much we hope it won’t happen, April 15th is eventually going to come. And most of us neglect to plan accordingly. Year after year we run into the same dilemma. We open a drawer of crumbled receipts, look in various piles of “important” mail to find the right documents, and snap at our loved ones because tax preparation gets on our last nerve. Paperwork build-up is an epidemic among my clients, but I understand why. I am a professional organizer and even I hate paperwork. Over the years, however, I have developed easy-to-follow systems that can relieve the sting of Spring. Here are a few tips:

• Keep Your Receipts Sorted. I love to use binder clips to help organize receipts. Receipts come in all shapes and sizes and can become a mess. But, throwing a bunch of little pieces of paper into a drawer at random isn’t the right approach either.

-Label your binder clips or use an index card at the top of your clipped pile to mark each category. Whether it’s for restaurants, medical, travel, gas, office supplies or entertainment, it’s an easy way to keep things straight.

-Keep all your receipts in one place. I always recommend a clear plastic shoebox or small office bin. You won't always have time to sort your receipts right away, so use this bin to toss in all your receipts on a regular basis. When you are ready to sort them they are all together, not spread all over your house.

-When you clean out your wallet, purse, pockets or briefcase, do it next to the bin you keep your tidy binder clips. It will seamlessly turn into a good habit that won’t eat up a lot of your time. General Tip: Try not to store things in boxes you can’t see through. You might end up forgetting what’s inside and never opening them. If you do use a solid box or bin, label it!

• Spend time throughout the year: Ask yourself if it will take you more than five minutes to find everything you need to file. If it will, then you are inviting mistakes, wasted time and possibly wasted money. Your accountant doesn’t organize your paperwork and receipts for free.

-Take time each month – perhpas the day you pay your rent or mortgage is also the day you file your documents and receipts. Even if you do this quarterly – use the first day of each season as your maker – you will end up saving time, stress and money later.

• Designate Storage Spaces: For tax related mail, designate a folder. When you sort through your envelopes and see any relevant documents, just put it directly into that folder.

-If you have to keep track of miles, keep a notebook in your glove compartment. Every time you fill up with gas, just mark your miles in that book.

-Another way you can keep track of things is your with your phone. Use your notes application to keep track of anything paperless, like valet tips or miles. 

If you feel like you just barely survived this last tax season, make the effort to implement these simple and easy changes over the next year. The payoff will be huge...and hopefully your tax return will be too!

is the founder of Bright Living, a professional organization & eco-design company.