LLC Classification & Preparation Checklist
Not sure which tax checklist fits your LLC? Start with your previous return and any IRS election letters. We will help you find the right path.
DOWNLOAD & KEEP
First, let’s confirm how your LLC is taxed.
Download the checklist, mark what you already have and add the questions you want us to cover. Use it on your device or print a copy—whichever feels easier.
Free and fillable · No account or email required
Your information stays with you
The checklist stays on your device unless you choose to share it with us. Remember to save the file after adding your notes.
Leave Social Security numbers, PINs, passwords and bank details out of your notes. When documents are needed, we will show you how to share them securely.
Start here
- Previous returns
- Your operating agreement
- Any IRS tax-election letters
Missing something or not sure what a term means? Ask us. You do not need a completed checklist before we talk.
What to gather
Open the sections that fit your situation, or download the PDF to work through them offline.
Start with your LLC and its owners
- Gather formation documents, the operating agreement and amendments.
- Locate your EIN and state-registration confirmations.
- List the owners (members), whether they are people or businesses, and their ownership percentages. Leave out sensitive ID numbers.
- Note when members joined, transferred an interest or left the LLC.
- Tell us if a spouse, an overseas person or another business owns an interest.
Find out how your LLC is taxed
- Bring previous federal returns or owner tax schedules showing how the LLC was reported.
- Locate any Forms 8832 or 2553, IRS acceptance letters and the dates the elections took effect.
- Bring previous advice or IRS letters about the LLC’s tax classification.
- Note any period with different owners or tax treatment, including the first and final year.
- If you cannot find election records, ask us. The name “LLC” alone does not tell us how the business is taxed.
Choose your next checklist with our help
- We will help confirm whether the activity belongs on an owner’s return or a separate business return.
- If an individual owner’s business is reported as a sole proprietorship, use the Sole Proprietor Tax Preparation Checklist.
- If the LLC is taxed as a partnership, use the Partnership Tax Preparation Checklist.
- If it is taxed as an S corporation, use the S Corporation Tax Preparation Checklist.
- If it is taxed as a C corporation, use the C Corporation Tax Preparation Checklist.
- For corporate owners, rental activities or another special situation, ask us for a tailored document list.
Your business records
- Gather your year-end profit and loss report, balance sheet and trial balance, if available, for the same period.
- Include the detailed transaction report (general ledger) and any unresolved items your bookkeeper has noted.
- Gather bank, credit-card and payment-platform statements, plus any reports checking them against your books.
- Bring sales and expense details. Point out refunds, transfers or duplicate entries you already know about.
- If relevant, include unpaid customer invoices and bills by age, plus inventory counts and cost records.
- Point out personal spending, money moved to or from owners, and transactions with related businesses.
Tax payments and where you do business
- Gather federal and state payment confirmations, extensions, refunds and records of unused tax credits.
- List the places where the business, employees and owners worked, including any moves during the year.
- If you operate in several states, bring sales by state, registrations and a list of previous state filings.
- Bring payroll, sales-tax, local-tax and information-return records. We will confirm which services are included.
- Tell us about foreign owners, accounts, investments or transactions so we can discuss any additional review.
Before we get started
- Make a short list of anything missing or being corrected, and when you expect it.
- Tell us early about tax letters, deadlines or questions from a previous year.
- We will confirm which returns and states we are handling, including any owner returns or bookkeeping cleanup.
- Ask us how to share documents securely and confirm who can approve the work.
- We will explain the next steps for questions, reviewing your return, signatures and filing confirmation.
This is a general preparation guide. We may ask for additional records for your circumstances; the checklist does not determine tax eligibility or replace individual advice.
Helpful reading and official references
Not sure which path fits your LLC?
Bring your prior return and any IRS election letters. We’ll help you determine what applies.