Tax season is upon us. Whether you’re an accountant, or filing for yourself, one of the biggest points of stress is often organizing your documents together in one place. Managing clutter can be time consuming. We have some tips to make this year’s tax season your most efficient one yet.

1. Make a List

Tax season doesn’t have to mean maintaining an overflowing desk drawer of paperwork. Organization is key and making a list can help. Start off on the right foot by having everything you need to get filing and stay on track throughout the process. By making a list, you will have a better idea of what you need and what you can get rid of to free up space and save yourself time.

2. Have a Backup Ready

Papers get lost all of the time. When filing taxes, you can’t afford to let things get lost in the shuffle. Make backup copies of your documents for your records so you can comply with IRS retention requirements. With the filing date quickly approaching, you’ll be glad to have saved an extra copy of that one file you can’t seem to track down.

3. Go Paperless

For the sake of the environment and the organization of your desk, go paperless wherever you can. The IRS says: “You may choose any record-keeping system suited to your business that clearly shows your income and expenses.” This means that while it is important to keep records, you do not have to specifically keep paper receipts for everything. Luckily, most workplaces have an online portal where you can find your W-2 form. This is valuable information to keep for yourself and it makes it easy for clients to send digitally forms.

4. Scan and Save

Going paperless is a good start, but you’ll need the tools to help get you there. Using an Ambir scanner, convert paper documents to electronic versions for easier storage, organization and information retrieval. The ImageScan Pro 667 can handle cards and receipts with ease while our TravelScan Pro 600 captures both full page documents and forms as well as receipts. If you need a high-powered scanner for bulk jobs, we recommend the ImageScan Pro 830ix. Each scanner comes bundled with our proprietary software that makes managing and retrieving your documents as easy as a click of a button.

5. Put It in the Cloud

Edit images, choose file names and upload your documents for easier retrieval by using a cloud storage site to keep everything in one place. Whether you’re looking to share information with your tax advisor, client or partner, or you simply wish to keep a personal record, our AmbirScan software enables you to store this information in a variety of convenient locations such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Evernote, and DropBox.

Don’t let tax season get the best of you. At Ambir Technology, we’re here to help you have a smoother tax season now and for years to come.