If your 2025 income tax return is on extension, the filing date can feel comfortably far away until your tax preparer asks for a report you cannot yet trust. The next useful step is to find out what is missing from the records behind that return.
First, confirm which deadline applies
October 15, 2026 is the federal extended filing deadline for eligible individual taxpayers, including sole proprietors filing with their individual return, and calendar-year C corporations that obtained valid extensions. It is not a universal deadline for every business. An extension to file does not extend the time to pay.
Your entity type, tax year and any applicable disaster relief matter. Ask your tax professional to confirm your deadline and remaining requirements. The IRS fourth-quarter tax calendar and IRS extension guidance explain the general federal rules.
Work on the year covered by the return
An October 2026 filing deadline for a 2025 return means the immediate bookkeeping work concerns 2025. Keeping your current books up to date is valuable, but it does not resolve an unexplained balance in last year's reports.
Start with a short list of accounts and documents that still need attention. Note who will supply each missing item and when you will follow up. Keep that list with your tax preparation records so questions do not disappear into separate emails.
Reconcile the accounts through year-end
Compare the books with the bank and credit card statements for the filing year. Investigate missing entries, duplicate transactions, transfers recorded as income or expenses, and old outstanding items.
A report can look complete while a reconciliation still contains a difference. If an item remains unresolved, describe it clearly for your bookkeeper and tax preparer rather than inserting an adjustment simply to make the numbers match.
Give unclear transactions some context
Review uncategorized transactions and gather supporting receipts, invoices or other records. A bank description may show where money went without explaining its business purpose.
Pay particular attention to equipment purchases, financing, loan repayments, owner contributions and distributions. These transactions can require different bookkeeping treatment. Keep the documents that explain what happened, and ask your tax professional about tax treatment instead of guessing at a deduction.
Review more than the profit and loss report
The profit and loss report tells part of the story. The balance sheet also deserves attention: bank balances, credit cards, loans, payroll liabilities and owner equity should have support.
Ask whether customer and vendor balances reflect the records you expect to see. If your business tracks inventory, organize the records supporting its year-end balance. The right reports and adjustments depend on your business and accounting method, so coordinate that review with your tax preparer.
Make the handoff easy to follow
Send the reports your preparer requests along with supporting records and a concise list of unresolved questions. Label the accounting period and report basis. Keep one clearly identified current version so everyone knows which reports are being reviewed.
Tell your preparer about unusual transactions and changes in the business. If they provide year-end adjusting entries, coordinate how those will be entered and retained in the books. That makes it easier to begin the following period with consistent balances.
Get bookkeeping help before the final rush
I help small businesses organize and clean up their bookkeeping records so their tax professional has a clearer starting point. Bookkeeping support does not replace advice about your tax return, filing deadline or payment obligations.
If your records still need attention, explore Wolf Bookkeeping's services and identify the work that needs to happen next.
This article is general educational information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm your circumstances, filing obligations and payment requirements with a qualified tax professional. Sources checked September 28, 2026.