Tax time is easy (well, relatively speaking) when all of your tax forms arrive the in the mail. However, I’m noticing an increasing trend for companies to make you login to your online accounts and download tax forms.
The problem is that for those of us addicted to free money [1] signups, the trail of accounts left behind also leaves a trail of tax documents waiting to be downloaded.
Here’s a reminder list of accounts to trigger your memory so you don’t file before you receive all of your forms. It’s also a good checklist of accounts you’ll need to login to online if you elected electronic statements.
Free Money Reminder List for Your Tax Return
- Betterment. If you signed up for the $25 Betterment sign up bonus [2], login to your account to get the paperwork. I almost had a heart attack when I printed pages and pages of taxable transactions from only my initial $250 investment. Luckily they also provided a 1099-B summarizing all the tax data, but you do have to login to get the tax statement online.
- Lending Club. You probably won’t get a statement from Lending Club [3], but it’s still taxable. Here are the instructions for Lending Club taxes and chargeoffs [4].
- Penfed CD. Remember the 5% CDS we opened a year ago at Pentagon Federal [5] to stash credit card arbitrage money? Penfed is usually pretty good about mailing the tax forms in the mail, but you can login to get them early if you want.
- Discover Bank. Here’s a weird one. Remember the Discover Bank $25 Sign Up Bonus [6]? I got a 1099, but my husband didn’t. Login to your account online if you didn’t get a hard copy in the mail.
- ING Direct. If you use your kids to refer their siblings for the sign up bonuses [7], they’ll get a 1099 in the mail; adults need to login online. Whether or not you get one in the mail is based on who the primary account owner holder is. Do yourself a favor and check online and in the mailbox. However, even if your kids don’t need to file a tax return [8], you’ll need to include the amount if you are electing to file for the annual savings bond interest [9] this year.
- Citi Checking. Points versus dollars is interesting at tax time. The Citi Checking $400 Sign Up Bonus [10] will result in taxable income if you redeemed your points. However, if your rewards are still in point form, Citi likely won’t send you a 1099.
- DRIPs. If you are signed up for electronic delivery of your DRIPs [11], you’ll need to check your account online for your tax forms. I also find that some of my DRIPs don’t send a separate tax form, but actually tell you to use your last statement from December, and they include the tax information you need on the bottom of the statement.
- Optionshouse Computer. Do you have a new Free Dell Monitor from OptionsHouse [12]? If so, you’ll have to report the value on your taxes.
- Sharebuilder. You don’t have to report the $50 Sharebuilder Bonus for Existing Accounts [13] on your taxes, since it wasn’t deposited until 2012; you’ll report it on your taxes next year. However, if you took advantage of the ShareBuilder $50 Sign Up Bonus for new accounts [14], you should have gotten your bonus in 2011, and it will be taxable.
- American Express Gift Chain. I saw a mention that some people are getting 1099s [15] from the Holiday Gift Chain [16]. If you took part, keep an eye on your mailbox.
- Ebay. Remember the new 1099-K [17] for ebay sellers? Keep an eye out for these new tax forms if you have online transactions.
Which other free money bonus offers are you working to sort out at tax time?