Start with clear photos or scans
Tax prep goes smoother when receipts and forms are digital from the start. Use your phone camera or a flatbed scanner, shoot in good light, and keep pages flat so numbers stay readable. You do not need expensive hardware — consistency matters more than perfect studio lighting.
Turn images into one PDF
Loose JPG files are hard to organize. Combine them with Scan to PDF or JPG to PDF so each document becomes a multi-page PDF with a logical page order. Label downloads clearly: 2025-charity-receipts.pdf, 1099-int-2025.pdf, and so on.
Make scans searchable
Image-only PDFs cannot be searched. Run OCR PDF so amounts, vendor names, and dates become findable when your preparer (or future you) needs to locate a specific entry quickly.
Store and share safely
- Compress large files with Compress PDF before cloud backup.
- Redact account numbers if sharing with a preparer using Redact PDF.
- Password-protect sensitive packets with Protect PDF.
Keep originals and edited copies separate so you always know which version went to your accountant.