Money Fix: 3 tips for getting ready to file taxes

We all know tax time goes so much more smoothly if we categorize, organize and file related paperwork on a weekly basis during the year. Oh. You didn't manage to do that? Well, here's catch-up advice from financial organizers, also known as daily money managers, who help consumers deal with financial, legal and health insurance matters.

Categorize: Weed out from those stacks, drawers and shoe boxes anything that might be tax-related -- correspondence with the Internal Revenue Service, papers indicating income that must be reported or expenses that might be deducted.

If you itemize, you'll be looking for documentation for such things as unreimbursed business spending; medical expenses; charitable contributions. Check the frequently asked questions for individuals area on IRS.gov for a sense of what may be deductible. For instance, "don't forget miles driven to and from the doctor and for charity work," says Linda Titcomb, a daily money manager in East Northport.

Mail: In January and early February official tax documents, such as W-2 forms from employers and 1099s from banks, brokerages and the Social Security Administration, are mailed. So keep an eye out for "important tax documents" on incoming envelopes, says Rebecca R. Eddy, a Manhattan-based certified daily money manager. If you have not saved credit card receipts or statements, you can order, often for a small fee, year-end statements of all your 2010 charges.

Systemize: To make next year's tax time go smoother, set up a filing system for tax information or scan data into your computer to be organized and stored on an external or flash drive, says Titcomb. Ultimately it will mean less time and hassle. "I speak from experience," she says.