Confirm what your preparer needs
Ask which years they will review, which ledger or software formats they can use, and how they want to receive the package. Note any deadline and any specific questions they have already raised. Agree the sharing method before sending records.
Your current filing year may not contain every acquisition relevant to the review. Keep earlier history available for holdings carried into that year, and identify missing periods rather than silently starting the ledger at the first available export.
Prepare these six parts
- Account inventory. List exchanges, wallets, networks, and separate accounts, including those no longer used. Give each source a consistent short name.
- Original exports. Keep the downloaded files with their date ranges, export dates, and time zones. Include relevant acquisition, trade, transfer, and reward histories.
- Working transaction ledger. Use the agreed format, with account names and source references that connect entries to the original files.
- Supporting reports and statements. Include available software reports and exchange tax documents. Identify their source and reporting period.
- Reconciliation notes. Explain reviewed transfers, confirmed duplicates, corrections, and the evidence behind changes.
- Open-items list. Identify missing records and decisions needing your preparer’s review, with the affected rows and available context.
The IRS digital-assets guidance calls for records of acquisition and disposition activity. Its calculation checklist includes the asset, transaction date and time, units, U.S.-dollar value, and basis. Keeping these details with their sources helps your preparer assess the history.
Use a source index
| File or record | Coverage | Note for review |
|---|---|---|
| exchange-a-trades.csv | Exchange A, requested reporting year | Trade history; export time zone recorded |
| wallet-b-history.csv | Wallet B, relevant networks and period | Transfer candidates linked to exchange rows |
| earlier-acquisitions.csv | Earlier years relevant to current holdings | Acquisition evidence for carried-in assets |
| open-items.csv | Affected ledger rows | Missing source, question, and next step |
Label files consistently and retain the originals. Keep working copies and review notes distinguishable so a revised ledger does not obscure the source history.
Make unresolved questions specific
Replace a note such as “crypto totals look wrong” with the account, asset, period, affected rows, and discrepancy. For example: “The receiving wallet shows a deposit, but the sending-account export for that period is missing.” Add the relevant source reference and what has already been checked.
Group questions by the action needed: obtain a record, confirm a match, clarify an activity, or ask your preparer for a tax decision. An open-items list makes the limits of the package visible without presenting an incomplete history as final.
Keep record preparation and tax decisions clear
The package supports your CPA or EA’s review. They determine how the records should be used for your return and whether further evidence is needed. An organized ledger is not a guarantee that every tax question has been settled.
Elena’s CPA-ready crypto handoff includes transaction cleanup within the written scope, a source index, reconciliation notes, and open questions. Tax advice, return preparation, filing, representation, and software subscriptions are separate from this service.
See how the records fit together
View the illustrative record package to compare source rows, a working ledger, correction notes, and an open-items list.