One of the biggest mistakes individuals make at tax time is to be disorganized. As tax documentation begins to accumulate, it becomes a habit of many to tuck these important pieces of information away in a drawer and forget about them.
Many taxpayers rush off to their tax agent in a panic as the tax deadline is drawing near. Then they soon discover that they are missing documents necessary to prepare and file their taxes. A tax agent cannot prepare a tax return with missing information. You will find that they will put your return on hold until you can provide them with what is missing.
There are occasions where you simply did not get all of the required documentation or you have lost it. You then need to explain this to the tax agent. His option is to prepare the taxes as completely as he can with what he has got.
Then a letter of explanation will need to be attached to the return, explaining the reasons for the missing documents and what steps you are taking to rectify the issue.
It is better to take this course of action then not file at all. Otherwise, you run the risk of paying a late penalty fine. If you have not received your necessary documents from your employer for example, then this can be explained in your letter.
The tax agent should be able to explain the laws concerning this, and may be able to give you specific instructions on what to do about it. Employers are compelled by law to give the necessary paperwork to their employee by a specific time for them to be able to prepare their taxes.