(NewsNation) — The Internal Revenue Service has started processing 2024 tax returns, and taxpayers have until April 15 to submit theirs without a penalty or authorized extension.

To file your taxes, you will need a host of documents, including personal information and income. Here is what you need, according to the IRS.

Personal information:

• Social security number or individual tax ID number
• Bank account and routing numbers if using direct deposit for refunds
• Adjusted gross income
• Refund amount from previous tax return
• Current address
• Self-select PIN if you e-filed last year
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• IP PIN if you were a victim of identity theft

Income:

• Paycheck stubs
• W-2 form
• Bank statements or documents from other payment apps or online marketplaces
• Checks addressed to you
• Unemployment payments

If you didn’t get a W-2, you may have received a 1099 form, which shows other types of income. Common types include a 1099-K for payments received through online marketplaces such as PayPal, a 1099-G for government payments such as unemployment benefits, a 1099-NEC for contractor or freelance work, and an SSA-1099 for Social Security benefits.

Credits or deductions:

You will need to provide certain documents to take advantage of tax credits, including:

• Child care or dependent care expenses
• Home mortgage and property tax records
• Charitable donations
• Health savings account or flexible spending account contributions
• Health care expenses
• Retirement contributions
• Education expenses (for students and teachers)

Intuit TurboTax, a tax preparation company, recommends submitting your return online and setting up direct deposit for refunds. Filing online also allows you to upload electronic W-2s, which auto-populate information, saving you time.

The IRS generally issues refunds within 21 days of accepting your online return.

“The average refund was close to $3,000 last year for a lot of people. That’s the biggest check they get all year, so definitely go online and file,” Lisa Greene-Lewis, certified public accountant and TurboTax tax expert, told Nexstar’s NewsNation. “I would gather everything all in one place.”