Like it or not, April 15th is just a bit more than 2 months away. By now, you should have most of the documentation you need to prepare your taxes. (For some reason, reports from brokerage accounts are ALWAYS the last to come in.)

You don't have to start your taxes now, though, if you find yourself with a few minutes, why not? If you are getting a refund, submitting early usually means a faster turnaround in getting your money. If you owe, no one said you have to pay immediately. You can file on April 15th so you don't pay until the last minute, but you won't be running around that day hunting for receipts.

At the very least, you should start organizing the paperwork. I keep a folder for each year's tax documentation. I keep receipts for charitable gifts, reports on extra income, various tax forms as they arrive, reports from the 529 account I established, basically, anything I need to fill out my taxes. That way, when I'm ready to start, I pull one folder and I'm ready to go. I also keep a spreadsheet of charitable donations in my computer. I use it to update the smaller contributions that won't get special receipts. On that spreadsheet, I can mark which credit card I charged a donation to, so I have backup if I'm ever audited.

I even have the folder and spreadsheet for 2015 started. It makes tax time so much easier.

So, if you find yourself with an hour or so over the next few days, start gathering your info into a single folder. Even if you use a paid preparer, walking in with a file is so much more professional than a battered shoebox!