In my last post, we talked about Recovery—creating space from burnout in your life and your ledger so your nervous system is not living in constant “money alert” mode. Recovery was about stepping out of the conditions that exhausted you and giving yourself permission to rest. Renewal is what happens next. It is where you use that new space and steadier energy to take a few focused steps so the 2025 tax season feels calmer, clearer, and far less stressful.

For health & wellness, arts & entertainment, and online business owners, year-end can feel like a perfect storm: holiday rush, extra gigs and events, launches, gift-card sales, and family demands all hit at once. It is also the point in the year when your numbers and the IRS start asking for attention. This post is designed to meet you there with a gentle, practical year-end checklist—enough structure to help you feel prepared, without adding another layer of overwhelm.

Year-End Tax Season Prep Checklist (2025)

You do not have to do all of this in one sitting. Think of it as a guide you can move through over a few “money dates” with yourself.

1. Gather your year-in-review documents

Start by pulling your financial story into one place so you are not hunting through ten different systems later.

Business bank and credit card statements for the full year.
Income reports from your key platforms: booking/POS systems (Vagaro, Square, Mindbody, etc.), ticketing or gig platforms, course/membership platforms, and storefronts.
Invoices and payment reports from processors like Stripe, PayPal, or others your clients use to pay you.
Loan or financing statements for equipment, studio build-outs, instruments, cameras, or tech.

Create a single digital folder (or physical folder) labeled “2025 Taxes” and drop everything there as you go.

2. Make your income streams clear

Next, look at what you actually earned, by type of work.

Health & wellness: sessions, packages, memberships, classes, product sales (supplements, skincare, tools).
Arts & entertainment: gigs and performances, royalties, licensing, merchandise, sponsorships, residencies.
Online businesses: digital products, courses, memberships, affiliate income, brand deals, sponsorships.

Pull a year-to-date income report from each major platform and make sure the totals line up with what shows in your bookkeeping records. Clear income data now means fewer surprises when 1099s start arriving and when it is time to file.

3. Capture your deductible expenses

This is where many owners leave money on the table, especially in service-based and creative work.

Focus on these categories:

Operating expenses: rent, studio or office costs, utilities, software, booking/platform fees, merchant fees, supplies, internet and phone.
Professional support: bookkeeping, tax prep, legal support, business coaching, continuing education and certifications.
Industry-specific costs:
- Wellness: linens, oils, equipment, CE credits, certifications, uniforms.
- Arts & entertainment: instruments, gear, costumes/wardrobe, subscriptions (editing, design, notation), studio time, travel to gigs.
- Online: hosting, email platforms, design tools, cameras, mics, editing software, course platforms, online advertising.

Check that these expenses are actually recorded and reasonably categorized in your books, and keep receipts or confirmations for larger or unusual items.

4. Review payroll, contractors, and team support

If you have people helping you—on stage, on set, in the treatment room, or behind the scenes—this part matters.

Confirm employee information (names, addresses, Social Security numbers) is correct so year-end forms are accurate.
Total payments to contractors (assistants, editors, second shooters, musicians, substitute practitioners, designers, tech help) so you know who will likely need a 1099‑NEC.
Note any year-end bonuses, stipends, or special payments and how they were paid (through payroll or as contractor payments).

A quick review now helps you avoid January scrambling and gives you more confidence that you are in good shape with your team and your obligations.

5. Mark your key dates

Finally, give your future self a favor by getting the main dates on your calendar.

For most calendar-year small businesses in the U.S., that often includes:

January: many year-end payroll filings, W‑2 and 1099 deadlines, and final 2025 payroll deposits.
March (for certain entities): common due dates for partnership and S‑Corp returns.
April: common due dates for individual returns and many Schedule C filers.

Your exact dates will depend on your business structure and location, but even a simple “tax timeline” reduces that feeling of being behind before you start.

From Recovery to Renewal

This checklist is not about becoming your own tax expert or adding another long to-do list to your plate. It is about alignment. Recovery was your decision to step out of burnout and stop running your business in constant survival mode. Renewal is taking that same care and applying it to your money: gathering what you need, seeing your year clearly, and giving yourself the chance to enter the 2025 tax season with more confidence and less dread.

Clean, organized books are part of how you protect your nervous system. When you can pair how this year felt with what actually happened in your numbers, you are no longer guessing or bracing for surprise bills. You are grounded in the truth of your business—and that truth is exactly what supports the next stage of growth you are stepping into.