December brings holidays, bonuses and school fees, and the quiet pressure of a year about to end. It is also the best time to tidy your tax affairs, because the year's records are fresh and there is still time to act on them. A short checklist, worked through over an evening or two, can save hours in June and avoid mistakes. It cannot cover every case, but it covers most individuals.

1. Check your KRA PIN profile

Log in to iTax and make sure your personal details, contact details and obligations are right. Fix anything out of date. How to check and correct your iTax profile takes you through it. A correct profile means notices reach you and returns match your situation.

2. List all your income for the year

Write down every source: salary, bonuses, allowances, rent, business or freelance income, interest, dividends and any foreign income. Missing a source is a common cause of later problems. The individual tax return workpaper lays them out with deductions and tax paid, and side hustle income for employees reminds you that a small side income counts.

3. Collect your supporting documents

Gather your payslips, the documents showing tax paid, bank and M-Pesa statements, rent receipts and any certificates. If you will need a P9 from an employer, request it now. The tax document request checklist tracks what you have asked for and received, and how to organise your tax documents through the year suggests a folder structure.

4. Review your reliefs and deductions

Check which reliefs you can claim: insurance premiums, pension contributions and mortgage interest on your home. Ask providers for annual statements. The tax reliefs calculator shows the effect of each, and personal relief and tax reliefs for employees explained lists the main ones. If you are close to a limit, you may be able to top up before the year ends, within the rules, to make full use of a relief.

5. Compare your tax with what was deducted

Add up the tax deducted from your salary and compare it with your payslips and P9 figures. If something looks wrong, speak to payroll now. How to spot mistakes on your payslip and when your employer does not remit your PAYE cover the usual problems. The P9 tax return calculator lets you check the overall result.

6. Check rental income compliance

If you let property, make sure monthly returns and payments are up to date and that you have receipts for the rent. Decide whether you will keep paying monthly rental tax or file annually, using the rental income tax calculator and MRI or annual rental tax. Gather your expenses if you file annually, and use the rental expense and deduction ledger. The landlord's annual tax and compliance calendar lists the dates.

7. Review business and freelance obligations

If you have a business, check whether instalment tax, turnover tax or VAT applies, and whether all returns were filed and paid. Reconcile your bank and M-Pesa records. Tax for freelancers and content creators in Kenya and the freelancer tax calculator help you estimate the tax.

8. Look at your iTax ledger

Check that every payment was credited to the right period and that there are no unexpected balances or penalties. How to read your iTax ledger and statement of account explains the layout. If you see a penalty, use the KRA penalty calculator to understand it and act early.

9. Plan your cash for the tax bill

If you expect to pay tax with your return, set the money aside now. Add it to your savings plan, with the savings and sinking fund tracker to keep track. Think also about any bonus you will receive; tax on bonuses and commissions shows what to expect.

10. Put the filing date in your calendar

Enter the return deadline with reminders, and plan to file early. A year of tax deadlines for individuals in Kenya gives the full pattern, and the 30 June tax deadline explains the consequences of missing it. Update your calendar for any changes in dates announced in the year.

Close the year well

When you have worked through the list, save the checklist and the documents in a folder for the year. Next January, start a new folder and repeat. A year-end routine takes a few hours and gives you a clean position, no surprises and plenty of time to deal with the few things that do need attention.