I filed an extension and lost my receipts — what do I do?

Start with what you still have. Bank and card statements show most of what you spent. Payment apps (CashApp, Venmo, Square, Stripe) show what you earned. Your calendar and texts show where you drove and when you worked. Amazon and supply-store accounts have your order history. Booth rent shows up in your payment records or your landlord's.

Rebuild in this order. First, income: every deposit and payment you got. Next, the big expenses: rent, equipment, supplies. Then mileage: client visits and supply runs. Rebuild those from your calendar at $0.70/mile for 2025.

Write down how you rebuilt each category. An honest estimate, with notes on how you got it, holds up. A number pulled from thin air doesn't.

And know the deadline: October 15 is final. No second extensions. Filing late when you owe costs 5% per month in penalties. That's far more than the tax you'd save by waiting for perfect records that aren't coming.