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Tax season tends to arrive as a pile of separate PDFs: a W-2 from each job, 1099s from your bank or freelance clients, a 1098-T from your school, maybe a 1098-E for student loan interest. Whoever helps you file, whether that’s a tax preparer or a parent, will thank you for one file in a clear order instead of ten attachments.
Before you start
- Put every form in one folder. Give the files names that start with a number, for example 01_W-2_2025.pdf, 02_1099-NEC_2025.pdf and 03_1098-T_2025.pdf, so the order is right from the start.
- Paper forms? Scan them or take a photo, and turn the photo into a PDF with JPG to PDF. Turn a scan or photo of a document into a PDF has tips for a clean result.
- A form from a payroll portal with a password? If you know the password, remove it first with Unlock PDF.
How to combine your tax forms
- Open Merge PDF.
- Drop your PDFs into the box or click to choose them. Choose 2 or more files of the same type: PDFs with PDFs.
- Put them in the right order with the arrows. The merged file is named after the file at the top of the list, so put your first W-2 on top.
- Click Merge, then Download. Every page is copied as it is, so nothing is redrawn.
- Too big to email or upload? Open Compress PDF, choose Balanced and click Compress. How much smaller depends on your file.
- Pages sideways or in the wrong place? Open Organize PDF to move, rotate or delete pages, then click Organize PDF.
- Open the result and check every page before you send it.
Add a password with Protect PDF as the last step, and share the password another way, for example by text message. Does the person you send it to not need your full Social Security number? Read How to black out your Social Security number in a PDF.
Why not upload your tax forms?
A W-2 or 1099 holds your name, address, income and all or part of your Social Security number. Many online PDF tools send your file to their server to merge it. With PDFCommunity, merging, compressing and organizing happen in your browser: your files aren’t uploaded to a server. You can check it yourself. Verify that no PDF is uploaded explains how.
This guide only covers the PDF work. For questions about what goes on your tax return, ask a tax professional or the IRS.
Frequently asked questions
Can I merge a W-2 PDF with a photo of a 1099?
Not in one go: Merge combines files of the same type. Turn the photo into a PDF with JPG to PDF first, then merge all the PDFs.
Does merging change my forms?
No. Every page is copied into the new file as it is, so nothing is redrawn or recompressed. Bookmarks, links and form fields come along.
One of my PDFs has a password. What happens?
The other files are still merged, and the result names the file that was left out. Unlock it with the password you know, then merge again to add it.
Are my tax documents uploaded?
Merging happens in your browser, so your files aren’t uploaded to a server. You can check it yourself in your browser’s network tab.