The IRS has a "Safe Harbor" provision (Section 530) that some small religious schools try to use as a loophole, but it doesn't apply in situations like yours. They have to meet very specific requirements including consistent treatment of all similar workers and a "reasonable basis" for classification. With you working set hours, teaching assigned curriculum, and using their facilities, there's no reasonable basis for contractor status. The school is definitely in the wrong here. If they don't fix this after you bring it up, file Form 8919 "Uncollected Social Security and Medicare Tax on Wages" with your tax return to pay only your half of these taxes instead of the full self-employment tax. Check code G in box 9: "I received a Form 1099 but I am a statutory employee.

I'm dealing with something very similar at my tutoring center! They've been giving me 1099s even though I work set hours, use their curriculum, and teach in their facility. After reading through all these responses, I'm definitely going to try the taxr.ai suggestion first to get documentation, then have a conversation with my employer. The Form 8919 option is really helpful to know about - I had no idea you could pay just the employee portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes when you're misclassified. At $21k salary, that self-employment tax difference is probably costing you around $1,600 extra per year, which is huge when you're already struggling financially. One thing I'd add - document everything about your work relationship (your schedule, any employee handbook, emails about duties, etc.) before you approach the school. Having that paper trail will be crucial whether you end up filing IRS forms or just need to convince your administration to fix the classification. Good luck with this! It's frustrating that schools think they can get away with this just because teachers are often desperate for work and don't know their rights.

Anyone know if you can roll over a 457b into a Roth IRA? I have both and wanna consolidate. Also whats the tax hit look like if I do that?

Great question about 457(b) vs Roth IRA! At your income level and age, you're in a really good position to take advantage of both. One thing I'd add to the excellent advice already given is to think about your expected retirement income. If you think you'll be in a lower tax bracket in retirement (which is common), the 457(b)'s immediate tax deduction could be more valuable now. But if you expect to be in the same or higher bracket later, the Roth's tax-free withdrawals become more attractive. Since you're 32, you have about 33+ years for money to grow. That's a LONG time for compound growth, which makes the Roth IRA's tax-free earnings particularly powerful. Even a small amount contributed to a Roth now could grow substantially by retirement. My suggestion: Keep contributing to your 457(b) to get any employer match first (free money!), then open a Roth IRA and contribute what you can afford. Even $100-200/month to a Roth would give you great tax diversification. You can always adjust the split later as your income changes or you learn more about retirement planning.

Anyone know if TurboTax Live Full Service handles crypto mining income well? I started mining last year as a hobby but made enough that I need to report it. No idea if I should do it myself or get help.

This is really helpful insight from someone who actually worked on the inside! I'm in that middle ground you mentioned - I have a W-2, some freelance 1099 income, and a few investment accounts. Last year I tried doing it myself with regular TurboTax and got overwhelmed trying to figure out quarterly estimated payments and business deductions. One question - when you say it takes about a week to get the completed return, is that pretty consistent? I'm always nervous about waiting until the last minute, but if I can count on that timeline it would help with my planning. Also, do you know if the Full Service experts handle state returns for all states or are there limitations? I'm leaning toward trying the Full Service this year since my situation has gotten more complex, but I want to make sure I understand what I'm getting into. Thanks for sharing your experience!

19 Does anyone know if QCDs (Qualified Charitable Distributions) can help with this double-RMD situation? I've heard you can donate directly from your IRA to charity to satisfy the RMD requirements without counting as taxable income, up to $100,000.

Just to add another perspective on timing - if you're still working at age 73+ and participating in your current employer's 401(k), you might be able to delay RMDs from that specific 401(k) until you actually retire (assuming you don't own 5% or more of the company). This is called the "still working exception." However, this only applies to your current employer's plan - you'd still need to take RMDs from IRAs and previous employers' 401(k)s. If you have old 401(k)s sitting around, you might want to consider rolling them into IRAs for easier management, but be aware this would subject them to the normal RMD rules without the still-working exception. This won't help with your 2024 RMD situation since that's from an IRA, but it's something to keep in mind for future planning if you're still employed.

Just FYI - the threshold for Robinhood to send a 1099-B is $600 in proceeds (not profit, but total amount from sales). If you sold more than that and didn't get one, check your account online. Many brokers don't mail them anymore and just make them available in your account under tax documents. Also, double-check if you're considered a resident alien for tax purposes despite being on F1. If you meet the substantial presence test (in the US for 183+ days using the formula), you might actually need to file Form 1040 instead of 1040-NR, which changes how your investment income is taxed.

As a fellow international student who went through this exact situation, I can confirm that Schedule D is absolutely the correct form for your Robinhood stock trades. The HR Block advisor was wrong about Schedule NEC. Here's the key distinction: Since you're physically present in the US on F1 status when making these trades, your capital gains are considered "effectively connected income" (ECI) with your US presence. This means they get reported on Schedule D and flow to your 1040-NR just like a US resident would report them. Schedule NEC is specifically for income that's NOT effectively connected - like if you owned rental property back in India or received certain types of passive income from foreign sources. Regarding the India-US tax treaty and your 30% rate concern: Good news! Capital gains from US stock sales are taxed at regular graduated rates, not the flat 30% nonresident rate. The treaty doesn't give you special capital gains rates, but you're still better off than the flat rate. For the missing 1099-B from Robinhood: Check your account online under tax documents - many brokers only provide electronic copies now. Even without it, you're still required to report all transactions using your trading history from the app. One more tip: Make sure you're correctly categorizing short-term vs long-term gains on Schedule D based on how long you held each position. This can significantly impact your tax liability.