Just wanted to share my experience as someone who's been dealing with this exact situation for three years now. Like many of you, I was frustrated about the daily school drives adding up to significant mileage and expense with no tax relief. After reading through this thread, I decided to dig deeper into my state's education transportation laws (I'm in Texas). Turns out our district was actually required to provide transportation since we live more than 2 miles from school, but they had quietly eliminated several bus routes due to budget cuts without properly notifying affected families of their right to transportation. I filed a complaint with our state education agency, and within 6 weeks the district restored bus service to our area! Sometimes the solution isn't finding a creative tax deduction, but making sure the district is following the law in the first place. For those still stuck with the driving, I'd definitely recommend checking both your state's transportation requirements AND looking into whether any of your school-related trips might qualify under other deduction categories (medical, charitable volunteering, etc.) as mentioned in the earlier comments. Every situation is different, and there might be legitimate deductions you're missing even if the basic school transport isn't covered.

As a tax preparer who sees this question frequently, I want to emphasize something important that's been touched on but bears repeating: keep detailed records of ALL your school-related driving, even if the basic transportation isn't deductible. Here's why - you might discover legitimate deductions you didn't know about. For example, if you drive to parent-teacher conferences, IEP meetings, or school board meetings where you're advocating for educational issues, some of these could potentially qualify under different categories. Miles driven to take your child to therapy or tutoring sessions prescribed by a doctor for learning disabilities are often deductible as medical expenses. Also, if you're involved in school fundraising activities, volunteer regularly, or serve on committees, those volunteer-related miles can add up to meaningful charitable deductions at 14 cents per mile. The key is documentation - keep a mileage log with dates, destinations, and purposes. Even if 90% of your school driving isn't deductible, that remaining 10% might still save you money at tax time. And as others have mentioned, definitely check your state's education transportation laws - you might be entitled to bus service that your district isn't providing.

Has anyone used TurboTax for reporting relocation benefits? Did it walk you through this properly or did you have to figure it out yourself?

Just wanted to add one important point that might help you - make sure you keep all your relocation documentation organized! I learned this the hard way when I got audited two years after my relocation. The IRS wanted to see receipts for everything my company paid for, even though it was already reported on my W-2. Keep copies of your relocation agreement, receipts for moving expenses, temporary housing documentation, and any correspondence with your employer about the benefits. Even though you can't deduct most moving expenses anymore, having this paper trail saved me during my audit when I had to prove the amounts were legitimate business relocations and not just additional compensation. Also, if you're relocating across state lines, double-check if your new state has any special rules about taxing relocation benefits. Some states treat them differently than the federal government does.

Don't forget state taxes too! Depending on where your internship is located vs. where you permanently live, you might need to file multiple state returns. I did an internship in California while being a resident of Texas and it got complicated real fast.

One thing I learned the hard way during my internship last year - make sure you understand how your employer is classifying different parts of your compensation! My company paid me a base salary plus a "living allowance" for housing, and I assumed it was all the same for tax purposes. Turns out the housing allowance was considered taxable income but they weren't withholding taxes from that portion. I ended up owing way more than expected when I filed my return. Now I always ask HR upfront: "What parts of my total compensation package are subject to payroll taxes and withholding?" Also, keep track of any work-related expenses you pay out of pocket (like transportation to client sites, professional development materials, etc.) - some of these might be deductible depending on your situation. Save all your receipts! The multi-state tax situation mentioned above is super real too. If you're working remotely for part of your internship from your home state, that can create additional complications. Best to clarify with your employer early where they'll be reporting your income as earned.

Has anyone used TurboTax to file with a Schedule SE? I'm in the same boat with the line 7/8 confusion and wondering if it handles all this automatically or if I need to understand it to input things correctly.

I had the exact same confusion when I started my freelance writing business! The $147k on line 7 threw me off completely - I thought it was somehow related to my actual income too. What really helped me understand it was thinking of it this way: the IRS sets a yearly limit on how much income gets hit with Social Security tax. For 2024, that limit was $147,000. So line 7 is just showing you what that limit is for the tax year. Line 8 is where you put your regular job wages that already had Social Security tax taken out. This prevents you from paying Social Security tax twice if your combined W-2 and self-employment income goes over that $147k limit. Since you mentioned you have a weekend photography gig, you probably also have a regular job. Make sure to put those W-2 wages on line 8 - it could save you money on your self-employment tax calculation!

Make sure your merger agreement specifically addresses how tax audit responsibilities will be handled if the IRS or state agencies come calling about pre-merger operations! We merged our LLC two years ago, and the IRS just selected our OLD company for audit for the year before the merger. Now there's a huge fight about who's responsible for handling it, providing documentation, and potentially paying any adjustments. Nobody thought to address this in the merger agreement and it's causing major drama.

This is exactly the situation I went through 18 months ago when our 3-member LLC merged with a larger entity. The undistributed profits piece was the most complex part to navigate. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the importance of getting a formal valuation of your LLC before finalizing the merger terms, especially with $87K in undistributed profits. The acquiring company will likely want to see how those profits affect your capital account balance and overall contribution to the merged entity. Also, make sure you understand whether the merger will be treated as a contribution of assets under IRC Section 721 or as a sale. If structured properly as a contribution, you're right that it should be tax-free, but the devil is in the details of how the exchange is documented. For the K-1 handling, I'd recommend asking the acquiring company's accountants specifically about their process for issuing partial-year K-1s. Some firms are better at this than others, and you want to make sure they have experience with mid-year mergers to avoid delays in getting your tax documents. The undistributed profits will definitely transfer as part of your capital account, but make sure the merger agreement specifies exactly how they'll be valued and allocated in the new entity structure.