Also look into whether your department contributes to a 457 plan - those contributions can be deferred from your income. I'm maxing mine out ($22,500 for 2023) and it significantly reduces my taxable income. Our department also offers a Roth 457 option which doesn't reduce current taxes but grows tax-free.

Great thread! As someone who's been a career firefighter for 15 years, I've learned a few things about navigating these tax issues. One thing that might help with your educational course situation - if your department required the training and you didn't have a choice in taking it, you might want to ask your payroll/HR department if they can reclassify how they report it on your W-2. Sometimes they can adjust the reporting to minimize the tax impact, especially if it was truly mandatory training rather than optional professional development. For the mileage between stations, I keep a detailed log in my truck with dates, starting/ending locations, mileage, and purpose of travel. Even though it's not federally deductible right now, some states still allow it and the rules could change. Plus if you ever do contract work or consulting on the side, that documentation becomes valuable. One deduction people often miss - if you have a home office space that you use exclusively for firefighter-related work (studying for promotions, completing required paperwork, etc.), that might still be deductible in some situations, especially if your department requires you to do work from home. Also worth checking if your department offers flexible spending accounts (FSA) for medical expenses. A lot of us deal with job-related injuries and having pre-tax dollars set aside for copays, physical therapy, etc. can add up to real savings.

As someone who's been through the Maine tax system for several years now, I can add some perspective here. The timing really does depend on when you file and your specific situation. I filed my 2023 Maine return on February 28th this year and received my refund via direct deposit on March 10th - so about 8 business days, which aligns with what others have mentioned. One thing that might help you as a student: Maine Revenue Services tends to prioritize returns with education credits since they're promoting in-state education. The Educational Opportunity Tax Credit you mentioned shouldn't slow things down - if anything, it might help since those returns get flagged for faster processing. Just make sure all your student loan interest and education expense documentation is complete when you file. Good luck with summer tuition!

I can share some recent experience with Maine state tax refunds! I filed my Maine return on February 25th and got my refund deposited on March 8th - so about 9 business days total. This was my third year filing in Maine after moving from Massachusetts, and it's been consistently faster each year. What really helped was making sure I had all my documentation ready before filing, especially since you mentioned you're claiming education credits. One tip: if you're anxious about the timing for your summer tuition, you can set up text alerts through the Maine Revenue Services portal once you get your confirmation number. They'll send you updates when your return moves through different processing stages. It's way more reliable than constantly checking the website! The Maine system really is much more efficient than what you dealt with in California - you should be in good shape for getting your refund in time.

Has anyone here actually been audited as a self-employed person? What was that experience like and how did you prepare?

Great thread! I'm in a similar situation - been freelancing for about 8 months now and definitely feeling overwhelmed by all the business structure options. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the consensus is that LLC formation is pretty straightforward, but the real decision point is whether to elect S-Corp status based on your income level. @Luca Russo - at $72k income, you're definitely in the sweet spot where S-Corp election could provide meaningful savings. From what I've read elsewhere, the general rule of thumb is that S-Corp makes sense when you're making $60k+ in profit, since the administrative costs and complexity start to pay for themselves at that level. One thing I'm curious about - has anyone dealt with quarterly estimated tax payments as an S-Corp? I'm already struggling to stay on top of those as a sole prop, and I'm wondering if the payroll requirements make that more or less complicated. Also really appreciate the tool recommendations in this thread. Always helpful to have resources that can run the numbers objectively rather than just getting generic advice.

I fell for something similar in 2022 and I'm still dealing with the audit fallout. The "tax consultant" promised a 3:1 deduction ratio through an LLC arrangement. I sent $50,000 thinking I'd get a $150,000 deduction. The IRS flagged it immediately. Turns out the LLC was technically a charity but was misrepresenting how the funds were being used. I not only lost most of my "donation" (they had already spent it), but I'm facing penalties for an improper deduction. My advice: RUN from anyone promising multiplication of deductions. Legitimate deductions are 1:1 at most. The only exceptions involve very specific situations that don't apply to cash donations to random LLCs.

This is absolutely a scam - please don't fall for it. I'm a CPA and I see these schemes targeting people every tax season. The "5x deduction" claim is physically impossible under current tax law. Charitable deductions work on a 1:1 basis - you donate $100, you can deduct up to $100 (subject to AGI limitations). The fact that they're pressuring you for a quick decision is textbook scammer behavior. Legitimate tax professionals encourage clients to take time to research and understand any strategy. A few additional red flags in your situation: - LLCs are generally NOT qualified charitable organizations under 501(c)(3) - Any legitimate massive deduction strategy would require extensive documentation and likely IRS pre-approval - Real tax professionals provide written analyses with specific code references, not verbal promises If you want legitimate tax savings, consider: maximizing retirement contributions, harvesting investment losses, or making actual donations to verified 501(c)(3) organizations. These won't give you magical multipliers, but they're legal and won't land you in audit hell. Please report this consultant to your state's board of accountancy if they claim to be a CPA, or to the IRS if they're operating as a tax preparer.

Wait i'm confuses...i thought business losses were reported on a schedule C and capital losseson a schedule D? Are they not treated the same on the 1040?

Just wanted to add a practical tip for tracking all this - keep meticulous records of your business activities and time spent if you're claiming active participation. The IRS loves to challenge material participation claims, especially when substantial losses are involved. I learned this lesson when I had a side consulting business that lost money its first year. Even though it was clearly active business income (I was doing all the work myself), I didn't keep great time records. When my return got selected for review, I had to scramble to reconstruct my activity logs from emails, calendar entries, and receipts. Also worth noting - if you're planning to convert your LLC to an S-corp next year, make sure you understand how that affects loss carryforwards. Generally, losses from your sole proprietorship can't be used by the S-corp since they're different tax entities. You'd want to utilize as much of the current year loss as possible before making any entity changes. The interaction between different types of income and losses is definitely one of the more complex areas of tax law, but understanding it can save you thousands!