lol welcome to the wonderful world of taxes where nothing makes sense and everything is a headache 🤪

I had this exact same issue with my 2019 transcript! What worked for me was looking at my old pay stubs if you still have them - they usually have the full company name and EIN number. You can also try searching the partial name + "EIN" on Google, sometimes that pulls up the full business info. Also, if you used any tax software like TurboTax or H&R Block that year, they might have saved your employer info in your account. Worth checking!

As a tax professional who works with many beauty industry clients, I want to emphasize something important that hasn't been fully addressed here: the documentation burden for personal appearance deductions is extremely high, and the IRS scrutinizes these claims heavily. For manicures to be deductible, you'd need to prove they're "ordinary and necessary" for your specific business AND that they exceed what's considered normal personal grooming. This means: 1. Maintaining detailed records of client feedback specifically about your nails 2. Documenting any special techniques or nail features that enhance your service 3. Showing how your nail maintenance differs from standard personal grooming 4. Potentially demonstrating measurable business impact (increased tips, client retention) Even then, the IRS might only allow a partial deduction - the portion that exceeds what you'd spend on "normal" nail care. The $2,340 annual expense would likely face significant scrutiny. My recommendation: Focus first on resolving your employment classification issue. If you're truly operating as an independent contractor but classified as W-2, that's a bigger tax impact than any individual deduction. Consider consulting with a tax professional who specializes in beauty industry workers before making any major decisions. The peace of mind of proper tax compliance is worth more than pushing questionable deductions that could trigger audits.

I've been following this thread as someone who went through a similar situation a few years ago, and I wanted to share what worked for me. I was a W-2 commission stylist trying to deduct everything under the sun, including my nail expenses, until I had a wake-up call during a tax preparation appointment. The key insight that changed everything was understanding that the employment classification issue isn't just about taxes - it affects your entire business relationship with the salon. When I switched to booth rental, not only could I deduct legitimate business expenses (including a portion of appearance-related costs that directly impacted my service), but I also gained control over my pricing, scheduling, and client relationships. For your specific manicure question - I do deduct about 60% of my nail expenses now as an independent contractor, but only because I can document that I get specific nail art that matches seasonal themes for my salon suite, and I track client comments and rebooking rates. The other 40% I consider personal grooming that I'd do anyway. The documentation piece that @d0c7f860b662 mentioned is crucial. I keep a simple spreadsheet with dates, services, costs, and any client feedback. Takes maybe 5 minutes after each appointment, but it's saved me during tax season when my accountant reviews everything. Bottom line: talk to a tax professional first, then approach your salon owner. The conversation might be easier than you think - many salon owners are dealing with rising labor costs and would welcome a booth rental arrangement that gives them predictable income without payroll headaches.

Quick tip - make sure to keep track of how many days you personally use the vacation home vs. renting it out. If you use it for more than 14 days or 10% of the total days it's rented (whichever is greater), the IRS treats it differently than a pure rental property and some of your deductions could be limited.

As someone who's been managing multi-state rental properties for several years, I'd also recommend setting up a separate business checking account specifically for your Colorado rental property. This makes tracking income and expenses much easier when you're filing in multiple states, and it helps establish clear separation between personal and rental finances. Also, don't forget about depreciation! You can depreciate your rental property over 27.5 years, which can significantly reduce your taxable rental income in both states. Your property management fees, maintenance costs, insurance, and even travel expenses to visit the property for business purposes are all deductible. One more thing - consider making estimated quarterly tax payments to both states if your rental income is substantial. This can help you avoid underpayment penalties, especially since you won't have taxes withheld from rental income like you would from a regular paycheck.

Nah, the processing date is just when they finished looking at your return - not when you get paid! I made this same mistake last year and kept refreshing my bank account like crazy 😅 You're usually looking at another 1-2 weeks after that processing date before you actually see the money. The key is finding code 846 on your transcript - that's when they actually issue your refund and you'll get it within a couple days after that. All those transcript codes are confusing AF when you're new to it but don't stress too much, your money is coming! Just gotta play the waiting game unfortunately 🤷‍♀️

Processing date ≠ deposit date! I learned this the hard way too when I first started checking transcripts. The processing date is just when the IRS completes their review of your return - think of it as them stamping "approved" on your paperwork. After that, you're typically looking at another 1-2 weeks before you actually see the money in your account. The code you really want to watch for is 846 on your transcript - that's your actual refund issue date. Once you see that code, your deposit usually hits within 1-2 business days. I know all these codes and dates are super confusing when you're new to reading transcripts (honestly, they're confusing even when you're not new to them lol). Just try to be patient during the waiting period - I know it's easier said than done when you're expecting money! Your refund will come, it's just a matter of IRS timing 🤞

Just wondering, has anyone e-filed Form 709? Or do you have to paper file these gift tax returns? The IRS website isn't super clear on this.

This is exactly the kind of confusion that trips up so many people with gift splitting! Just to add some practical advice from my experience: when you're filling out both forms, make sure you use the exact same description of the gift on both returns. We described our gift slightly differently on each form and got a letter from the IRS asking for clarification. Also, don't forget that the filing deadline for Form 709 is April 15th (or October 15th if you get an extension), but you can't extend the time to pay any gift tax that might be due. In your case with the $60k gift, after splitting you'll each have $12k that counts against your lifetime exemption ($30k - $18k annual exclusion = $12k each), but no actual tax due unless you've already used up a big chunk of your $13.61M lifetime exemption. One more tip: keep detailed records of the gift (bank records, closing documents if it was for the house down payment, etc.) with your tax files. The IRS loves documentation when it comes to large gifts!