Hey Zoe! I was in almost the exact same situation last year - $2,900 debt while finishing my master's degree and working part-time. I was so nervous about that call too, but it turned out way better than expected. For your amount, you'll definitely qualify for the streamlined agreement. I told them I could afford $85/month and they accepted it immediately - no financial paperwork required. The IRS rep was actually really patient and explained all my options clearly. One tip: when you call, mention that you're a student working part-time right upfront. They seemed to take that into consideration and didn't pressure me to pay more than I said I could handle. Also, they'll ask when you want your first payment due - I asked for it to start the following month to give myself time to adjust my budget. The whole process took maybe 20 minutes once I got through, and those scary letters stopped coming within a couple weeks. You've got this!

One thing that really helped me when I was setting up my payment plan was understanding that the IRS actually has different "ability to pay" thresholds. If your monthly income minus necessary living expenses is below certain amounts, they're much more flexible with payment terms. As a part-time student, you likely qualify for what they call "allowable living expenses" which include reasonable amounts for housing, utilities, transportation, food, healthcare, and even some educational expenses. They use standardized amounts for these categories, so even if your actual rent is high, they'll consider the standard allowance for your area. The key is being honest about your situation but also knowing your rights. You don't have to accept the first payment amount they suggest if it truly creates a financial hardship. I ended up getting my $3,400 debt down to $65/month payments over 60 months by explaining my student status and providing basic income information. Also, make sure to ask about the first-time penalty abatement if you've never had tax issues before - it can reduce your total debt significantly by removing failure-to-pay penalties.

Has anyone used FreeTaxUSA for filing back taxes? Their prior year returns are only $15 each and I've heard good things, but not sure how they handle situations with missing documents.

I'm dealing with a similar situation but for 2019-2021. One thing I learned from my tax preparer is that you should prioritize getting your wage and income transcripts from the IRS before you start filing. You can request these online through the IRS website or by calling them. These transcripts will show you exactly what income the IRS has on record for each year, which is super helpful if you're missing W-2s or 1099s. It also helps you verify that you're not missing any income sources you might have forgotten about. For the Recovery Rebate Credit specifically, the transcript will show if you received any stimulus payments that year, so you'll know exactly how much credit you can still claim. I discovered I was eligible for an extra $600 from the second stimulus that I never received. The transcript is free and gives you a complete picture before you start the actual filing process. Much better than guessing what your income was!

Everyone's talking about refunds, but the real question is: could you have paid less in total taxes? Look into maximizing pre-tax contributions next year. You only put $2500 in your 401k, but the limit is $22,500 for 2023 and $23,000 for 2024. Even increasing to 10% of your salary would make a big difference in your tax bill. Also consider an HSA if you have an eligible health plan - that's another pre-tax contribution that reduces your taxable income. Between those two things, you could potentially reduce your taxable income by $10k+ and save thousands in taxes.

This is a really common misconception! The key thing to understand is that your refund amount doesn't reflect how much you paid in taxes - it only shows how much you overpaid during the year through withholding. Breaking down your situation: out of that ~$20k deducted from your paycheck, about $13,800 went to taxes that aren't refundable (Social Security $4,100 + Medicare $1,000 + actual federal income tax liability of ~$6,550 + state taxes of ~$2,000 + $150 you still owe). The remaining $6,200 was federal withholding that exceeded what you actually owed, hence your $1,150 refund. Your effective tax rate is actually quite reasonable for your income level. The "problem" isn't that you're being overtaxed - it's that your withholding was fairly accurate to your actual tax liability, which is actually a good thing! Getting a huge refund means you gave the government an interest-free loan all year. If you want more money in your pocket, consider increasing your 401k contribution (you're only doing $2,500 of the $23,000 limit) rather than trying to get a bigger refund.

This is a complex situation that highlights why proper documentation is so critical in horse racing partnerships. From what you've described, you're likely in a de facto partnership regardless of whether the main owner acknowledges it formally. A few key considerations: 1. **The deceased horse loss**: Document everything - purchase agreements, vet bills, training expenses, insurance claims if any. This should be deductible as an ordinary business loss if you can demonstrate business intent (which the fact that you immediately purchased another horse helps establish). 2. **Partnership vs. Schedule C**: While technically this sounds like a partnership, if the majority owner refuses to file partnership returns, you may need to report your share on Schedule C. Keep meticulous records of all expenses, income, and communications showing your active involvement in business decisions. 3. **Travel expenses**: These are generally deductible if the primary purpose is business-related (checking on your investment, meeting with trainers, evaluating performance). Keep detailed records of the business purpose for each trip. 4. **Documentation strategy**: Even without formal partnership papers, create a written agreement outlining ownership percentages, profit/loss sharing, and decision-making authority. This helps establish legitimate business intent. Consider consulting with a tax professional who has experience with horse racing activities - this isn't a DIY situation given the complexity and potential audit risk.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the importance of establishing your material participation in the horse racing activity. Even if you're a 25% minority owner, if you can demonstrate that you materially participate in the business (more than 500 hours per year, or if this is your primary business activity), it can help classify your involvement as active rather than passive. This distinction is crucial because active participants can deduct losses against other income, while passive activity losses are generally limited to passive income. Given that you live in a different state, documenting your involvement becomes even more important - keep records of phone calls with trainers, time spent researching bloodlines, reviewing race schedules, analyzing performance data, etc. Also, regarding the LLC question - while it won't change your tax treatment unless you elect different status, it could provide liability protection if the horse injures someone or causes property damage. Horse racing does carry inherent risks that personal liability insurance might not fully cover. For the immediate tax situation, I'd recommend filing Form 8275 (Disclosure Statement) along with your return to explain your position on reporting the income/expenses without a K-1. This shows good faith compliance and can help avoid penalties if the IRS later determines different treatment was required.

Has anyone looked into whether it's better to take distributions from your S-Corp and then fund a backdoor Roth vs setting up these more complex retirement plans? Especially if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket in retirement?

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation but with one additional wrinkle - I'm also contributing to a HSA through my W-2 job. Does that impact any of the S-Corp retirement plan contribution limits mentioned here? Also, for those who mentioned taxr.ai - did their analysis include HSA optimization as part of the overall retirement planning strategy? I'm trying to figure out if I should prioritize maxing my HSA first before setting up the Solo 401k, or if they work completely independently of each other. One more question - if I set up a Solo 401k through my S-Corp this year, can I still make catch-up contributions when I turn 50 next year, or do those limits get complicated when you have multiple 401k accounts?