Does anyone know if you can deduct your actual DFS contest entry fees as a business expense? Like if I spent $5000 on contests but won $6000, can I just report the $1000 profit, or do I need to report $6000 income and then deduct the $5000 in fees separately?

This is such a timely question with the NFL season starting! I've been dealing with this exact confusion for the past two years. The key thing to understand is that the IRS doesn't actually view DFS and sports betting as the same activity, even though they both involve sports. DFS platforms successfully argued that their contests are skill-based competitions between players (similar to poker tournaments), while traditional sports betting is classified as gambling against the house. For tax purposes, this means: - DFS winnings go on Schedule C as business income, and you can deduct research subscriptions, data services, and contest entry fees as business expenses - Sports betting winnings go on Form W-2G and losses can only offset wins if you itemize on Schedule A The practical advice: keep separate records for each activity. I use different spreadsheets to track my DraftKings contests versus my occasional bets at the sportsbook. It makes tax season much less stressful when everything is already categorized correctly. Also worth noting that some states treat these differently too, so make sure you understand your state's specific rules in addition to federal requirements.

Just wanted to share my experience - filed electronically on January 30th and received my Kansas state refund on February 7th, so exactly 6 business days! Used direct deposit and it showed up in my account before the KDOR website even updated the status. For what it's worth, I had a pretty straightforward return with no dependents or unusual deductions, so that probably helped with the quick processing.

Filed my Kansas return electronically on February 3rd and still waiting - hoping to see it hit my account in the next day or two based on what everyone's sharing here! It's reassuring to see most people are getting theirs within that 7-10 business day window. Thanks for all the data points, really helps set expectations instead of just wondering.

One important thing nobody has mentioned - you need to be super careful about the pro-rata rule if you have ANY existing pre-tax money in ANY traditional IRA accounts (including SEP or SIMPLE IRAs). The backdoor Roth strategy really only works cleanly if you have zero pre-tax IRA money anywhere.

Great question about timing! I went through this exact scenario last year and here's what I learned: You're correct that you can report the full $7,000 on Form 8606 even if you only have a 1099-R for $4,000 at the time you file. The IRS expects you to report ALL contributions made for the tax year, regardless of when you received the supporting documents. A few key points to keep in mind: 1. Make sure to designate your March contribution as a "2024 contribution" when you make it (your broker should ask) 2. Keep detailed records of both contributions with dates and amounts 3. The 1099-R you receive for the March conversion will be for tax year 2025, so you'll report that conversion on next year's return I'd recommend making your additional contribution and conversion before mid-March to give yourself some buffer time before the 4/15 deadline. Also, double-check that you don't have any other traditional IRA balances that could complicate the pro-rata calculation. The key is being consistent and thorough with your record-keeping - the IRS cares more about accurate reporting than perfect timing of tax documents.

I went through something very similar with my daughter's taxes two years ago. The key thing that helped us was getting what's called a "detailed billing statement" or "account activity report" directly from the bursar's office (not just financial aid). This statement showed every single transaction - what scholarships were applied when, what they paid for specifically, and the exact dates. We discovered that some of her scholarship money had been applied to charges from a previous semester that weren't showing up correctly on the 1098-T. Also, double-check if your husband had any health insurance through the school that was paid by scholarships, or if any scholarship money went toward mandatory student fees that might not be considered "qualified expenses." These details can make a huge difference in what's actually taxable. The school's tax office (if they have one) or a tax professional who specializes in education credits might be worth the consultation fee to avoid overpaying. Don't just rely on TurboTax's calculations without verifying the underlying numbers first!

I dealt with this exact situation last year and want to share what I learned since it sounds like you're getting some good advice but might still be overwhelmed by all the different suggestions. First, definitely get that detailed bursar statement as others mentioned - it's the most important step. When I got mine, it showed that about $6k of what looked like "scholarship overage" was actually payment for things like mandatory health insurance, parking permits, and activity fees that aren't qualified education expenses. One thing that really helped me was making a simple spreadsheet with three columns: 1) What the scholarship paid for, 2) Whether it's a qualified expense (tuition, required fees, required books/supplies) or non-qualified (room, board, health insurance, etc.), and 3) The dollar amounts. This made it crystal clear what portion was actually taxable. Also, don't forget to check if your husband can claim any education credits (American Opportunity Credit) that might offset some of the tax burden from the taxable scholarship income. Sometimes you can actually come out ahead even with the extra taxable income if you qualify for the full credit. The good news is this is a very common situation and the IRS is used to seeing these types of reporting discrepancies. Just make sure you keep all your documentation in case you ever get questioned about it.

I'm a regular player on these social casinos and was disappointed to learn these aren't deductible! But it makes sense - I'm basically just buying entertainment. One thing to consider though - if you're a content creator or streamer who plays these games as part of your business, you might be able to deduct them as a business expense. That's what my accountant told me since I have a small YouTube channel where I review social casino games.

This is a great question that comes up a lot! The consensus here is correct - social casino purchases where you can't cash out real money are treated as entertainment expenses, not gambling losses. I've seen people get confused about this because it *feels* like gambling, but the IRS looks at whether there's actual monetary risk/reward. One thing I'd add is to be extra careful about record-keeping if you do have any legitimate gambling activities. The IRS can be pretty strict about documentation for gambling loss deductions, so you want to make sure you're not mixing entertainment expenses with actual gambling losses on your return. Keep those social casino receipts separate from any real gambling records to avoid any confusion during an audit. Also worth noting - if you're spending $2500+ on these games, you might want to consider whether that money could be better invested in tax-advantaged accounts like an IRA or 401k where you'd get actual tax benefits!