Has anyone used TurboTax for this scenario? I'm wondering if it handles this situation correctly or if I should go to a professional preparer this year.

I went through this exact same situation last year and it was really confusing at first! You absolutely need to file Schedule H even though your payroll service is making the estimated payments. Here's what I learned: The Schedule H shows the IRS that you had household employment tax obligations, while the 1040-ES payments you already made get credited toward your total tax liability. Think of it this way - Schedule H calculates what you owe, and the estimated payments show what you've already paid toward that debt. Your payroll service should provide you with a year-end summary showing total wages paid, Social Security, Medicare, and federal unemployment taxes. Use those exact numbers on Schedule H. The estimated tax payments you made throughout the year will appear as credits on your 1040, so you won't pay twice. One tip: double-check that the total of your quarterly estimated payments matches (or comes close to) the total household employment taxes shown on Schedule H. If there's a big discrepancy, you might need to make an additional payment or expect a refund. I was terrified of messing this up, but once I understood that Schedule H is just reporting what happened (not creating a new tax bill), it made much more sense!

But wait - doesn't the FAA require flight logs anyway? Couldn't you just use those same logs to mark which flights were business vs personal? Seems like aircraft would actually be easier to track than cars since there's already mandatory record keeping.

Your friend is definitely confused about the GSA vs IRS distinction. As a tax professional, I see this mistake frequently with pilots and boat owners who think there are standard mileage rates for all vehicles. The $1.74/mile GSA rate is specifically for federal employees using personal aircraft on official government business - it's a reimbursement rate, not a tax deduction. The IRS Publication 463 is crystal clear that standard mileage rates only apply to "automobiles, vans, pickups, and panel trucks." For his Cessna, he needs to track actual expenses (fuel, oil, annual inspections, insurance, hangar rent, depreciation) and multiply by his business use percentage. The good news is this often results in larger deductions than any hypothetical standard rate would provide, especially when you factor in depreciation on the aircraft value. Tell your friend to keep detailed logs of business flights with dates, destinations, business purpose, and passengers. The IRS loves documentation when it comes to aircraft deductions since they're frequently audited.

Does anyone know if there's a way to customize the output in ProTax to include a basis worksheet with the client copy? My clients are always asking for this info and it's frustrating having to create a separate Excel file every time.

This is such a common frustration! I've been dealing with this exact issue for years. The key thing to understand is that S-Corp basis tracking is fundamentally different from partnership basis tracking. In your ProTax software, look for the "Supplemental Worksheets" section - there should be a "Shareholder Stock & Debt Basis" worksheet that calculates beginning basis, adds income/contributions, subtracts distributions/losses, and shows ending basis. It's not an official IRS form but it's essential for proper tax compliance. Also, make sure you're tracking both stock basis AND debt basis separately. Many preparers forget about the debt basis component, which can be crucial when shareholders have made loans to the S-Corp. The worksheet should show both components and how they interact when losses exceed stock basis. If you can't find the worksheet in ProTax, check under "Client Statements" or "Supporting Schedules" - different software versions organize these differently. You might also want to enable it in your client package so it automatically prints with the return.

its probably just maintenance lol everyone needs to chill fr fr

I had this exact same issue last month! Turns out my account was flagged for additional review due to some W-2 discrepancies. The "Currently Unavailable" message can be frustrating but it's often temporary. Try calling the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 1-877-777-4778 - they were super helpful when the regular IRS line gave me the runaround. Also, if you filed electronically, check your email for any notices from the IRS that might explain what's going on. Hope this helps!

Has anyone had their bank account double-charged when using IRS Direct Pay? My payment has been "processing" for 3 weeks but I just noticed they took the money TWICE from my account! Both charges have the same confirmation number. Is this normal?

I can relate to your concern! I went through the same thing about 6 months ago with a $1,200 payment that stayed on "processing" for nearly a month. Like others mentioned, the IRS systems are just incredibly slow to update their status displays. What really helped put my mind at ease was checking my account transcript online (as Ruby mentioned above) - my payment showed up there about 10 days before the Direct Pay status finally changed to "completed." The transcript is really the authoritative source for what's actually been applied to your account. Since you have your confirmation number and the money left your bank account, you're almost certainly fine. The IRS receives thousands of these payments daily and their processing pipeline just moves slowly. I'd only start worrying if it hits the 30-day mark and still shows processing - at that point it might be worth making a call to double-check. Keep those screenshots and confirmation emails safe though - they're your proof of timely payment if any questions ever come up!