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Ive been dashing for 3 years now alongside my office job. Keep EVERY receipt - gas, phone chargers, hot bags, etc. The tax write offs make a HUGE difference. Also dont forget about the quarterly payments! I put reminders in my calander cause I forgot the first year and got hit with penalties.
Do you also write off part of your phone bill since you need it for the app?
Great question! I started doing Doordash last year while working my regular job and learned a lot through trial and error. Here's what I wish I knew from the start: You'll definitely want to track your mileage religiously - it's usually your biggest deduction. I use a simple notebook in my car and jot down my starting/ending odometer readings for each dash session. The standard mileage rate for 2024 is 67 cents per mile, which adds up fast! For the quarterly payments, you can also ask your regular employer to withhold extra taxes from your paycheck instead of making separate estimated payments. I had my HR department take an extra $150 per month from my regular job to cover the Doordash taxes - much easier than remembering quarterly deadlines. One tip: keep a separate envelope or folder for ALL your Doordash-related receipts. Car maintenance, phone accessories, insulated bags, even hand sanitizer you buy for deliveries. These small expenses add up and reduce your taxable income. And definitely set aside that 25-30% of earnings right away. I learned the hard way that it's much easier to save as you go than scramble to pay a big tax bill in April!
This is really helpful advice! I'm totally new to this whole side hustle thing and had no idea about most of these deductions. Quick question - when you say "hand sanitizer you buy for deliveries," does that mean I can deduct personal care items as long as I use them for work? Like if I buy gum or mints to keep my car smelling good for customers, would that count as a business expense? Also, the tip about having your regular employer withhold extra taxes is genius! I never would have thought of that. Do you just tell HR "hey, take out an extra $150 for taxes" or do you need to fill out a new W-4 form?
One aspect that hasn't been fully explored here is the impact on your business insurance and potential liability exposure. When I was considering mixing trading activities with my consulting practice, my business insurance agent pointed out that trading activities could significantly change my liability profile and potentially void certain professional liability coverages. Many professional liability policies for consulting services specifically exclude investment and trading activities. If you're providing risk assessment services to hedge funds AND actively trading, you might need additional E&O coverage or securities-related insurance that could be quite expensive. From a practical standpoint, I ended up forming a separate LLC (elected as S corp for tax purposes) specifically for trading after discovering that my existing professional liability insurance wouldn't cover any claims related to investment activities conducted through the same entity. The additional entity costs were actually less than the insurance premium adjustments would have been. Also worth noting - if you're working with institutional clients in your consulting business, some may have vendor agreements that restrict or prohibit trading activities within the same entity due to potential conflicts of interest. This could impact your existing consulting contracts. Have you checked with your current business insurance provider about how adding trading activities might affect your coverage?
@5e58f030c941 This is such an important point that I think many people overlook when considering entity structure! I hadn't even thought about the insurance implications, but it makes total sense that professional liability policies would have exclusions for trading activities. Your experience with vendor agreements is especially relevant to the original question since @e480fd855cf4 Malik mentioned providing risk assessment services to hedge funds. Those institutional clients almost certainly have strict compliance requirements about conflicts of interest, and having trading activities in the same entity could definitely create issues with existing contracts or future client acquisition. I'm curious - when you formed the separate LLC elected as S corp, did you encounter any complications with the election timing or requirements? I've heard that the S corp election needs to be made within a specific timeframe after forming the LLC, and I'm wondering if there are any gotchas for someone already operating an S corp who wants to add a second entity. Also, did your insurance agent have any recommendations for securities-related coverage, or did you have to shop around extensively to find appropriate protection for trading activities?
@5e58f030c941 Wesley, this is a brilliant point that completely changes the calculus on this decision. I've been so focused on the tax aspects that I completely overlooked the insurance and liability implications. Your mention of vendor agreements is particularly eye-opening. If institutional clients like hedge funds have compliance requirements that restrict trading activities within service provider entities, that could be a deal-breaker for using a mixed entity structure, regardless of the tax benefits. For the S corp election timing on LLCs, you typically have 75 days from formation OR the beginning of the tax year you want the election to be effective. The key is filing Form 2553 within that window. If you miss it, you might have to wait until the following tax year unless you can get relief for reasonable cause. I'd also suggest checking if your current professional liability carrier offers any securities-related endorsements before shopping around entirely. Sometimes it's more cost-effective to add coverage with your existing provider than to get separate policies that might have gaps in coverage between them. Have you found that having the separate trading entity actually helped with client confidence, since it demonstrates clear separation of activities and potential conflicts?
As someone who recently navigated this exact situation, I can confirm that the separate entity approach, while not legally required, offers significant practical advantages beyond just tax considerations. I initially tried to mix trading with my existing consulting S corp and ran into several unexpected issues. First, my business banking relationships became complicated - some banks have different requirements and fees for accounts that handle securities trading versus standard business operations. Second, my bookkeeping software needed expensive add-ons to properly track and categorize the different types of income and expenses. The real eye-opener was during my first audit. Having mixed activities made the examination much more complex and time-consuming. The IRS examiner spent considerable time trying to understand which expenses were related to which activities, and I had to provide extensive documentation to support the business purpose of various transactions. What finally convinced me to separate was realizing that the administrative headaches were costing me more in time and stress than the additional entity fees. Now I have clean separation, clearer record-keeping, and much better sleep at night knowing that if one activity faces scrutiny, it won't impact the other. For what it's worth, the separate LLC elected as S corp has actually helped me establish better credibility with both trading counterparties and consulting clients, since each entity has a clear, focused business purpose.
@8bd71b936295 Daniel, thank you for sharing your real-world experience - this is incredibly valuable insight! Your point about the audit complexity is something I hadn't fully appreciated. The idea that mixed activities could make IRS examinations more complicated and time-consuming really drives home why clean separation might be worth the extra cost. I'm particularly interested in your mention of banking relationships becoming complicated. Could you elaborate on what specific issues you encountered? I'm wondering if this relates to different regulatory requirements for accounts that handle securities transactions versus regular business operations, or if it was more about fee structures and account features. The credibility aspect you mentioned is also intriguing. It makes sense that having focused, purpose-built entities would inspire more confidence from both sides - trading counterparties would see a dedicated trading business, and consulting clients would see that their service provider isn't distracted by other activities. Your experience really reinforces what others have mentioned about the administrative burden potentially outweighing the theoretical tax benefits of a single entity. Sometimes the "cleanest" solution on paper isn't the most practical in real life.
I had a similar experience when I moved mid-tax season! USPS forwarding does work for W2s since they're First-Class Mail, but there can definitely be delays. What really saved me was setting up informed delivery with USPS - it shows you scanned images of mail that's coming to your address each day. That way you can track when your W2 is actually in transit and know if it gets stuck somewhere in the forwarding process. Also, if your old employer has a main corporate number, try calling that instead of your local office. Sometimes the corporate payroll department can handle address changes more efficiently than local HR, especially if your old location was disorganized like you mentioned. They usually have better systems in place for handling former employee requests. One last tip - keep records of when you set up mail forwarding and any communications with your employer about the address change. If you do need to contact the IRS later, having that documentation will speed up the process significantly.
The informed delivery tip is brilliant! I had no idea USPS offered that service. Just signed up and can already see what's coming in today's mail - this will definitely give me peace of mind about tracking my W2. Thanks for the suggestion about calling corporate payroll too. My old company was part of a bigger chain so there's probably a centralized payroll system I can reach directly. Really appreciate the advice about keeping documentation as well - I'll make sure to save screenshots of my mail forwarding setup and any email exchanges with HR.
One additional thing to consider - if you've already set up mail forwarding, you can also submit a "Change of Address" form (Form 8822) directly to the IRS. This ensures they have your current address on file, which can be helpful if there are any issues with your tax return processing or if you're due a refund. You can download it from irs.gov or mail in a handwritten note with your old address, new address, and SSN. This is separate from updating your address with your employer, but it's good to have both bases covered. The IRS form is particularly useful if you end up needing to contact them about missing tax documents later - they'll already have your current address in their system. Also, don't forget to update your address with your state tax agency if you moved to a different state. They often have separate requirements and deadlines for tax document delivery.
Great point about Form 8822! I didn't realize you could proactively update your address with the IRS - that seems like a smart move to avoid any potential issues down the road. Quick question though - if I submit that form now, will it affect where my tax refund gets sent if I file electronically with direct deposit? Or is that completely separate since the refund goes to my bank account rather than a mailed check? Also, you mentioned state tax agencies - I moved from California to Texas, so I assume I need to make sure California has my new address for any final state tax documents, even though Texas doesn't have state income tax?
This is such a relief to read! I had no idea this was such a common issue with the IRS system. I've been dealing with tax stuff for the first time on my own and when something like this happens it's absolutely terrifying. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it really helps newcomers like me understand that these glitches happen and aren't necessarily our fault. Definitely taking notes on screenshotting everything and keeping manual records. This community is incredibly helpful!
Welcome to dealing with IRS stuff! š It definitely is scary when you're handling it for the first time and something like this happens. I'm pretty new to this too and this thread has been such a huge help. The advice about screenshots is golden - wish I had known that before! Also keeping a simple spreadsheet with payment dates and amounts has saved me so much stress. You've got this! šŖ
Same thing happened to me about 3 months ago! I was absolutely panicking when my approved payment plan just vanished from the portal. Called the IRS and waited on hold for like 90 minutes, but the rep confirmed it was still 100% active in their system. She explained that their online portal has frequent display issues and that approved agreements sometimes temporarily disappear from view but remain valid on the backend. Got my official confirmation letter about 10 days later. Definitely call to confirm for peace of mind, but based on everyone's experiences here, you're probably totally fine. The IRS website is honestly just terrible at showing real-time status updates. Keep making your payments according to the original schedule you agreed to!
Thank you so much for sharing this! As someone completely new to dealing with IRS issues, this whole thread has been incredibly reassuring. It's amazing how many people have experienced this exact same glitch - really shows it's a systemic problem with their portal rather than something we're doing wrong. I was literally panicking when I first saw the post, thinking "oh no, what if this happens to me too?" But now I feel much more prepared and know to screenshot everything immediately and keep manual records. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their experiences - this community is such a lifesaver for newcomers like me! š
Leo Simmons
I've been dealing with RSU taxation for several years now, and one thing that really helped me was understanding that the IRS treats RSU vesting as a taxable event regardless of whether you sell the shares or not. Your situation looks pretty standard - the $56,150.60 should appear as supplemental wages on your W-2 (often in Box 14 or combined with your regular wages in Box 1). The key is making sure your tax software or preparer knows that this income was already taxed when calculating your capital gains/losses. For future reference, some brokers offer better RSU tax reporting than others. If you're planning to stay with your current employer and continue receiving RSUs, it might be worth asking HR if they can switch to a broker that provides clearer tax documentation. I switched from E*Trade to Schwab a few years ago and the difference in reporting quality was night and day. Also, consider setting aside cash for taxes on future RSU vestings rather than always selling shares to cover. If you believe in your company's stock, you can avoid the immediate sale and potential regret if the stock price goes up later. Just make sure you have enough liquid funds to cover the tax bill!
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Oliver Brown
ā¢This is excellent advice about setting aside cash for future RSU taxes! I learned this the hard way - my first few RSU vestings I just let them auto-sell to cover taxes, but then I missed out on some nice gains when the stock price went up 40% over the next six months. Now I try to keep a separate savings account just for RSU tax payments. It's basically like having an estimated tax fund. The peace of mind is worth it, and I get to keep all my vested shares. Plus, if the stock tanks after vesting (which happened to me once), at least I have the cash set aside and don't have to scramble to find money for the tax bill. Your point about broker quality is spot on too. Some of these 1099-B forms are absolutely terrible at showing the correct basis adjustments. Makes tax time so much more stressful than it needs to be.
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Jamal Anderson
I've been through this exact RSU mess before! One thing that really helped me was requesting what's called a "supplemental 1099-B" from my broker specifically for RSU transactions. Some brokers will provide this if you ask directly - it shows the correct adjusted cost basis that accounts for the compensation income already reported on your W-2. If your broker won't provide that (sounds like they already said no), you'll need to manually adjust on Form 8949. The key is using code "B" in column (f) and writing something like "RSU - basis adjustment per Pub 525" in column (g). Then adjust the basis to reflect that you've already paid ordinary income tax on the full vesting value. For your 137 remaining shares, definitely keep good records showing your $255.23 per share basis. I use a simple note in my investment tracking that says "RSU vest 8/2024 - basis adjusted for W-2 income" so I don't forget years later when I sell. The most important thing is making sure your total tax burden is correct - you should only pay ordinary income tax once (at vesting) and then capital gains tax later (when you sell) on any appreciation above the vesting price.
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Kyle Wallace
ā¢This is really solid advice about the supplemental 1099-B! I had no idea that was even something you could request. My broker (Fidelity) just keeps sending me the same standard 1099-B when I ask for clarification on RSU basis adjustments. I'm definitely going to try asking specifically for a "supplemental 1099-B for RSU transactions" - that's much more specific than what I was requesting before. And your tip about the Form 8949 language is super helpful too. I was struggling with exactly what to write in the description field. One quick question - do you know if there's a time limit on requesting these supplemental documents? My RSUs vested back in August but I'm just now getting around to doing my taxes (yeah, I know, procrastination is my weakness). Hoping it's not too late to get better documentation from my broker.
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