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I'm at my wit's end with this tax season. I filed on February 1st - way earlier than last year when I got my refund within 2 weeks. Now it's been over 2 months with absolutely no movement. No letter, no transcript updates, nothing. I've called the IRS three separate times and spoken with three different representatives. The first one said my return was still processing (normal). The second told me there was a "review" but couldn't explain why. The third said there's no issues flagged but it's "in queue" whatever that means. This is nothing like my previous experiences filing taxes. Even during COVID things weren't this disorganized. Is anyone else experiencing this kind of run-around? I've triple-checked my return and everything is perfectly in order just like my previous years.
I've been driving for Uber part-time for the past year and they just sent me two different tax forms which has me completely lost. The 1099-K shows $15,800 in earnings while the 1099-NEC lists $6,200. When I look at my actual deposits throughout the year, I received about $14,500 total. I'm trying to figure out how to report this properly on my taxes. I'm thinking the 1099-K might be the right one since after I subtract Uber's fees, it should be closer to what actually hit my bank account. But then what do I do with the 1099-NEC? Do I just ignore it? I'm worried that if I don't report both forms correctly, the IRS will think I'm underreporting my income. This is my first year driving and I didn't realize tax reporting would be this confusing. Any advice would be really appreciated since I need to file soon!
One thing nobody's mentioned - if this is your first year doing Uber, make sure you're setting aside money for quarterly estimated taxes going forward. Got hit with a nasty penalty my first year because I didn't know this was a thing! Since Uber doesn't withhold taxes, you're supposed to pay as you go through the year.
Omg thank you for mentioning this! What exactly are the quarterly deadlines? And how much should I be setting aside? I had no idea this was required.
The quarterly deadlines are usually April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year. The general rule is you need to pay at least 90% of your current year's tax or 100% of last year's tax (whichever is smaller) to avoid penalties. For most drivers, setting aside 25-30% of your net income (after deducting expenses) is a good starting point. It depends on your tax bracket and whether you have other income though. The IRS has a form called 1040-ES that helps calculate what you owe, or you can use their online withholding estimator. I personally just use the IRS Direct Pay website to make my quarterly payments - it's pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it.
As someone who's been through this exact confusion, I want to emphasize how important it is to keep detailed records beyond just the 1099 forms. Uber's driver dashboard has a "Tax Information" section that breaks down your earnings month by month, which is super helpful for reconciling those confusing totals. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet tracking my weekly deposits vs what the forms showed. The 1099-K includes tips that passengers paid through the app, while the 1099-NEC covers things like quest bonuses and surge pricing incentives - that's why the numbers don't match your bank deposits exactly. Also, don't forget you can deduct more than just Uber's fees! Phone bills (portion used for work), car washes, parking fees when waiting for rides, and even snacks/water you provide to passengers can be business expenses. Keep receipts for everything. The key is being able to show these expenses were necessary for your rideshare business. The quarterly tax payments mentioned above are crucial - I learned this the hard way with a $800 penalty my first year. Good luck with your filing!
I started my own business last year as an LLC and elected S corp status for tax purposes (just me as the only member/owner). Now I'm trying to figure out what forms I need to file for the 2024 tax year, and I'm getting confused about what happens with Schedule K-1. I know I need to file Form 1120-S for the S corporation. And I've been paying myself a salary, so I have a W-2 from my own company showing my wages. But do I also need to issue myself a Schedule K-1 as the owner? Or is that not necessary since I'm the only member? I've been reading conflicting information online. Some sources say all S corps have to issue K-1s to shareholders, but others seem to suggest it's different for single-member S corps. Just trying to make sure I do this right and don't mess up my filing. Thanks in advance for any clarity!
Has anyone used TurboTax Business to file their single-member S corp return? Can it handle the K-1 generation properly? I'm trying to decide between doing it myself or paying my accountant $950 to file it all.
TurboTax Business can handle the basic 1120-S and K-1, but I found it lacking for more complex situations. If your business is straightforward with minimal assets and simple income sources, it's probably fine. But if you have multiple income streams, business assets, or special deductions, you might find it frustrating.
I went through this exact same situation when I formed my single-member S corp two years ago. Yes, you absolutely need to issue yourself a Schedule K-1 even though you're the only shareholder. The S corporation is a pass-through entity, so all income, deductions, and credits flow through to you as the owner via the K-1. Think of it this way: your W-2 shows the salary you earned as an employee of the corporation, while the K-1 shows your share of the business profits/losses as the owner. These are two different capacities - employee vs. shareholder - so you need both forms. The K-1 will report things like your share of ordinary business income, any rental income if you have it, business deductions that pass through to your personal return, and various credits. Make sure when you prepare the 1120-S that you're consistent between what's reported on the corporate return and what flows to your K-1. The IRS matches these up, so any discrepancies will trigger questions.
I'm in the middle of doing my taxes through H&R Block and I've hit a roadblock. The software is telling me I need to enter information from a 1099-SA form, but I have no idea what that even is or where I'm supposed to get it from! I don't remember receiving anything like that in the mail. This is super frustrating because I was hoping to finish my taxes this weekend before my trip next week. I think it has something to do with a health savings account I have through my employer, but I'm not 100% sure. Does anyone know how I can track down this 1099-SA form or who would have sent it to me? Is there a way to get it online somewhere? Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'm totally stuck and can't move forward in the tax software without it.
I had this problem and discovered you can also request a wage and income transcript directly from the IRS which includes information from your 1099-SA! Go to IRS.gov and search for "Get Transcript Online" - you'll need to create an account but then you can download or view all the tax documents that have been reported to the IRS for your SSN. It won't be available immediately (there's some delay between when companies submit forms and when they appear in the system), but it's a good backup if you absolutely cannot get the form from your provider.
Tried this route and found out my transcript doesn't show my 1099-SA yet because my HSA provider was late filing them with the IRS. Apparently, they have until March 31 to file with the IRS, even though they're supposed to send them to us by January 31. So frustrating!
That's a really good point about the timing discrepancy. If your HSA provider was late sending forms to the IRS, they won't show up on your transcript yet. The January 31 deadline is for sending to taxpayers, while they have additional time to submit to the IRS electronically. In that case, you'll definitely need to contact your HSA provider directly. If their customer service is hard to reach, try looking for a specialized tax document department or email address which sometimes bypasses the general customer service queue.
Hey Emma! I totally understand your frustration - the 1099-SA can be confusing if you've never dealt with one before. Since H&R Block is asking for it, you definitely made withdrawals from your Health Savings Account during 2024. First, try logging into your HSA provider's website (this would be whoever manages your HSA through your employer - companies like HealthEquity, Optum Bank, HSA Bank, etc.). Look for a "Tax Documents" or "Tax Forms" section in your account. Most providers post these forms online by January 31st. If you can't find it online or don't remember your login, check any paperwork you have from your HSA - there should be a customer service number. You can also ask your HR department who your HSA administrator is if you're not sure. The 1099-SA will show the total amount you withdrew from your HSA during 2024. Don't panic about taxes though - if you used the money for qualified medical expenses (doctor visits, prescriptions, etc.), you won't owe additional taxes on those withdrawals. Just make sure you have receipts to support the medical expenses in case you ever get audited. Good luck getting your taxes finished before your trip!
Hey everyone! I'm struggling to figure out the best approach for handling PayPal transactions and could really use some advice. I'm a self-employed artist, but I also have this pretty expensive digital art hobby where I sometimes buy and resell items with no profit (actually at a small loss after PayPal fees). Think of it like buying a digital art piece for $250, deciding I don't love it anymore, and reselling it later for $250. Everyone in this hobby community uses PayPal invoices for transactions, which is how I've always handled things. The problem is that last year, because of PayPal's new IRS reporting requirements, my reported "business income" was MASSIVELY inflated because PayPal reported ALL my invoices without distinguishing between actual business income and personal hobby transactions. There's no way in PayPal to mark what's business versus personal. After researching this issue, some people suggested creating a separate personal PayPal account and using Friends & Family for these personal resale transactions since they're not taxable anyway (they're personal items sold at a loss). But I'm nervous about this solution after reading that PayPal might freeze your account or issue a 1099 anyway even if you use F&F. So what's actually the best approach here? Should I: 1. Keep using my business PayPal for everything and just sort it out at tax time? 2. Create separate business and personal PayPal accounts but still use invoices? 3. Is it actually okay to have a personal PayPal and use F&F just for personal resold items? PayPal and taxes are giving me such a headache...
Don't overthink this. I've been reselling collectibles for years while also running a small business through PayPal. Here's what works: 1. Keep ONE PayPal account 2. After every transaction, immediately note in a spreadsheet: - Date - Amount - If it's business or personal - For personal resales: original purchase price/date 3. Save all original purchase receipts for personal items When you get your 1099-K, you report the FULL amount on Schedule C, then deduct the personal resale amounts as "Returns and allowances" or somewhere else on the form with a note. Your tax software or accountant can handle this. Just be honest and have good records. Don't try splitting accounts or using F&F to avoid reporting - that looks suspicious.
Isn't "Returns and allowances" for business returns though? Personal resales aren't really business returns...I'm confused about where exactly these go on tax forms.
You're absolutely right to question that - I oversimplified. Personal resales shouldn't technically go on Schedule C at all since they're not business-related. The better approach is to report your full 1099-K amount on Schedule C, then subtract the non-business portion so your net Schedule C income reflects only your actual business. For the personal items, if you sold them at a loss, you don't report them anywhere. If you sold any at a gain (which sounds rare in your case), those would potentially be reported on Schedule D as capital gains. But most hobby resales at a loss simply don't get reported.
I'm probably too late but here's my 2 cents as someone who had to deal with this last tax season. Whatever you do, DO NOT use F&F for transactions that are actually purchases! PayPal watches for that pattern and will absolutely limit or freeze your account. Instead, I created two separate PayPal accounts - one strictly for business and one for personal transactions. Both are properly verified with my real info. This makes tax time so much easier because my business 1099-K actually reflects my business. I still keep records of everything, but having the natural separation makes the whole process cleaner.
My accountant told me having two paypal accounts doesn't matter because the IRS looks at your SSN not your accounts. So you'll still get the combined amounts reported to your SSN. Is that wrong?
Your accountant is partially correct - the IRS does track by SSN, so if you have multiple PayPal accounts under the same SSN, they can see the combined reporting. However, having separate accounts still helps with organization and makes it much easier to categorize transactions when tax time comes. The real benefit isn't hiding anything from the IRS (you shouldn't), but rather having cleaner records. When your business PayPal only shows actual business transactions, it's much simpler to prepare your Schedule C. You'll still need to account for any personal transactions that generated 1099-Ks, but at least your business records are clean. @Ella Lewis - did you find that PayPal required different business verification for your business account vs personal account?
Connor Murphy
I was in exactly the same position as you last month - called multiple times, different answers each time, no letters, nothing on transcripts. I was about to lose my mind compared to previous years when everything was smooth. But then suddenly last Wednesday my transcript updated and the refund hit my account Friday! No explanation, no letter, just money appearing. Hang in there - it seems like they're working through a massive backlog just like when my cousin filed during the height of COVID and waited 4 months.
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Luca Romano
I'm experiencing the exact same nightmare! Filed January 28th and it's been complete radio silence since then. What's really frustrating is that I've been filing taxes for 15 years and this has NEVER happened before. Usually I get my refund within 2-3 weeks max. I called last week and the rep told me my return was "under review" but couldn't give me any timeline or explanation of what they're reviewing. My return is straightforward - W-2, standard deduction, no major changes from last year. It's like they're treating every return as suspicious now. The worst part is not knowing if I should be worried or if this is just the new normal. Are they expecting us to just sit around indefinitely while they figure out their internal processes? At least send a letter explaining what's happening!
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