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Has anyone had success with just omitting the account number entirely? I'm using FreeTaxUSA and it seems to let me leave that field blank without generating any errors.
I've been filing with TurboTax for years and have never entered the account numbers from my 1099 forms. Never had an issue. The IRS mainly cares about matching the amounts and your SSN with what the financial institution reported. The account number is secondary information.
I had this exact same issue with my Fidelity 1099-R last year! The 20-digit account number drove me crazy until I figured out what was happening. What worked for me was using only the last 17 digits when entering it into my tax software (I use H&R Block online). The way I think about it is that Fidelity includes their internal routing/classification codes at the beginning of the account number, but for tax purposes you only need the actual account identifier portion. I called Fidelity's tax line to confirm this approach and they said it was correct. One thing I'd suggest - if you're really worried about it, you can always attach a statement to your return explaining that you truncated the account number due to system limitations. But honestly, I don't think it's necessary. The IRS is used to dealing with this kind of formatting issue between different financial institutions. Good luck with your filing, and congrats on the new home!
I actually used Claimyr to get through to Fidelity's tax line - mentioned earlier in this thread by @Chloe Delgado. Took about 45 minutes but way better than the hours I'd been trying on my own. The rep I spoke with confirmed that for Fidelity 1099-Rs, the first 3 digits are internal classification codes and you should use digits 4-20 (which gives you 17 digits) when entering into tax software. She also mentioned this is super common and their reps get calls about it constantly during tax season. Hope that helps!
I actually had the same experience trying to reach Fidelity during tax season - their hold times are brutal! What ended up working for me was calling first thing in the morning (like 8 AM EST) when they open. Still had to wait about 45 minutes, but that was way better than the 2+ hours I was seeing during peak afternoon hours. When I finally got through to their tax specialist, they confirmed that using the last 17 digits is the standard approach for their 1099-R forms. They explained that the first 3 digits in the 20-digit number are internal department codes that Fidelity uses for processing, but aren't needed for IRS reporting purposes. The rep also mentioned this is such a common question during tax season that they have a standard response for it. Hope that helps! If you can't get through by phone, the truncation approach has worked fine for me and others here.
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Just FYI, there's a special charitable giving deduction for 2025 that lets you deduct up to $600 for married filing jointly ($300 for single) EVEN IF YOU TAKE THE STANDARD DEDUCTION! So you can get at least some benefit from your church donation regardless.
I need to correct this information. The special $300/$600 charitable deduction for non-itemizers was a temporary provision for 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic. It has expired and is not available for 2025 tax returns unless Congress brings it back. Currently, to deduct charitable donations, you must itemize deductions on Schedule A, and your total itemized deductions need to exceed the standard deduction to get any tax benefit. I recommend checking the most current IRS publications for the tax year you're filing, as tax laws do change.
Thanks everyone for the helpful discussion! This has been really educational. I just wanted to clarify one more thing - since we're definitely taking the standard deduction this year, should I still keep all my donation receipts and records from our church? I'm wondering if it's worth tracking everything just in case our situation changes in future years, or if there's any other reason the IRS might want to see proof of these donations even when we're not claiming them as deductions. Also, that "bunching" strategy several people mentioned sounds interesting - basically doubling up donations every other year to get over the standard deduction threshold. Has anyone actually tried this approach successfully?
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Just a tip from someone who's been filing taxes for 20+ years - regardless of when the tax year starts, create a simple system NOW for tracking everything. I use a basic spreadsheet with income in one tab and expenses in another, broken down by category. Takes me 5 min each week to update and saves HOURS of stress come tax time. Much easier than trying to sort through a shoebox of receipts in April lol!
Do you have a template of this spreadsheet you could share? I'm terrible at creating these things from scratch but really need to get organized.
I don't have a shareable link, but it's super simple to create. Just make columns for Date, Description, Amount, and Category. For the income tab, add a column for which client/employer it came from and whether tax was withheld. For the expense tab, I categorize things like "Office Supplies," "Software/Subscriptions," "Travel," etc. I also take a photo of each receipt with my phone as backup. If you use accounting software like QuickBooks Self-Employed, it does all this automatically and even tracks mileage, which is even better.
One thing nobody mentioned - while Jan 1 is the start of the tax year for most people, if you own a business you can actually choose a different fiscal year for your company. My LLC uses October 1 to September 30 as our tax year which works better for our seasonal business. Just something to consider if you ever formalize your freelancing into a business entity!
This is super important. I made the mistake of using calendar year for my seasonal business (summer camps) and it made accounting a nightmare since each season got split across two tax years. What's the process for changing your fiscal year once you've already established it?
You'll need to file Form 1128 (Application to Adopt, Change, or Retain a Tax Year) with the IRS to change your fiscal year. There's usually a user fee involved (I think it's around $3,000+ unless you qualify for certain exceptions). The IRS has to approve the change and you need a valid business reason - which sounds like you definitely have with the seasonal nature of your camps! You might also want to consider if changing to a fiscal year that aligns better with your business cycle (like July 1 to June 30 for camps) would be worth the hassle and cost. A tax professional could help you weigh the pros and cons since there can be some complex implications during the transition year.
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Has anyone tried structuring this as an accountable plan or education assistance program through their LLC? I've heard S-Corps can set up education assistance programs that allow up to $5,250 per year tax-free for education expenses. Would that be a better approach than trying to deduct the full amount as a business expense? Seems like it would be less likely to trigger an audit.
I actually did this with my S-Corp! You can set up an education assistance program that allows the business to provide up to $5,250 per year tax-free for education. It's covered under Section 127 of the tax code. The advantage is that it's specifically authorized by the tax code, so it's much cleaner than trying to deduct the full MBA cost as a business expense. The downside is obviously the $5,250 annual limit, which won't cover most MBA programs completely.
I went through this exact situation two years ago with my marketing consultancy LLC. After extensive research and consultation with a tax attorney who specializes in small business deductions, here's what I learned: The IRS applies a two-part test for education expenses: (1) the education must maintain or improve skills needed in your current business, and (2) it cannot qualify you for a new trade or business. Since you're already doing strategy consulting and plan to continue, you have a decent case for the first part. However, MBAs are particularly scrutinized because they're seen as "general business" education that could qualify someone for many different careers. I ended up being able to deduct about 60% of my program costs by carefully documenting which specific courses directly enhanced my existing service offerings. My recommendation: before you enroll, create a detailed business plan showing how specific MBA coursework will improve your current consulting services. Document current client needs that the education will help you address better. Keep records of how you apply new knowledge to existing client work throughout the program. Also consider the timing - spreading the expense over multiple tax years might be beneficial depending on your income fluctuations. The $78k total cost is significant enough that you definitely want professional guidance to structure this properly.
Cameron Black
Has anyone here dealt with platforms that require your SSN even if you have an EIN? I'm dealing with one right now that claims they need both and it's making me really uncomfortable.
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Jessica Nguyen
•They shouldn't need both - that's unusual. Most platforms just need your W-9 with either your SSN or EIN (not both). Maybe call their support team to clarify? Some customer service reps don't understand the tax requirements properly.
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Kiara Fisherman
You're absolutely right to be concerned about that platform requirement! I had a similar issue with a platform that claimed they needed both my SSN and EIN. After some back and forth with their support team, it turned out their system was just poorly designed and they only actually needed the EIN for tax reporting purposes. Here's what I'd suggest: First, double-check their actual tax documentation requirements - sometimes the onboarding flow asks for more info than they legally need for 1099 reporting. Second, if they truly require both, that's a red flag and you might want to consider if that platform is worth the privacy risk. Most legitimate platforms should accept just your EIN on a properly filled W-9 form. The whole point of getting an EIN is to avoid using your SSN for business purposes. If they're insisting on both, I'd escalate to a supervisor or compliance team member who actually understands tax requirements.
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