Does anyone know if there are any specific deductions we can take as survey takers? Like can I write off my internet bill or part of my cell phone if I use it for mobile surveys?

Great question! I went through this exact same situation last year. You're absolutely right to be tracking everything - that spreadsheet will be your best friend come tax time. To add to what others have mentioned, there's actually a good online calculator that can help estimate your self-employment tax burden based on your survey income. Since you're looking at potentially $1200-1500, you'd be well over the $400 threshold for self-employment tax, so you'll owe both income tax and the 15.3% self-employment tax on that amount. One thing I learned the hard way - if you expect to owe more than $1000 in taxes for the year (including on your survey income), you might need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid an underpayment penalty. Since you're already at $780 and expecting more, this could apply to you depending on your regular job's withholding. The good news is that once you get the hang of reporting this income, it becomes pretty routine. Just make sure to save those spreadsheet records - the IRS can ask for documentation even if the survey companies don't send you 1099 forms.

I called the Kentucky Department of Revenue directly on February 5th about this issue. They confirmed that several tax software providers, including TurboTax, are still going through the certification process for e-filing. The representative estimated that most software would be certified by February 17th at the latest. If you're concerned about budgeting and need your refund quickly, you might want to consider filing your federal return now to get that portion of your refund sooner. Just make sure you set aside any state tax you might owe when that filing becomes available. The penalties for late state filing don't start until after April 15th, so there's no financial disadvantage to waiting a few weeks for the Kentucky forms to become available.

I'm experiencing the exact same issue here in Kentucky! Filed with TurboTax for the past 4 years and never had this problem before. Just completed my entire return yesterday and got that same frustrating message about Kentucky forms not being available for e-filing yet. After reading through all these responses, it sounds like this is definitely a widespread issue caused by Kentucky's tax rate change from 5% to 4.5%. I'm feeling a bit better knowing it's not just me or something wrong with my specific return. I think I'm going to go ahead and file my federal return now since I'm expecting a decent refund there, and then wait for the email notification about Kentucky. Based on what Diego shared about the February 17th estimate from the Kentucky DOR, hopefully we'll all be able to file our state returns soon. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community really helps during tax season stress!

Don't overthink this. I was in your EXACT situation in college. You're already a sole proprietorship by default. Just keep good records and use Schedule C when you file taxes. For your car: if client reimburses some miles but not all, track EVERYTHING with an app like MileIQ or Everlance. Deduct only non-reimbursed business miles. LLCs cost money to form + annual fees in most states. Usually not worth it for students unless you have liability concerns or plan to scale up significantly.

As someone who went through this exact situation during my graduate program, I'd echo what others have said about already being a sole proprietorship by default. The key is getting your recordkeeping system down now before tax season hits. One thing I wish I'd known earlier: you can also deduct a portion of your home expenses if you use part of your home regularly and exclusively for business (like a dedicated workspace for administrative tasks, client calls, etc.). Even as a student, if you have a corner of your room that's primarily used for your contractor work, that could qualify for the home office deduction. Also, don't forget about other potential deductions beyond mileage - things like professional development courses, business-related software subscriptions, phone bills (business portion), and even some of your internet costs if you use it for work. These smaller deductions can really add up. The quarterly estimated tax payments are crucial too. Since you're setting money aside already, make sure you're actually making the quarterly payments to avoid underpayment penalties. Many students miss this and get hit with extra fees even when they have the tax money saved.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you're tracking your quarterly estimated tax payments for 2025! I got hit with an underpayment penalty my first year with affiliate income because I didn't realize I needed to make quarterly payments. Since you're not having taxes withheld from this income like you would with a regular job, the IRS expects you to pay as you earn throughout the year. If you wait until April 2026 to pay taxes on all your 2025 earnings, you could face penalties.

Just a tip that helped me with my small Etsy business income - keep a separate spreadsheet tracking ALL your income and expenses throughout the year. Update it monthly at minimum. PayPal's reporting is okay but not great for tax purposes. I export my PayPal activity every month to CSV, clean it up in Excel, and add it to my tracking spreadsheet. This makes tax time so much easier because I'm not scrambling to figure out what all these random deposits were from 10 months ago.

I made the mistake of throwing away a W-2 from a job where I only worked for like 3 weeks thinking it wasn't important since I barely made any money there. HUGE mistake!! The IRS sent me a letter about underreporting income and I had to pay additional taxes plus interest. Even if you only made a little money at one job, you need to include ALL W-2s when you file!!!!

Great question! Yes, you absolutely need separate W-2 forms from each employer. Since you worked at two different places during 2024, each employer is legally required to send you their own W-2 form by January 31st. So you should expect: - One W-2 from the cafe showing your $3,800 in wages - One W-2 from the retail store showing your $8,600 in wages When you file your taxes, you'll enter the information from both W-2s on your tax return. The IRS will see your total income of $12,400 ($3,800 + $8,600) but each employer reports their portion separately. If you haven't received the W-2 from the cafe yet, definitely reach out to them soon since the deadline is approaching. Sometimes smaller businesses are less organized with their payroll, so a friendly reminder call might be needed. Good luck with your first tax filing!