As someone who's been doing delivery driving for a while, I'd suggest starting simple for your first year. Track your phone usage for a typical week or two to establish a baseline business percentage - don't just guess. For a $1350 iPhone used part-time for deliveries, you're probably looking at somewhere between 20-40% business use realistically. The key is being able to defend your percentage if questioned. Keep records of your delivery hours, and consider that business use includes not just active delivery time but also time spent checking for orders, navigating, and communicating with customers. For TurboTax, you'll enter this on Schedule C under "Other expenses" and create a line item for "Cell phone (business portion)". The software will walk you through whether to depreciate or take the immediate deduction based on your usage percentage. One tip: don't forget you can also deduct things like a phone mount for your car, charging cables you use while driving, and even a portion of your phone case if you bought it specifically for delivery work protection. These smaller items add up!

Great question about phone deductions! Just wanted to add a few practical tips from my experience doing gig work taxes: For tracking business vs personal use, I recommend keeping it simple but defensible. When you're actively logged into the delivery app and available for orders, that's clearly business time - even if you're multitasking with personal stuff. The IRS understands that modern phones are used for multiple purposes simultaneously. A reasonable approach is to calculate total hours you were "on shift" (logged into UberEats and available) versus total phone usage time. You don't need to track every minute perfectly, but having some logical basis helps. For your iPhone, since you only worked Oct-Dec 2024, make sure to prorate the deduction for partial year use. So if you calculate 30% business use, you'd take 30% of the phone cost, then multiply by 3/12 (the portion of the year you were working). Also remember that the monthly payments you're making can be deducted as they're paid, using the same business percentage. So each month you make a payment, you can deduct the business portion of that payment. Keep good records and be conservative but reasonable with your estimates. The IRS expects some judgment calls with mixed-use items like phones.

Great question! As a small business owner myself, I went through this exact confusion when I started. Square Payroll does report to the IRS, but there are some important nuances depending on how you're set up. Since you mentioned you're running a home bakery and you're the only "employee" right now, you'll want to clarify your business structure first. If you're a sole proprietor paying yourself through Square as a contractor (1099-NEC), Square will report those payments to the IRS, BUT you'll still need to file Schedule C to report your total business income and expenses - this includes income from sources beyond just what you pay yourself through Square. If you've set yourself up as a W-2 employee of your own business, Square will handle payroll taxes and report your wages, but again, you'd still need to report the business's overall income and expenses. The key thing to remember is that Square reports what they process, but as the business owner, you're responsible for reporting ALL your business income (even cash sales, other payment processors, etc.) and claiming your business deductions. Square's reporting is just one piece of your overall tax picture. I'd recommend downloading copies of any tax forms Square generates during their review period and keeping detailed records of all your business income and expenses separate from what flows through Square Payroll.

For Square's tax form review process, you'll typically get email notifications when forms are ready for review (usually in late January for W-2s and 1099s). You can also check in your Square Dashboard under "Payroll" > "Tax Documents" - there's usually a section for "Year-end forms" where you can preview everything before it gets filed. The review period is usually about 2-3 weeks in January before Square submits to the IRS, so mark your calendar! During this time, you can catch any errors like the 1099 issue @James Johnson mentioned. Since you're sole proprietor taking cash at farmers markets, definitely track that income separately - I use a simple spreadsheet with date, amount, and source. That cash income goes on your Schedule C but obviously won't show up in Square's reporting. The IRS expects you to report ALL business income, not just what flows through processors. One more tip: if you do hire part-time help next year, get clear on worker classification BEFORE you start paying them. The IRS has a 20-factor test for employee vs contractor status, and getting it wrong can mean back taxes and penalties. Better to set it up correctly from the start!

I can confirm what others are saying about SBTPG's processing timeline. As someone who's been through this process multiple years, here's what I've observed: SBTPG typically receives your refund from the IRS 1-2 days before your official DDD, then processes it within 12-24 hours. The "early deposit" you're seeing isn't actually SBTPG releasing early - it's your receiving bank making funds available as soon as they detect the incoming transfer. Regarding the portal issues, this is unfortunately normal during peak season. SBTPG's website becomes virtually unusable from mid-February through March due to traffic overload. I've had better luck checking very early morning (around 5-6 AM EST) when fewer people are online. My advice: Don't stress about the portal status. If your transcript shows a DDD and TurboTax confirms SBTPG is processing, your refund is likely moving through the system normally. The disconnect between their website status and actual processing is a known issue that happens every tax season. For peace of mind, you might want to contact your bank directly - they can often see pending deposits before they're officially released to your account.

As someone who just went through this exact situation last month, I can add some clarity to the confusion. I had a DDD of February 24th and was freaking out when I saw conflicting info about SBTPG's early release policies. Here's what actually happened: My refund showed up in my Chime account on February 22nd - two full days before the official DDD. When I called both SBTPG and Chime to understand why, here's what I learned: - SBTPG received my refund from the IRS on February 21st (one day before it appeared in my account) - They processed and forwarded it to Chime within hours of receiving it - Chime has a policy of releasing direct deposits as soon as they receive the ACH notification, not waiting for the settlement date So technically, SBTPG didn't "release early" - they just processed efficiently once they got it from the IRS. My bank made it available early as part of their customer service. The portal issues are definitely real though. I couldn't access it for 4 days straight during peak hours. Try checking around 6 AM EST - that's when I finally got in. And honestly, don't rely on their status updates. Mine still showed "processing" even after the money was in my account for 3 days. Hope this helps ease some of the anxiety! The money is probably moving through the system normally even if you can't track it properly.

Has anyone here actually LOST money despite using a relocation company for their home sale? I'm concerned because my house value has dropped about 5% since I bought it 2 years ago. Will the relocation company offer me fair market value or am I going to take a bath on this?

Great question! I went through a similar relocation buyout program about 18 months ago and it was actually quite beneficial tax-wise. One key thing to understand is that the relocation company purchase often allows you to avoid the typical selling costs (realtor commissions, staging, repairs, etc.) that would normally reduce your net proceeds from a sale. The tax treatment depends on how your employer structures the program. In many cases, the relocation company will purchase your home at fair market value (based on professional appraisals), and any difference between what you paid and what they pay you is still subject to the normal capital gains rules. However, the additional benefits they provide - like covering closing costs, temporary housing, moving expenses - may be treated as non-taxable relocation benefits up to certain limits. Make sure to ask your HR department for documentation on exactly how each component will be reported on your W-2. Some portions might be taxable compensation while others qualify as tax-free moving expense reimbursements. The key is getting clarity upfront so you can plan accordingly!

Brian, I've been through this exact nightmare scenario! First - take a deep breath. This is fixable, even though it feels overwhelming right now. **IMMEDIATE ACTION PLAN:** 1. **Call IRS Collections at 1-800-829-7650 RIGHT NOW** - explain you're facing immediate eviction and need emergency hardship release. Use the phrase "economic hardship due to basic living expenses" - this is the specific language that triggers their expedited review process. 2. **Get documentation ready**: Your lease, any eviction notices, bank statements showing the levy, and proof of your financial situation. The IRS needs to see this is a genuine hardship, not just inconvenience. 3. **Navy Federal workaround**: Ask them if they can issue you a cashier's check for the exact rent amount from any unlocked funds, or if they have emergency credit options. Some credit unions will work with members in crisis situations. 4. **Emergency rental assistance**: Call 211 immediately - they can connect you to same-day emergency rental programs in your area. Many programs specifically exist for situations like IRS levies. The silver lining here is that the IRS has specific procedures for housing-related hardship releases, and they can often process these within 24-48 hours when eviction is threatened. I've seen people get their accounts unlocked the same day when they had proper documentation. Also - once this crisis passes, definitely look into getting on an IRS installment plan so this doesn't happen again. You've got this! 💪

Brian, I'm really sorry you're going through this - the timing couldn't be worse! I went through something similar with Bank of America a few years ago, and the panic you're feeling right now is completely understandable. Here's what I learned that might help you TODAY: **Call the IRS Practitioner Priority Service at 1-866-860-4259** - this line is specifically for tax professionals but they'll help taxpayers in genuine emergencies. When they ask if you're a practitioner, explain you're a taxpayer facing immediate eviction due to a levy. They often have shorter wait times than the general collections line. **Key points to emphasize when you call:** - You're facing eviction (use the word "imminent homelessness") - You have a rental property that could also go into foreclosure (this shows you're not just avoiding taxes, but genuinely struggling) - This is preventing you from meeting basic living expenses **For your immediate rent crisis:** - Check if your county has a "Emergency Rental Assistance" program (many still have COVID-era funding available) - Contact local food banks - many also provide emergency financial assistance for housing - Ask Navy Federal about their "Skip-a-Payment" programs for any other loans you might have with them to free up cash The IRS actually has a mandate to consider the taxpayer's ability to pay basic living expenses, and housing is #1 on that list. Document everything and stay persistent. This situation is definitely resolvable, even though it feels impossible right now. Hang in there! 🙏