2 Have your partner look into filing as HoH if they're claiming your child. That would give them a better tax break than filing as single. Also check if either of you qualify for Earned Income Credit depending on your income - that could make a big difference!

You're absolutely correct that you cannot file as Head of Household in this situation. Since your boyfriend claims your son as a dependent, you don't have a qualifying person to meet the HoH requirements, even though you may be paying a significant portion of household expenses. Your boyfriend, however, likely qualifies for HoH filing status since he claims your child as a dependent and presumably pays more than half the cost of maintaining the household (this would need to include his portion of mortgage, utilities, plus the health insurance and other expenses he covers). For next year, you might want to consider whether it makes financial sense to alternate who claims your son, but you'd need to run the numbers carefully. The person claiming the child must be providing more than half of the child's support, so you'd need to track all expenses related to your son specifically (not just household expenses) to see if this arrangement would work and benefit your family overall. Also worth noting - make sure your boyfriend is indeed filing as HoH if he qualifies, as it provides better tax rates and a higher standard deduction compared to Single filing status.

Don't forget to look at your state tax situation too! Even if you don't need to file federal, some states have lower thresholds. I was in your same situation in GA and still had to file a state return.

Since you're in South Carolina, you're actually in luck! SC has a pretty straightforward tax situation for students. You mentioned that SC state tax is listed on your paystubs but no amounts are being deducted - that's likely because SC has a standard deduction of $12,000 for single filers in 2025, so with your $11,500 income, you probably won't owe any SC state taxes. However, I'd still recommend filing both federal and state returns. For federal, you'll get back that $1,250 in withholding since you're under the filing threshold. For SC, even though you might not owe anything, filing ensures you get any state withholding back (if any was taken) and creates a record. One thing to watch out for - make sure your parents aren't planning to claim education credits based on your tuition expenses. If they are and their income is within the phase-out limits, that could affect whether it makes sense for you to remain a dependent. The coordination between your tax situation and theirs is worth discussing as a family to make sure everyone gets the maximum benefit.

You're absolutely right that this is a legitimate business arrangement! I've been operating under a similar booth rental setup for my grooming business for over 3 years now, and it's completely legal when done properly. The key factors you mentioned - setting your own schedule, handling your own client payments, providing your own supplies, and carrying your own insurance - are exactly what the IRS looks for to establish true independent contractor status. The fact that you file Schedule C is also correct. One thing I'd add is to make sure your rental agreement explicitly states that you're renting space only, not providing services to the salon. This helps maintain the clear distinction between a landlord-tenant relationship versus an employer-employee relationship. Don't let the naysayers get to you - booth/table rental is an established and legitimate business model that's been used successfully across the grooming and beauty industries for decades. As long as you maintain proper documentation and operate with genuine independence (which it sounds like you do), you're on solid ground. Good luck with your move to the new location!

The arrangement you're describing is definitely legal and quite common in the grooming industry. What you have is a classic booth/table rental setup, which the IRS recognizes as legitimate when structured properly. You've hit all the key markers for true independent contractor status: controlling your own schedule, handling direct client payments, setting your own rates, providing your own tools and supplies, carrying your own insurance, and filing Schedule C. These factors clearly distinguish you from an employee relationship. The people commenting on the ad are likely confusing this with situations where salon owners misclassify employees as independent contractors while still controlling their work. That's what gets salons in trouble - not legitimate booth rental arrangements like yours. Since you mentioned the previous owner was audited and passed, that's actually great evidence that this setup is compliant. The IRS has clear guidelines on worker classification, and booth rental arrangements that maintain true independence (like yours) consistently pass scrutiny. Just make sure you have a written rental agreement that specifies you're renting space only, not providing services to the salon owner. Keep good records of your independent operation - separate business cards, your own appointment scheduling, direct client payments, etc. This documentation will support your classification if any questions ever arise. You're definitely on the right track legally and tax-wise!

The 1040 instructions for line 4a state "generally, you should enter the total amount of distributions from all your IRAs" so I think FreeTaxUSA might actually be right to add both? The exception cases in the instructions are super confusing tho.

I went through this exact scenario last year and can confirm TurboTax is handling it correctly. Only the conversion amount ($4,074) should go on line 4a, not the recharacterization amount. Here's what helped me understand it: think of a recharacterization as "undoing" the original contribution type. When you recharacterized from Roth to Traditional, it's as if you had originally contributed to the Traditional IRA. Then when you converted back to Roth, that's the only transaction that gets reported on line 4a. The statement TurboTax creates is crucial - it explains to the IRS why you have multiple 1099-R forms but only one amount on line 4a. Without it, your return would look like you're underreporting distributions. I was also worried about e-filing with the statement, but TurboTax handled it seamlessly. The IRS processed my return normally and I got my refund on schedule. Don't stress about it - you're doing it right!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now with my chess club! We're a small group but we collect membership fees and occasionally get donations for equipment. I've been losing sleep over whether I'm going to get hit with unexpected taxes on money that isn't even mine. Reading through these responses, it sounds like the university route might be the best first step. I'm definitely going to check with our student activities office this week to see if they have a program like what Giovanni mentioned. The custodial agreement idea from StormChaser also sounds really smart - having that paper trail proving the money belongs to the club and not to me personally. Has anyone here actually had to deal with the IRS directly about this kind of situation? I'm curious if they're generally understanding about student organizations or if they tend to be suspicious about these arrangements.

I'm going through something very similar with our college gaming club! We've got about $3,000 flowing through my personal accounts from tournament entry fees and equipment purchases. One thing I discovered that might help is to immediately start separating your personal transactions from club transactions in your records, even if they're all in the same account. I created a simple Google Sheet with columns for date, amount, description, and whether it was personal or club-related. This way if the IRS ever asks questions, you can show exactly which transactions belonged to the organization. Also, I talked to someone at H&R Block about this situation and they mentioned that as long as you can prove the money was held in trust for the organization (not for your personal benefit), it typically shouldn't be considered taxable income to you. The key is having documentation that shows you were acting as a fiduciary for the club. Given that you're only 20 and this is causing you stress, I'd definitely recommend checking with your school first like others have suggested. Many universities have policies specifically designed to help student orgs avoid these exact tax complications. If that doesn't work out, at minimum start documenting everything now so you have a clear paper trail showing this money belongs to the club, not you personally.