What nobody mentions about H&R Block's "maximum refund guarantee" is that you have to PROVE another method gets you a bigger refund before they'll refund your preparation fees. When I found out they missed a $1,200 deduction last year, I had to pay another preparer to do my taxes again just to qualify for H&R Block's guarantee. By the time I paid the second preparer, the refund of H&R Block's fees barely covered my additional costs. These guarantees are just marketing gimmicks designed to sound good while being practically useless.

This thread is so eye-opening! I've been using H&R Block for years thinking their "guarantee" actually meant something. Reading everyone's experiences makes me realize I've probably been overpaying and missing deductions this whole time. The part about having to prove another method gets you a bigger refund just to get your prep fees back is ridiculous - what's the point of a guarantee if you have to pay someone else first to prove they messed up? That's like a restaurant guaranteeing good food but only refunding your meal if you buy food somewhere else to prove theirs was bad. I'm definitely switching this year. Between the overpriced fees, undertrained staff, and misleading guarantees, these big chains seem more focused on profits than actually helping customers. Thanks for sharing all these alternatives - going to look into some of the services mentioned here.

Just make sure whatever approach you take, keep IMPECCABLE records! I'm also an S-corp owner and went through an audit last year. The IRS scrutinized every single mixed-use expense, especially vehicle-related ones. They wanted to see mileage logs with dates, destinations, and business purposes for each trip. For insurances, they looked for documentation showing the business necessity. Malpractice was never questioned, but they definitely examined my disability policy documentation closely. Don't just rely on bank statements - maintain a separate recordkeeping system with proper documentation for everything.

As a fellow healthcare provider with an S-corp, I've dealt with these exact questions! Here's what I've learned through experience and consultation with my tax professional: **Malpractice Insurance**: Definitely a legitimate business expense. The S-corp can pay this directly and deduct it fully since it's directly related to your professional services. **Disability Insurance**: This one's tricky. If your S-corp pays the premiums, they're not deductible as a business expense, but the premiums aren't taxable income to you either. However, any future disability benefits would be taxable. If you pay personally, the benefits would be tax-free. Most healthcare providers I know pay this personally for the tax-free benefit protection. **Car Insurance**: Since you have mixed personal/business use, I'd recommend paying this personally and using the standard mileage rate for reimbursement (67.5 cents per mile for 2025). This is cleaner than trying to split the insurance costs and avoids the "double-dipping" issue. One thing I'd strongly suggest is keeping detailed mileage logs - I use an app that automatically tracks my trips and categorizes them as business or personal. The IRS loves good documentation, especially for vehicle expenses. Have you considered setting up a formal accountable plan for your S-corp? It can make reimbursing yourself for business expenses much cleaner from a tax perspective.

For future reference - KEEP 👏 DETAILED 👏 RECORDS! This is the easiest way to protect yourself. I use a dedicated credit card for all gambling deposits and a spreadsheet tracking every bet. Takes maybe 5 minutes after each session. When tax time comes, I have perfect documentation of my actual profits/losses. Also a small tip - if you're using multiple betting platforms, be strategic about withdrawing from sites where you're down vs. sites where you're up. This can sometimes help with the documentation side.

This is exactly why I always tell people to treat sports betting like a business from day one. The tax implications are brutal if you're not prepared. Here's what I learned after going through a similar situation: DraftKings and other sportsbooks are required to report ALL your winning bets as gross winnings on Form W-2G, regardless of your overall profit/loss. It's not their fault - that's literally what the IRS requires them to do. The key thing to understand is that you're not stuck paying taxes on money you didn't actually win. You can deduct your gambling losses, but ONLY if you itemize deductions. This means you'll need to add up all your potential itemized deductions (gambling losses, mortgage interest, state/local taxes, charitable contributions, etc.) and see if they exceed your standard deduction. If your total itemized deductions are less than the standard deduction ($13,850 for single filers in 2023), then unfortunately you're in a tough spot where you might pay taxes on phantom income. This is one of the most unfair aspects of gambling taxation. For documentation, your bank statements showing deposits/withdrawals are helpful, but the IRS really wants to see detailed records of individual bets. Most sportsbooks let you download your complete betting history - I'd recommend doing this ASAP before you lose access to older records.

As someone who works with veterans' benefits, I want to emphasize that your client's VA disability payments are protected from IRS garnishment - this is a huge advantage in their situation. The IRS cannot legally seize VA disability compensation to satisfy tax debt, which means their basic living income is secure while you work on resolving this. Given that they're living solely on VA disability, they should have a very strong case for an Offer in Compromise based on doubt as to collectibility. The IRS looks at reasonable collection potential, and for someone with protected income and minimal assets beyond their primary residence, this could realistically result in a settlement for 5-10% of the original debt. I'd also suggest contacting the Taxpayer Advocate Service - they have special procedures for cases involving disabled veterans and can often expedite resolution when normal IRS processes aren't working effectively. This is a free service that can really help navigate the bureaucracy.

I wanted to add something important that might help your client's case - make sure to document any medical expenses related to their disability when preparing the Offer in Compromise application. The IRS allows reasonable medical expenses as part of the necessary living expenses calculation, which can significantly reduce their ability-to-pay determination. For a veteran with permanent and total disability, ongoing medical costs (even if covered by VA healthcare) like transportation to medical appointments, prescription copays, medical equipment, or home modifications can all be factored in. This could further strengthen their case for a very low settlement amount. Also, if your client received any VA compensation increases or adjustments after 2022, make sure those aren't counted as "available income" in the OIC calculation, since VA disability ratings and payments are specifically for loss of earning capacity, not discretionary income.

I went through something very similar with a different online casino last year. Here's what worked for me: First, don't waste time with regular customer service - they can't help with tax documents. Look up BetMGM's corporate headquarters address and send a certified letter to their "Tax Compliance Department" or "Chief Financial Officer." Include copies of all your documentation and be very specific about what's wrong. In your letter, mention that you're prepared to file complaints with both the IRS and your state's gaming commission if the error isn't corrected. Gaming commissions take tax reporting violations seriously because it affects their licensing. While you're waiting for their response, start preparing to file correctly regardless. If you don't get a corrected W2G in time, report the income exactly as shown on the incorrect form, but then subtract the erroneous amount as "Other Income" with a negative value and attach a statement explaining the error. This way your net gambling income reflects what you actually won. Also keep detailed records of every communication attempt with BetMGM. If this ends up going to the IRS, that paper trail will be crucial. The key is being persistent and escalating to the right departments - most of these errors do get resolved eventually if you don't give up.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now with DraftKings - they issued me a W2G showing $15,000 in winnings that I definitely didn't receive. It's incredibly frustrating because I have all my account statements proving the error, but their customer service keeps telling me they can't help with "tax matters." Reading through all these responses has been really helpful. I think I'm going to try the approach of contacting their Tax Compliance Department directly via certified mail like Sofia and Chris suggested. The insider perspective about avoiding general customer service and going straight to the compliance officers makes a lot of sense. I'm also planning to file Form 8275 with my return to disclose the discrepancy, even if I don't get a corrected W2G in time. Better to be transparent with the IRS from the start than deal with penalties later. Has anyone had experience with DraftKings specifically on W2G corrections? I'm wondering if they're more or less responsive than other platforms when it comes to fixing these errors.