Can't reach IRS? Claimyr connects you to a live IRS agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the IRS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the IRS drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls ā which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Ethan Brown
Something nobody has mentioned yet - look into whether your state has any workforce development grants or tax incentives for business owners expanding into healthcare services. Here in Colorado, there are specific programs for beauty professionals adding medical aesthetics to their service offerings. Also, keep in mind that nursing programs often have clinical requirements that might temporarily reduce your business availability. Make sure to factor that into your financial planning, as it affects the tax benefit calculation.
That's really smart advice. I know in my state (Michigan), there was a small business skills enhancement grant that covered part of my specialized certification costs. It wasn't a tax deduction but straight-up reduced my out-of-pocket costs for advanced training. Worth looking into!
This is such a complex situation that really highlights the grey areas in tax law around education expenses! I've been following similar discussions in other business groups, and it seems like the key is really in how you frame and document the connection between your current services and the nursing education. One thing that might help your case is that you're already performing procedures that have medical aesthetics overlap - micropigmentation and microblading are essentially cosmetic tattooing procedures that require precision and understanding of skin anatomy. A nursing program would build on that foundation rather than teaching you something completely unrelated. I'd suggest keeping a detailed journal throughout your nursing program that specifically notes how each course or clinical experience directly relates to improving your existing services. For example, pharmacology courses could help you better understand contraindications for your current procedures, anatomy courses could improve your micropigmentation technique, and infection control training enhances your current sanitation protocols. The documentation will be crucial if you ever get audited. The IRS wants to see that clear connection between the education and your existing business, not just your future plans. Having that paper trail showing how each component of your nursing education enhances what you're already doing professionally could make all the difference in supporting your deduction claim. Also consider consulting with a tax attorney who specializes in small business issues rather than just a general tax preparer - they might have insights on precedent cases or strategies specific to service-based businesses expanding their offerings.
This is excellent advice about documentation! I'm new to this community but have been researching similar education expense questions for my own business expansion. The journal idea is brilliant - I hadn't thought about tracking how each specific course relates to existing services rather than just the overall program. One question though - when you mention consulting a tax attorney versus a general tax preparer, what's the typical cost difference? I'm trying to weigh whether the potential deduction savings would justify the higher professional fees, especially since this seems like such a specialized area where general advice might not be sufficient. Also, has anyone here actually gone through an audit related to education expense deductions? I'm curious about what the IRS actually looks for in terms of that documentation and whether they're more lenient with service businesses that have clear operational overlaps like this situation.
Join the conversation
I had the same issue with TurboTax last year. Super confusing! I just wrote "Online marketing consulting business startup costs" and it worked fine. For the record, I also attached a simple statement to my return that listed the specific expenses (laptop, software, business cards, etc.). My tax preparer said that extra documentation is always good to have in case of questions.
Rosie Harper
ā¢Did you create that statement in TurboTax or did you have to make it separately? And did you mail it in or was there a way to attach it electronically?
This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with my freelance graphic design business. Based on what I'm reading here, it sounds like since my startup costs were only around $2,800 (computer equipment, Adobe subscriptions, and some initial marketing materials), I should be able to deduct everything in the current year rather than amortizing over 15 years. @Edward McBride - definitely check if TurboTax has an option to deduct your full $3,200 this year since you're under the $5,000 threshold. It seems like the software might be defaulting to amortization when immediate deduction would actually be better for your situation. Has anyone else noticed TurboTax being confusing about when to amortize vs when to take the full deduction? I'm wondering if this is a common issue with their business expense flow.
Join the conversation
Riya Sharma
22 Has anyone used the "safe harbor" method for determining FMV at conversion? My accountant mentioned something about using the tax assessment value but I'm not sure if that's reliable in my area since assessments are pretty out of sync with market values.
Riya Sharma
ā¢8 Tax assessments can be problematic for establishing FMV because, as you noted, they're often not aligned with actual market values. The most reliable method is getting a formal appraisal at the time of conversion, but that's not always practical if you've already converted the property. You can also use comparable sales from around the time of conversion, but be prepared to document your methodology if questioned. Some people use the insurance replacement value, but that often includes land value which may skew your numbers. If you're working with an accountant, they might have access to historical property value data that could help establish a reasonable FMV.
I went through this exact same situation two years ago when I converted my primary residence to a rental property. The key thing to understand is that you absolutely can deduct rental property losses, but only the portion that occurred after conversion. Here's what you need to do: Get a solid valuation of your property as of June 2023 when you converted it to rental use. This becomes your new basis for the rental property. Any decline in value that happened while you lived there is considered a personal loss and isn't deductible. Make sure you've been taking depreciation deductions during the rental period too - if you haven't, you'll still need to account for "allowed or allowable" depreciation when you calculate your final loss. Also keep detailed records of any improvements you made during the rental period, as these can be added to your basis. The IRS is pretty strict about the conversion rules, so documentation is key. If you're unsure about the fair market value at conversion, consider getting a retroactive appraisal or use comparable sales data from that time period.
Join the conversation
Has anyone actually calculated how much difference this makes on your taxes? I'm curious because my company does something similar with our quarterly bonuses (W2 for salary, 1099 for bonuses).
It makes a BIG difference! On a W-2, your employer pays half of your Social Security and Medicare taxes (7.65%). On a 1099, you pay the full 15.3% as self-employment tax PLUS income tax. So for a $1000 bonus, you'd pay about $76.50 more in taxes if it's on a 1099 vs a W-2. Plus, having to file Schedule C or SE adds complexity to your tax return. Your company is definitely shifting their tax burden onto you, which is not correct for employee bonuses.
Rachel Tao
This is a really helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my employer gave me a 1099 for what they called "performance incentives" but I'm a regular W-2 employee. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like they should have included these on my W-2 instead. I'm going to try the approach mentioned about talking to payroll first before escalating anywhere. Has anyone had success getting their employer to reissue corrected forms mid-tax season? I'm worried about filing deadlines but also don't want to file incorrectly if my employer is supposed to fix this.
GalaxyGlider
My all-time favorite tax meme is the one where there's a person nervously looking at two buttons labeled: Button 1: "File taxes early and get refund ASAP" Button 2: "Procrastinate until April 14th because taxes are scary" And they're sweating trying to decide which to press š Then there's a third hidden button labeled "File extension and deal with it in October" which is the one I actually press every year!
0 coins
Malik Robinson
ā¢Filing an extension doesn't extend the time to pay though, right? Don't you still have to pay what you owe by April 15th?
0 coins
Maya Patel
The meme that perfectly captures my tax experience is the "Distracted Boyfriend" one where the guy (labeled "Me") is looking back at the girl walking by (labeled "Netflix") while his girlfriend (labeled "Tax Forms") looks annoyed. That's basically been my entire April! Another one that gets me every time is the Drake meme where he's rejecting "Organizing receipts throughout the year" but pointing approvingly at "Frantically searching through a shoebox of random papers on April 10th." Called out hard on that one š But honestly, seeing all the helpful recommendations in this thread (like taxr.ai for document analysis and Claimyr for actually reaching the IRS) makes me realize maybe next year I can upgrade from memes about tax chaos to memes about being surprisingly organized!
0 coins