Quick tip from someone who's been freelancing for 15+ years: start including a damage clause in your contracts! I specifically have language that states any reimbursements for damaged equipment are not considered income and will not be reported on tax forms. It's saved me from this exact headache multiple times. Most clients don't even notice it when signing, but it gives you something concrete to point to when their accounting department tries to 1099 you for reimbursements. Worth adding to your contracts going forward!

This is a great discussion with solid advice from everyone! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now where a client damaged some lighting equipment during a corporate shoot. Reading through all these responses really helped clarify my options. I'm definitely going to try contacting their accounting department first to explain that it should be treated as property damage reimbursement, not service income. If that doesn't work, the backup plan of reporting it as income but then deducting the exact repair amount on Schedule C makes sense as a safety net. The contract clause suggestion from Kelsey is brilliant - I'm definitely adding that to my standard agreement going forward. Prevention is always better than having to fix these issues after the fact! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions. This community is incredibly helpful for navigating these tricky tax situations that come up in freelance work.

Another thing to check - see if the tax filing site has a physical address and phone number listed. Scammy sites often only have a contact form with no real-world details. And make sure the company has been around for at least a few years!

Great advice from everyone here! I'd also recommend checking if the tax service offers customer support during tax season. Legitimate companies usually have live chat, phone support, or at least detailed FAQ sections. I learned this the hard way when I used a sketchy service a few years back that had zero customer support when I ran into issues. Another red flag to watch for: if they promise unrealistically large refunds or claim they can get you refunds that other services can't. The IRS calculates your refund based on your actual tax situation - no legitimate service can magically increase what you're owed. And definitely avoid any site that asks for upfront payment before you can even see what your return looks like. One more tip: save screenshots of any promises they make about fees or services before you start entering your info. That way you have proof if they try to add surprise charges later.

could be identity theft... happened to me last year. somebody was stealing my mail

I went through the exact same thing last year! After the third "30 day wait" I finally got fed up and called my congressman's office. They have a constituent services team that can contact the IRS directly on your behalf. Got my refund within 2 weeks after months of runaround. Sometimes you need someone with actual authority to light a fire under them. Worth a shot if the payment trace doesn't work!

To all those having trouble reaching a human at IRS. I just ran across this video that gave me a shortcut to reach a human. Hope it helps! https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c

Reference 9022 typically indicates a math error on your tax return that the IRS needs to correct before processing your refund. This could be something like incorrect calculations on your tax liability, withholdings, or credits. The IRS will usually send you a notice explaining the specific error and either correct it automatically (if it results in a smaller refund) or request additional information from you. You should receive correspondence from the IRS within a few weeks explaining the details of the math error they found.

Have u checked if your employers classified u as exempt from withholding by mistake? My husband's company did that one year on accident and we ended up owing like $4800!!! Check your most recent pay stub and make sure federal income tax is actually being taken out every paycheck.

This happened to me too! We went from getting about $2,800 back to owing $1,900 this year. I spent hours going through our pay stubs and comparing to last year - turns out we were both using the old "married" selection on our W-4s without realizing how the new form works. What really helped was printing out our last pay stub from December and calculating what percentage of our gross income was actually being withheld for federal taxes. Like you said, it was way too low - only about 8% for us when it should have been closer to 15% given our bracket. The good news is you can fix this going forward by updating your W-4s now. I used the IRS withholding calculator and it showed us exactly how much extra to withhold each paycheck to avoid this happening again next year. We're having an extra $120 per paycheck withheld now, which sounds like a lot but it's better than another surprise tax bill!