Another option is to see if you qualify for VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). If your income is under $60,000, you can get your taxes done completely free by IRS-certified volunteers. They have locations all over during tax season.

This is exactly why I always recommend going directly through the IRS Free File website first before using any tax software's main site. The marketing tactics these companies use are deliberately confusing - they advertise "free" filing everywhere but then hit you with fees once you're invested in the process. For your situation with a $48k AGI and simple W-2, you should definitely qualify for multiple free options through the IRS program. The threshold is much higher than what you're earning. It's frustrating that Tax Slayer's customer service couldn't give you a straight answer about the "service tier" changes. If you want to stick with Tax Slayer, definitely try accessing them through the official IRS Free File portal as others have suggested. Otherwise, there are several other free options available through that same portal that might work better for you going forward.

Quick tip: dont forget to set aside money for state income tax too if ur state has it!! I got destroyed my first year self employed bcause I only calculated federal. My state takes another 5% which I wasnt ready for.

As a tax professional, I want to emphasize that the previous commenters have given you excellent advice, but there's one crucial point I need to stress: you MUST start making quarterly estimated tax payments immediately if you haven't already! Since you're on track to make $54K this year, you should be paying estimated taxes quarterly (due dates are Jan 15, April 15, June 15, and Sept 15). The IRS expects you to pay as you earn, not wait until tax time. If you don't, you'll face underpayment penalties on top of your tax bill. For someone in your situation, I'd recommend setting aside about 25-30% of each payment you receive for taxes (federal income tax + self-employment tax + state if applicable). This might seem like a lot, but it's better to overpay slightly and get a refund than to be hit with penalties. Also, since this is your first year with significant income, definitely consider consulting with a tax professional or CPA who specializes in self-employment. The cost of their services (usually $300-500) will likely save you much more than that in proper deductions and tax planning strategies. The good news is that with proper planning and deductions (QBI deduction, business expenses, retirement contributions), your actual tax burden will be much lower than your initial calculation!

TAS is completely useless now. I've been trying since JANUARY. Called 20+ times. Congressional inquiry. Nothing worked. They keep saying they're "prioritizing hardship cases" but even with my utilities about to be shut off, they wouldn't help. The system is broken.

I feel your frustration - the TAS situation is really difficult right now. One thing that helped me was getting my tax transcript first to understand exactly what was happening with my return. You can request it online at IRS.gov or by calling the automated transcript line at 1-800-908-9946. Having specific details about processing dates and any error codes made my conversations with IRS representatives much more productive. Also, if you haven't already, try calling the general IRS number (1-800-829-1040) early in the morning and ask to speak with someone in the Accounts Management division - they can sometimes resolve issues without needing TAS involvement. The key is being very specific about your situation and having all your documentation ready. Don't give up!

Just wanted to add that I made this exact same mistake last year! The IRS actually flagged my return and sent me a notice because I had dental insurance premiums on both Schedule C and as part of my self-employed health insurance deduction. It created a total mess.

I went through this exact same frustrating situation last year! As a self-employed contractor with marketplace insurance, I learned the hard way that dental insurance premiums need to be handled very carefully to avoid messing up your premium tax credits. Here's what I discovered: Your dental insurance premiums should be combined with your health insurance premiums and entered as one total amount under the "Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction" on your Form 1040 (not Schedule C business expenses). This keeps it separate from your AGI calculation that affects premium tax credits. The reason your refund went down is exactly what Diego explained - by lowering your AGI with a business expense, you're triggering a recalculation that makes you owe back some premium tax credits. But when you properly categorize dental premiums as part of your self-employed health insurance deduction, it doesn't create this circular problem. In TurboTax, remove the dental premium from business expenses and add it to your total health insurance amount in the self-employed health insurance section. You should see your refund go back up to where it was before, plus get the benefit of the dental deduction without the premium tax credit penalty!

Did you check if the address IRS has on file for you is current? I moved in 2021 and never got any notices until the final one cuz they were sending everything to my old address. You can update your address with them using Form 8822 and also request copies of any previous notices they claim to have sent.

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress! I had a very similar situation last year with a CP503 notice that seemed to come out of nowhere. Here's what I learned from my experience: First, don't panic - these notices can look scarier than they actually are. The IRS computer systems often generate inflated amounts when they think forms are missing, but once you provide the correct documentation, the amount owed frequently drops significantly or disappears entirely. Since you mentioned you paid a tax professional, definitely start there. They should have records of exactly what was filed and can tell you immediately if Form 8949 was included. If it wasn't, that's likely the entire problem - the IRS sees crypto transactions reported on other forms but no supporting detail form, so their system assumes you underreported. Also, request a wage and income transcript from the IRS website for 2021. This will show you exactly what third-party reports (like from crypto exchanges) they received about your transactions. Sometimes exchanges send corrected forms that you never saw, which can create discrepancies. The key is responding within their deadline with proper documentation. Even if your tax preparer made an error, you can usually resolve this without owing the full amount they're claiming. Good luck!