Just curious - how do yall handle tip pooling for tax purposes? Our restaurant makes us pool 30% of tips with bartenders and food runners, but I'm not sure if I should be reporting the amount before or after the tip-out.

As someone who's been in the restaurant industry for 8 years, I can't stress enough how important it is to keep detailed records from day one. I use a simple notebook where I write down my total tips each shift - both cash and credit card. At the end of each month, I calculate what percentage of my total income I should set aside for taxes (usually around 22-25%). One thing that really helped me was opening a separate "tax savings" account and automatically transferring money there each week. Treat it like a bill you have to pay - don't touch that money for anything else. Also, make sure you're reporting ALL your tips to your employer, not just credit card tips. I know it's tempting to under-report cash tips, but the IRS has been cracking down hard on servers lately. They have ways of estimating what you should be making based on your restaurant's sales, and if your reported tips seem too low compared to industry standards, you could get flagged for an audit. Better to be honest upfront than deal with penalties and interest later. Trust me on this one!

I'm so stressed about this too! My return was accepted on February 8th and I didn't see ANY movement on WMR until March 1st - that's 22 days of nothing! 😫 When it finally updated, it went straight from "Return Received" to "Refund Approved" and I got my money 3 days later. The whole time I was checking multiple times a day and getting more anxious with each passing day. The IRS is definitely moving slower this year than I've ever seen before!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed on February 28th, accepted the same day, and it's been radio silence from WMR ever since. I keep telling myself to stop checking it obsessively, but working from home makes it way too easy to refresh that page every few hours. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really reassuring - sounds like 2-3 weeks with no movement is pretty normal this year, even for simple returns. I think the IRS is just overwhelmed and moving at their own pace. At least we're all in this waiting game together! Thanks for posting this question because I was starting to wonder if something was wrong with my return.

I think everyone is overlooking something important here. If you're using the van for personal trips just to "advertise" your business, that's not a smart financial move regardless of tax implications. The extra wear, tear and gas from unnecessary driving will cost you more than any potential business you might get from someone randomly seeing your van. Instead, consider parking your van in high-visibility areas during non-work hours. That way it's still "advertising" without adding miles or expenses. Or use that money to invest in proper advertising channels that actually target potential customers instead of random people on the road.

One thing to keep in mind is that the IRS has specific rules about what constitutes "ordinary and necessary" business expenses. If you start using your van significantly more for personal trips just to get your business seen, you need to be prepared to justify that the primary purpose is still business-related. I'd recommend keeping detailed records of any leads or business that actually comes from people seeing your van. If you get audited, having documentation that shows your mobile advertising strategy actually generated revenue will strengthen your case. Without that proof, the IRS might view excessive personal use as primarily personal rather than business, even with all the branding. Also consider that your business insurance might need to be updated if you're significantly increasing the mileage on your commercial vehicle. The cost of higher premiums could offset any tax benefits you're hoping to achieve.

I believe I may have some relevant insight on this particular situation. In my experience consulting with several small business clients, we've identified approximately 12-15 different IRS scam operations using similar tactics. One operation specifically targets Schedule C filers by posing as a specialized "small business division" and often uses extensions in their callback numbers. They typically reference specific deductions like vehicle depreciation or home office calculations to establish credibility. If you've shared any business information with this number, I would suggest, at minimum, filing an identity theft affidavit (Form 14039) as a precautionary measure.

Thank you all for the warnings about this scam number. I'm relatively new to dealing with IRS matters and almost called that number myself after reading the original post. It's concerning how sophisticated these scammers have become - they're clearly researching tax terminology and procedures to sound legitimate. For anyone else who might be unsure, I found that the official IRS website (irs.gov) has a "Contact Us" section that lists all legitimate phone numbers and clearly states which services require appointments or special credentials. They also have a scam reporting feature where you can submit suspicious numbers. It's frustrating that we have to be so cautious when trying to fulfill our tax obligations, but better safe than sorry when it comes to protecting our personal information.

Anyone else notice the -$1 and +$1 amounts? Thats kinda weird

Just wanted to add that if you haven't received your refund yet even though code 846 shows 02-13-2025, give it a few more business days. Sometimes there can be delays with direct deposit or mailing depending on your bank or address. The IRS typically says to wait 21 days from the filing date before inquiring about a missing refund. Since your return was filed on 02-24 according to code 150, you're still within that window. If you don't see it by mid-March, then definitely call the IRS hotline!