Is anyone else noticing that Doordash's in-app mileage tracker is WAY off from actual miles driven? I swear it's undercounting by at least 30% compared to my car's odometer readings.

As someone who's been dealing with gig work taxes for a while, I wanted to add a few practical tips for your situation: Since you're working around health conditions, definitely keep detailed records of any medical appointments that affect your dashing schedule. While you can't deduct the appointments themselves, documenting the impact on your work hours helps explain income fluctuations to the IRS if needed. For mileage tracking, I highly recommend using your phone's GPS and a dedicated app rather than relying on Doordash's built-in tracker - it's notoriously inaccurate. Start tracking from the moment you turn on the app to when you turn it off, even if you're just driving to a better zone. One thing many new dashers miss: you can deduct a portion of your phone bill since you're using it for work. Usually around 30-50% is reasonable depending on how much you dash. Given your health situation and variable income, consider opening a separate savings account just for taxes. Even if you're not making quarterly payments yet, having that money set aside removes the stress of scrambling to pay at tax time. Start with 20-25% of each payout - you can always adjust based on your actual tax liability. The fact that you're thinking about this early puts you ahead of most gig workers. Don't stress too much - the IRS understands that gig income is unpredictable, especially for health reasons.

This isnt directly about Form 8300 but make sure ur keeping good records of the purchase. the hobbyist might call it a "personal collection" but the IRS might view differently depending on their selling history. If they've made multiple big sales the IRS could argue they're actually in business.

Great question about Form 8300! Just to add some clarity - you're correct that you wouldn't need to file Form 8300 in this situation since you're paying by check, not cash. But I wanted to mention something else that might be relevant for your trading card business. If you're regularly buying collections over $10k, you might want to consider whether you need to register as a money services business (MSB) depending on your transaction volume and patterns. It's not common for card dealers, but I've seen cases where high-volume businesses got flagged for not having proper AML (anti-money laundering) procedures in place. Also, make sure you're getting proper documentation for the purchase - receipts, any provenance documentation, photos of high-value items, etc. This protects you if there are ever questions about the legitimacy of the collection or if you need to prove your basis for future sales. The hobbyist angle is interesting too - if they're liquidating a truly personal collection they've held for years, they might qualify for favorable capital gains treatment on their end. Just something to keep in mind if they ask about tax implications of the sale.

Has anyone used TurboTax for reporting sports betting? I'm wondering if the regular version handles this or if I need to upgrade to their premium version.

Just to add another perspective on the record-keeping aspect that others have mentioned - the IRS expects you to maintain detailed records of ALL your gambling activity, not just the summary from your betting platform. This means keeping track of each individual bet, the date, amount wagered, outcome, and winnings/losses for each session. I learned this the hard way when I got audited two years ago. Having just the year-end summary from DraftKings wasn't enough - they wanted to see my actual betting history. Now I keep a simple spreadsheet with every bet logged. It's tedious but absolutely necessary if you want to properly claim your losses as deductions. Also worth noting - if you received any promotional credits or free bets that resulted in winnings, those winnings are still taxable income even though you didn't technically risk your own money for that particular bet.

I think there's some confusion here about amended return direct deposits. The IRS officially began allowing direct deposits for amended returns in August 2020, but implementation has been inconsistent. What many people don't realize is that the payment method depends on how you filed the amendment - Form 1040-X through e-file can receive direct deposit, but paper 1040-X submissions almost always result in paper checks regardless of providing banking information.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Filed my amended 2023 return electronically three weeks ago for some missing 1099-INT income. Like you, I was surprised they asked for direct deposit info this time - definitely wasn't an option when I amended my 2021 return. From what I've gathered lurking in tax forums, the direct deposit for amended returns seems to be working more reliably now, but it's still not 100% guaranteed. The fact that they're asking for banking info is definitely a good sign though! One thing I learned is that you can check your IRS account transcript online to see if there's an 846 code when your refund gets processed - that will tell you the payment method. Planning to check mine religiously once it hits the 12-week mark. Fingers crossed we both get the convenience of direct deposit instead of waiting for snail mail! 🤞

Don't forget about tracking all your landlord-related mileage too! I rent out 3 rooms in my house and I keep track of every trip to Home Depot for supplies, trips to meet potential tenants, banking errands related to the rental, etc. It all adds up! For 2024 the mileage rate is 67 cents per mile for business use which includes landlord activities. So if you're doing a $22k renovation you'll probably make a ton of trips to stores for supplies and that mileage is deductible against your rental income!

Welcome to the landlord life! I've been renting out rooms in my house for about 3 years now and the tax benefits are definitely one of the best parts. For your $22k bathroom renovation, since it's used by all tenants as a common area, you'll want to calculate what percentage of your home is used for rental purposes. Don't just count rooms - measure the actual square footage! Include the rental bedrooms plus their proportional share of common areas (hallways, kitchen, living room, that bathroom you're renovating, etc.). This usually gives you a much better percentage than just dividing by number of rooms. One thing to consider with such a large renovation: see if any portions can be classified as repairs rather than improvements. For example, if you're replacing a broken toilet with a similar one, that's a repair (immediate deduction). But if you're upgrading to a luxury model, that's an improvement (depreciated over 27.5 years). A good tax pro can help you maximize what qualifies as repairs. Also don't forget about all the smaller deductible expenses that add up: advertising for tenants, background check fees, supplies, even a portion of your utilities and insurance. The mileage for all those Home Depot trips will add up too at 67 cents per mile! The rental property tax game has a learning curve but it's worth mastering. Good luck with your renovation!