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5 Everyone saying this is normal is right, but make sure you read what you're signing! The POA form has different checkboxes for different levels of authorization. Some accountants will check ALL the boxes by default, but you might not want them to have authority to, for example, sign tax returns on your behalf or receive refund checks. Ask them to explain exactly what they're requesting access to do. A good accountant will walk you through the form and only ask for what they truly need to help you.
16 This is such important advice! When I signed my 2848, I didn't read it carefully and gave my accountant permission to receive refund checks. Guess what happened? My $3,800 refund went to them, and while they did forward it to me, it was delayed by almost 3 weeks. Now I'm much more careful about which boxes get checked.
5 Exactly. You want boxes 5a and 5c checked at minimum (that lets them get your tax info and talk to the IRS), but be careful with 5b (receiving refund checks) and 5d (signing returns) unless you specifically want that. And definitely put specific tax years on line 3 - don't leave it open-ended!
2 I sign this form with my accountant every year, totally standard. But your old accountant asking for bank passwords?!? That's absolutely NOT normal and a huge red flag! No legitimate tax professional should ever need your actual login credentials. They might need statements or transaction histories, but those can be downloaded and provided without giving access to your accounts.
11 Agreed about the bank passwords! The most my accountant has ever asked for is read-only access to certain accounts through a secure portal like Plaid, or just PDF statements. Anyone asking for actual passwords is either incompetent or trying to scam you.
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I'm a professional musician with a similar situation. I have W2 income from teaching at a college but make about $8k from gigs and recording sessions (1099). I stopped claiming home office after an accountant friend scared me about audit risks. The way he explained it: if your side business consistently loses money, the IRS might question if it's really a business or just a hobby. If classified as a hobby, you lose all those business deductions. My solution was to be more selective about which home expenses I allocate to the office. I still deduct my music equipment, supplies, and direct business expenses, but I'm more conservative with the home office portion. This keeps me showing at least some profit most years.
That's an interesting approach. Which specific home expenses did you stop allocating to your office space? I'm wondering if I could take a similar middle ground where I still claim some home office expenses but not all of them.
I stopped allocating a percentage of my mortgage interest and property taxes to the home office, since I already claim those on Schedule A itemized deductions. I also reduced the percentage of utilities I allocate to business use to better reflect actual usage. I still deduct direct expenses related to my music business - instruments, equipment maintenance, software subscriptions, recording supplies, and a reasonable percentage of my internet costs since that's essential for sharing files with clients. This approach has kept my Schedule C showing a small profit most years while still giving me legitimate deductions for actual business expenses.
Have you considered just taking the simplified home office deduction? It's $5 per square foot up to 300 sq ft, so max $1500. Super simple, way less documentation needed, and you don't have to worry about calculating percentages of all your different home expenses. I switched to this method for my small freelance business a couple years ago and it's been WAY less stressful. My Schedule C still shows a small profit and I haven't had any issues. The deduction is smaller than what I could get with the regular method but the peace of mind is worth it.
This is what I do too! The simplified method is so much easier. I make about $7k from my side business and the simplified deduction of $750 (I use a 150 sq ft bedroom as my office) keeps my business profitable on paper while still giving me a decent deduction. Way less hassle and much lower audit risk.
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I had something similar happen and discovered it was my ex-husband using my old identity info. Does anyone in your life have access to your previous information and might hold a grudge? Sometimes it's not random identity theft but someone who knows you.
Omg I never thought of that!! My ex's brother works at a tax preparation place and always seemed shady. We didn't part on good terms at all. How did you find out it was your ex? Did the IRS tell you or did you have to figure it out yourself?
The IRS wouldn't tell me specifically who did it, but they did confirm the fraudulent W-2 came from a company where my ex's new girlfriend worked in payroll. I pieced it together after that. In my case, I had to file a police report and the detective was able to track the origin of the fake W-2 submission. If your ex's brother works in tax preparation, that's definitely suspicious. He would have access to the systems needed to generate a fake W-2. When you talk to the IRS, make sure to mention this possibility - it might speed up their investigation if they have a potential lead.
FYI - The 570 code is always followed by another code that gives more specific information. Check your account transcript again (not just your income transcript) and look for codes like 971 (notice issued) or 420 (examination/audit). Those will tell you more about why your refund is being held.
This is good advice. My transcript had both 570 and 971 codes, and the 971 was because they sent me a letter explaining the issue. Check your mail carefully - they might have already sent you something explaining the hold.
You're right! I just checked again and I do have a 971 code too that I missed before. It's dated for next week so I guess they're sending me a letter. Good to know I should watch for that. Thanks for pointing this out!
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One thing nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you're tracking ALL your business expenses for those 1099 gigs! Unlike W-2 income, you can deduct business expenses from your 1099 income which can significantly reduce your tax burden. Keep receipts for anything related to your consulting work - home office space, internet, computer equipment, software subscriptions, professional development, mileage if you drive for work purposes, etc. These deductions can make a huge difference in how much you owe quarterly. I made the mistake of not tracking expenses properly my first year of consulting and paid WAY more in taxes than I needed to. Don't make the same mistake!
Thanks for bringing this up! Do you use any specific apps or methods to track your expenses? I'm worried I'll miss things if I don't have a system.
I personally use QuickBooks Self-Employed which automatically categorizes expenses and tracks mileage. It's about $15/month but worth it for me because it integrates with TurboTax for filing. A free alternative that works well is just setting up a dedicated spreadsheet with categories like "Office Supplies," "Software," etc., and taking photos of all receipts with your phone. The most important thing is consistency! Set aside 15 minutes each week to update your records while things are fresh in your mind. For mileage, either use an app or keep a small notebook in your car to jot down odometer readings and the purpose of each business trip. Also, open a separate business checking account if possible - it makes everything so much clearer at tax time.
I'm going to go against the grain here and suggest you might NOT need to pay quarterly taxes depending on your situation. There's a "safe harbor" provision where you won't face penalties if: 1. You owe less than $1,000 in taxes for the year after subtracting withholdings and credits 2. Your withholding from your W-2 job covers at least 90% of your current year tax liability 3. Your withholding covers 100% of your previous year's tax liability (or 110% if your AGI was over $150,000) So if your W-2 job withholds enough, you might be able to avoid quarterly payments altogether. Talk to your payroll department about increasing your withholding to cover the additional income!
This is what I do! I just adjusted my W-4 at my day job to withhold an extra $200 per paycheck to cover my side hustle taxes. No quarterly payments needed and I actually got a small refund. Much simpler than dealing with estimated payments.
Keisha Jackson
4 Regarding your wholesale business question - make sure you're tracking inventory properly. Cost of goods sold is definitely deductible, but the IRS has specific rules about inventory accounting for wholesale businesses. You need to be consistent in how you value inventory from year to year. I learned this the hard way when I got audited for my small retail business.
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Keisha Jackson
•1 Thanks for this info. I'm actually not sure I'm doing this correctly. Do you use specific inventory tracking software or do you have another system? My business is fairly small but growing, and I've mostly been tracking things in spreadsheets so far.
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Keisha Jackson
•4 I started with spreadsheets too, but as my business grew, I invested in QuickBooks Online with their inventory add-on. It was a game-changer for tracking cost of goods sold properly. The key thing the IRS looks for is consistency in your inventory methods - whether you're using FIFO (first in, first out) or another approved method. For a smaller business, good spreadsheets can work fine as long as you're methodical. Just make sure you're tracking: 1) Beginning inventory value 2) Purchases made throughout the year 3) Ending inventory value. The formula is: Beginning inventory + Purchases - Ending inventory = Cost of Goods Sold for the year.
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Keisha Jackson
11 One thing nobody mentioned - if you're giving money to help your friend with specific expenses like medical bills or tuition, you could potentially pay those directly instead of giving cash. Direct payments to educational institutions or medical providers on someone's behalf aren't subject to gift tax limits at all! Might be worth considering if your friend has those specific needs.
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Keisha Jackson
•19 Is this really true? So I could pay someone's entire college tuition directly to the school and it wouldn't count against the gift tax limit at all?
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