This is incorrect advice that could cause problems. Gig work like DoorDash and UberEats is self-employment income, not "other income" - even if it's a small amount. It legally needs to be reported on Schedule C, and you do owe self-employment taxes on it. The IRS is getting more strict about this.

Self-employment tax only applies when your net earnings are $400 or more. Since OP made $350, and would likely have some expenses to deduct, they'd be under the SE tax threshold anyway. The line between "other income" and "self-employment" can be blurry for very small amounts. I've filed small gig earnings both ways and never had issues. But if you want to be absolutely by-the-book, then yes, Schedule C is technically more correct.

The chances of being audited for such a small amount are pretty low, but technically you're supposed to report all income regardless of amount. The platforms do report aggregate data to the IRS even if they don't send you a 1099.

Thanks for the info - that's somewhat reassuring. I'll definitely report everything properly this year. Do you think I should file an amended return for last year or just move on?

I've heard TurboTax is better, but isn't it like $120 for the version that handles rentals? That seems steep. Does it really make that much difference compared to the cheaper options?

Yes, TurboTax Home & Business is more expensive (usually around $120, sometimes more with state filing), but the difference is significant if you have rental properties. The depreciation handling alone saves me hours of frustration. The main advantage is that it gives you full control over depreciation schedules, allows you to properly categorize improvements vs. repairs, and lets you override calculations when needed. It also walks you through potential rental deductions you might miss with cheaper software. For me, the time saved and potential tax savings make it worth the higher price.

I've thought about it, but I actually enjoy doing my own taxes (weird, I know). I like understanding exactly how everything works together. Just frustrated with the software limitations. How did you find a CPA who really knows real estate tax issues?

How much does a strategy like this actually save? We're at about $350k household and I've heard about bunching but wasn't sure if it was worth the hassle.

In our case, it saved us about $7,400 over a two-year period. We concentrated two years of charitable giving into a single tax year, which pushed us well above the standard deduction threshold. This allowed us to itemize that year and take full advantage of our charitable deductions, mortgage interest, and state taxes (up to the SALT limit). The following year, we took the standard deduction since we didn't make direct charitable contributions. The donor-advised fund we established still allowed us to support our preferred charities on our normal schedule, even though we'd already taken the tax deduction. The strategy works particularly well for households in our income range who are right on the border of whether itemizing makes sense.

Doesn't the dependent care FSA have a limit of $5k per family though, not per person? I tried to do $5k through my work and $5k through my husband's and our HR said that's not allowed.

Did you end up contacting your employer's HR department about the missing form? I'm wondering if that's something they're required to provide or if it's optional.

Yes, I did contact HR and they confirmed they're legally required to provide Form 1095-C to all full-time employees regardless of whether they enrolled in coverage or not. Mine had apparently been sent to an old address. They issued a new copy, but this was after I had already filed my taxes which led to some complications. HR mentioned the deadline for employers to provide these forms is March 2nd this year, so if you don't have yours by then, definitely reach out to them.

Code 1E typically means you were offered minimum essential coverage that met the minimum value requirements for both employee and dependents. Basically confirming your employer offered adequate insurance that would have covered you and any dependents.

Since you declined the coverage, the specific offer code doesn't really matter for your tax filing. It's more relevant for your employer's compliance reporting. But 1E is actually a good code - means they offered you decent coverage.

This is really helpful! I do have all my invoices and bank statements showing the deposits. Do I need to submit any of this documentation with my tax return, or just keep it in case of an audit?

Just keep all that documentation safely stored for at least 3 years after filing. You don't submit it with your return, but if you're ever audited, you'll need to produce it. Electronic copies are fine as long as they clearly show the information. And don't worry too much about being audited - it's not super common for regular folks. Just be honest about your income, take legitimate deductions you're entitled to, and keep your supporting documents.

FreeTaxUSA is way cheaper and handles self-employment income just fine. I've been using it for years for my 1099 work and W-2 job. No need to pay the big companies extra for basic Schedule C filing.