Can't reach IRS? Claimyr connects you to a live IRS agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the IRS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the IRS drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Fashion stylist here! I've been freelancing for 7 years and have successfully deducted wardrobe purchases for portfolio development. My accountant classifies them as "professional supplies" rather than "clothing." The distinction matters to the IRS. Keep EVERYTHING separate - have dedicated storage for these items, never wear them personally, and document each item's business purpose. I take photos of the storage area and keep a digital inventory with links to the photoshoots where each piece was used. Also deductible: garment bags, storage containers, steamers, styling tools, fashion reference materials, and transportation costs for picking up/returning items. The business percentage of your phone and internet are deductible too since you're likely using them to coordinate shoots and share your portfolio.
Do you have a separate business bank account for your styling purchases? My accountant keeps telling me I need to stop mixing personal and business expenses but setting up a business account seems complicated.
Yes, having a separate business account is absolutely essential! It doesn't have to be complicated - I started with a simple second checking account at my regular bank specifically for business transactions. Using separate accounts creates a clear audit trail that shows the IRS you're treating your styling work as a legitimate business, not a hobby. Most banks offer basic business checking with minimal fees, and the organization it provides is worth every penny. It made my tax preparation so much simpler since I wasn't trying to sort through mixed personal and business transactions at tax time. This separation is probably the single most important step you can take to legitimize your deductions.
Just FYI - I'm a freelance stylist who got audited last year. The clothing deductions were the exact thing that triggered it! After going through the whole painful process, here's what I learned: The IRS specifically looks at whether items could "reasonably substitute" for regular clothing. Editorial pieces that are clearly not everyday wear (avant-garde, oversized, costume pieces) were accepted as deductible. Basic items that could potentially be worn personally (simple dresses, standard blazers, etc.) were rejected even though I only used them for shoots. My advice: separate your purchases into two categories - clear "styling inventory" that's obviously not personal wear, and "dual-purpose" items that might be questionable. Deduct the first category confidently with documentation, and be very cautious with the second.
This is super helpful context, thank you! Would you mind sharing what kind of documentation ended up satisfying the auditor for the editorial pieces? Did you have to show the actual clothing items or just photos of them being used professionally?
Join the conversation
Just to add something helpful to the original question about inventory and profit - remember that cash flow and taxable income are two different things! You might be cash flow negative (spending more than you bring in) while still having taxable profit. For your reselling business, you should definitely be tracking inventory properly. When you buy $4-9k of inventory, that's not an immediate expense - it's an asset. Only when you sell an item does it become an expense via COGS. This is why many businesses use the accrual method of accounting rather than cash basis.
Can you explain more about cash vs accrual accounting? I think this might be what's confusing me with my own small business. When should I be using each one?
Cash accounting is when you record income when you receive payment and expenses when you actually pay them. It's simpler and many small businesses start with this method. Accrual accounting records income when you earn it (even if not paid yet) and expenses when you incur them (even if you haven't paid yet). For inventory-heavy businesses like reselling, accrual often gives a more accurate picture because it matches the expense of goods with the revenue they generate. This prevents situations where you buy a ton of inventory one year but sell it the next, which would distort your profit picture on cash basis.
Are there any good free resources to learn more about business accounting? I'm in a similar situation as the original poster and feel completely lost.
The IRS actually has some decent guides! Check out Publication 538 (Accounting Periods and Methods) and Publication 334 (Tax Guide for Small Business). Also, many community colleges offer free or cheap workshops for small business owners on basic accounting and taxes.
Join the conversation
I've been a tax preparer for 7 years and this is something that confuses a lot of people. Here's the simple version: Year 1 (2020): Report the full distribution on Form 8915-E and elect to spread it over 3 years. You pay tax on 1/3 of the amount. Year 2 (2021): Complete Form 8915-E again, referencing your original distribution. Pay tax on the second 1/3. Year 3 (2022): Complete Form 8915-E one last time. Pay tax on the final 1/3. You don't need a new 1099-R each year. The original 1099-R from 2020 is documentation for the entire distribution.
Does this also apply if the distribution was from a Roth IRA? I took money out in 2020 but thought Roth distributions aren't taxable anyway?
For Roth IRAs, it's a bit different. If you've had the Roth for at least 5 years and are over 59½, then qualified distributions are tax-free. However, if you took an early distribution from a Roth in 2020 that would normally be partially taxable (like earnings withdrawn before 5 years), you could still use Form 8915-E to spread any taxable portion over 3 years. If your Roth distribution was entirely from contributions (not earnings), then it wouldn't be taxable regardless, and the 3-year spread wouldn't apply since there's no tax to spread.
I'm seeing conflicting advice online about the 8915-E. Some sites say we need to file it for 2021 but others say we should use 8915-F instead. Which is correct?????
Form 8915-F is the new form for reporting qualified disaster distributions in 2021, but it's for NEW disaster distributions. If you're reporting the SECOND year of a 2020 coronavirus distribution that you already started reporting on 8915-E, you continue with 8915-E for all three years.
Join the conversation
In case this helps anyone else - make sure you're looking in the right place for your tax documents on Robinhood. They're not under the same menu as your regular statements. To find tax documents: 1. Go to Account 2. Select Statements & History 3. Choose Tax Documents (not Trade Confirmations) 4. Select the tax year Also, Robinhood sometimes releases tax forms in batches depending on the complexity of your investments. Crypto forms often come first, then stock forms later. If you had any complex situations (wash sales, corporate actions, etc.), your stock forms might be delayed until March.
Do you know if there's a way to see if my forms are still being processed or if they're just not going to send them? The tax deadline is getting closer and I'm getting nervous.
You can check the status of your tax forms by going to the Tax Documents section I mentioned and looking for a notice about "Remaining Forms." Robinhood usually indicates if you have forms that are still being processed. If there's no indication of pending forms, you may want to contact support directly. Another option is to look at your "Account Statement" for the year - it will show all your activity including stock trades and dividends. While not a substitute for official tax forms, it gives you the information you need to report your taxes properly.
Something similar happened to me last year. Did you have very minimal stock activity? If your total proceeds (not profits, but total sales) were under $20, Robinhood might not generate a 1099-B for stocks. Either way, you still need to report the income. Download your account statements and manually enter the information. It's a pain but better than getting a letter from the IRS later!
This is terrible advice. The threshold isn't $20 for stock sales reporting. Brokers are required to report stock sales on 1099-B regardless of amount. The $20 threshold is for interest income on 1099-INT.
Lucy Lam
Another option you have is to just leave the extra payment on your account and apply it to your next estimated tax payment if you make those. I accidentally overpaid by $1,270 last year and just reduced my next quarterly payment by that amount. Saved me the hassle of requesting a refund. The IRS systems will recognize the credit and apply it correctly.
0 coins
Camila Jordan
•I hadn't thought of that option. Do you know if there's a way to check online to confirm the overpayment is showing as a credit on my account? I'm a bit worried about skipping a future payment without knowing for sure the IRS has properly recorded the extra payment.
0 coins
Lucy Lam
•Yes, you can check your account on the IRS website. Just go to irs.gov and use the "View Your Account" tool - you'll need to create an account if you don't already have one. It will show your current balance and any credits on your account. I'd recommend waiting about 2-3 weeks after both payments have processed before checking, as it takes some time for everything to show up correctly in their system. If you're planning to use the credit for a quarterly estimated payment, just make sure to check well before that payment is due to confirm everything looks right.
0 coins
Aidan Hudson
This happened to me too! Frustrating as heck. Everyone's given good advice, but one warning: if your double payment was for 2024 taxes (due April 2025), don't wait too long to request the refund. The IRS can take forever to process these requests. Took me almost 3 months to get my money back, and that was with regular calling to check status.
0 coins
Zoe Wang
•Did you get any interest on the refund for the time they held your money? Seems like they should pay interest if they're holding onto a clear overpayment for 3 months!
0 coins