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hey just so u know my cousin fell for something similar with a diffeent company. they took the "upfront fee" and then kept making excuses about why the loan relief wasnt coming through. eventually they ghosted him completely and he lost like $1200. these tax relief places are mostly scams imo.
Same thing happened to my neighbor! She paid almost $2000 to some tax relief place and they basically just set up a payment plan with the IRS that she could have done herself for free. These companies are predatory.
This is definitely a scam - I've seen this exact pattern multiple times. Legitimate tax relief services don't operate this way, and the IRS has clear guidelines about how payments should be made (directly to them, not through third parties). A few red flags here: 1. Demanding upfront payment before any services are provided 2. The explanation about "partial taxes still owed" doesn't make sense in this context 3. SETC Pros isn't a recognized name in legitimate tax resolution If you genuinely need help with tax issues, start with the IRS's own resources. They offer payment plans, hardship programs, and even an Offer in Compromise program for qualifying taxpayers. You can access all of this information at IRS.gov or call their taxpayer assistance line directly. Don't send them any money - block their communications and consider reporting this to the FTC's fraud reporting website. These scammers often target people who are already struggling financially, which makes it even more predatory.
Thank you for this comprehensive breakdown! As someone new to dealing with tax issues, it's really helpful to see the specific red flags laid out like this. I had no idea the IRS offered hardship programs - that's definitely something I should look into for my own situation. The predatory nature of these scams targeting people who are already struggling financially is just disgusting. It's bad enough dealing with tax problems without having to worry about getting scammed on top of it. I'm definitely going to bookmark the IRS.gov resources you mentioned.
Has anyone used the Section 179 calculator on the IRS website? I'm trying to figure out my recapture but the worksheets are confusing af.
Don't use the IRS calculator - it's terrible. Try the one on calculatorsoup.com instead. Much clearer and it walks you through all the steps. Helped me figure out my own recapture situation with my business SUV last year.
Thanks for the suggestion! Just checked out calculatorsoup and it's way better. Actually makes sense now. The IRS should hire whoever designed that site.
I'm dealing with a similar situation with my Tesla Model Y (also qualifies for Section 179 due to weight). One thing I learned from my CPA is that you need to track your business use percentage very carefully throughout the holding period. If your business use drops below 50% at any point after taking the Section 179 deduction, you'll trigger recapture even without selling the vehicle. This is especially important with trucks like the F150 Lightning since they're so versatile for both business and personal use. For your specific question about timing - there's no "safe harbor" period where recapture goes away completely. Even keeping it 10 years won't eliminate recapture if you sell for more than your adjusted basis (which will be very low after Section 179). The key is running the numbers on total tax benefit vs. recapture cost to see if it still makes sense financially.
Don't forget about the retirement savers credit! If you put ANY money into an IRA or 401k, with your income level you'd qualify for a 50% credit on up to $2,000 contributed. Even if you haven't contributed yet, you can still open and fund an IRA for 2023 until the tax filing deadline!
Wait really? So if I put $1000 in an IRA before the tax deadline, I'd get a $500 tax credit? That would basically solve OP's problem right there!
Exactly! With an AGI of around $6,000, they're in the 50% credit bracket (which goes up to $20,500 for single filers for 2023). So contributing $1,000 to a traditional or Roth IRA before the filing deadline would give them a $500 tax credit - which would essentially wipe out their tax bill. It's one of the most overlooked credits for young/low-income people. You're basically getting an immediate 50% return on your investment through tax savings, plus you've started your retirement savings. Total win-win situation!
This is exactly why understanding the difference between employee and contractor status is so important! Since you received a 1099-NEC, you're considered self-employed for tax purposes, which means you're responsible for both the employee AND employer portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes (that's the 15.3% self-employment tax everyone's mentioning). However, you have several good options to reduce or eliminate what you owe: 1. **Business deductions on Schedule C** - Any legitimate expenses for your internship (computer usage, internet, supplies, transportation, etc.) 2. **Education credits** - The American Opportunity Tax Credit could be huge for you as a college student 3. **Retirement savings credit** - As Emma mentioned, contributing to an IRA could give you a 50% credit at your income level 4. **Earned Income Tax Credit** - You might qualify for this as well The key is that while you can't avoid the self-employment tax entirely if you have net earnings over $400, these credits and deductions can significantly reduce your overall tax bill. Start with gathering documentation for any internship-related expenses and your 1098-T form from school. Those two things alone might solve your problem!
OMG thank you for the warning!! I was just about to use Credit Karma for my taxes this weekend. Has anyone tried H&R Block? Do they do the same shady consent thing?? I'm a student with a pretty simple return, just W-2 and some 1098-T education expenses. Don't need anything fancy but also don't want my info sold until 2031 lol.
I used H&R Block last year and they definitely had a similar consent form, but they actually did provide a clear way to opt out (unlike what OP experienced). You just have to look carefully for the small "decline and continue" link at the bottom of the page. Their free version worked fine for my simple return with W-2 and student loan interest.
This is exactly why I always recommend people check if they're eligible for the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program before going with any commercial tax software. VITA volunteers are IRS-certified and provide completely free tax preparation with no data sharing, no consent forms, and no upselling. The income eligibility is generally under $64,000, and they can handle most common tax situations including W-2s, 1099s, unemployment, retirement income, and basic credits/deductions. You can find locations near you on the IRS website. I've been volunteering with VITA for 3 years now, and it's frustrating to see how these commercial "free" services prey on people who could get genuinely free help without any strings attached. The quality control is actually better too - every return gets reviewed by a second volunteer before filing. For those who don't qualify for VITA or prefer to do it themselves, definitely stick with the official IRS Free File portal as others have mentioned. Don't let these companies trick you into giving away years of data rights just to file your taxes!
Vera Visnjic
Just a quick heads up that the penalties for not filing Form 8865 when required are pretty brutal. We missed filing it for our Australian partnership and got hit with a $10,000 penalty per year plus reduced foreign tax credits. If you have any doubt at all, it's better to file the form than risk the penalties.
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Jake Sinclair
ā¢Seriously, the penalties are no joke. My client got hit with $25,000 in penalties for a 2-year missed filing. Even though the original post is about a domestic partnership (which doesn't need 8865), if anyone reading this DOES have foreign partnerships, don't mess around with this form.
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QuantumQuasar
Mae, you're absolutely right to be confused - this is one of those areas where the terminology can be really misleading! To add to what others have said, the IRS definition of "foreign partnership" is very specific and literal - it's only about where the partnership entity was legally formed/organized, period. Your Delaware LLC is definitely domestic for tax purposes. However, there are a couple of additional things to keep in mind with a foreign partner: 1. Your partnership will likely need an EIN if you don't already have one 2. You'll need to determine if your UK partner has a US tax identification number (ITIN or SSN) for the K-1 3. As others mentioned, there may be withholding requirements under Section 1446 depending on your business activities The good news is that having a foreign partner in a domestic partnership is actually pretty common and well-established in tax practice. Just make sure you're working with someone who understands the withholding rules - that's usually where people trip up, not on the Form 8865 question you originally asked about.
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