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 ā 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
Madison King
One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you're on the fence between standard mileage and actual expenses, track BOTH for the first few months of business use. Keep a detailed mileage log AND save all your receipts. Then run the numbers both ways to see which gives you the better deduction. Remember the standard mileage rate for 2023 is 65.5 cents per mile for business use, up from 58.5 cents in 2022. That's a pretty significant increase that might tip the scales toward using the standard deduction method.
Julian Paolo
ā¢Do you really need to keep all receipts if you're using standard mileage? I thought the whole point was to simplify recordkeeping? My tax guy said I just need a mileage log showing business vs personal miles.
Madison King
ā¢No, you don't need to keep all the receipts if you ultimately choose standard mileage. I'm suggesting keeping both types of records temporarily while you figure out which method is more beneficial for your situation. Once you decide which method to use, you can stop tracking the unnecessary documentation. If you choose standard mileage, then yes, all you need is a good mileage log. But if you discover actual expenses give you a better deduction, you'll need those receipts. It's just about giving yourself options for the first few months until you make a final decision.
Ella Knight
I used Section 179 for a vehicle in 2019 and had to deal with recapture in 2021 when my business use dropped to 40%. It was a NIGHTMARE to figure out. Had to recalculate everything and ended up owing a bunch of extra tax. My advice: unless you're VERY sure your business use will stay above 50%, the standard mileage rate is way simpler. Less beneficial sometimes but waaaay less headache if your situation changes.
Did you have to file any special forms for the recapture? I'm in a similar situation where my business use was 70% last year but might drop to around 45% this year.
Join the conversation
I just went through this exact situation last month. Here's what I found: The EITC is calculated based on your EARNED income, not your AGI. Traditional IRA contributions reduce your AGI but not your earned income. The reason most calculators ask for AGI is because it's also used as part of the qualification process. Your AGI needs to be below the threshold to qualify, but the actual calculation is based on earned income. I thought the same thing and was trying to max my IRA to get more EITC, but it doesn't work that way. HOWEVER, depending on your income level, maxing your IRA might qualify you for the Saver's Credit, which is totally different but can be worth up to $1,000 if you contribute $2,000 to retirement accounts.
Ryan Kim
ā¢What's the income limit for the Saver's Credit? I'm trying to figure out if I qualify for that since the EITC won't be affected by my IRA contributions.
For the 2024 tax year (filing in 2025), the Saver's Credit income limits are: - 50% credit: AGI up to $21,750 for single filers - 20% credit: AGI between $21,751-$23,750 for single filers - 10% credit: AGI between $23,751-$36,500 for single filers The credit is based on your first $2,000 of contributions to retirement accounts (IRA, 401k, etc.). So if you qualify for the 50% rate and contribute $2,000, you'd get a $1,000 tax credit. It's definitely worth looking into if you're already planning to make retirement contributions!
Zoe Walker
One thing nobody mentioned yet - does your state have a state EITC too? Many states have their own version that piggybacks on the federal one, and sometimes those calculations ARE affected by AGI. I'm in California and our CalEITC is calculated differently than the federal EITC. My tax preparer told me that in some cases, IRA contributions can affect state EITCs even if they don't change the federal amount.
Elijah Brown
ā¢This is a really good point. I'm in Maryland and our state EITC is just a percentage of the federal one, so if the federal one doesn't change, neither does the state one. But I know some states calculate theirs differently.
Join the conversation
Mason Lopez
Something else to consider - with only $1,350 in revenue, you might actually be operating at a loss once you account for all your startup expenses and inventory purchases. Claiming a business loss can actually offset some of your personal income tax liability. This is totally legitimate if it's an actual loss. Just be sure to document everything carefully in case of audit.
Vera Visnjic
ā¢But doesn't claiming a business loss increase your chance of getting audited? I've heard the IRS flags new businesses that report losses right away.
Mason Lopez
ā¢There's a common misconception about loss reporting. A business loss itself doesn't automatically trigger an audit, especially for the first year when startup costs often exceed revenue. The IRS expects many legitimate businesses to operate at a loss initially. What raises flags is when losses continue for multiple years or when the losses don't make sense for your business type. For a retail shop that just opened, having startup costs and initial inventory purchases that exceed one week of sales is completely reasonable and normal. Just make sure you're treating the business as a business - keep separate records, maintain proper documentation, and don't try to claim personal expenses as business deductions.
I'm a former bookkeeper and I'd recommend using QuickBooks Self-Employed or something similar to track everything properly from day one. It'll sync with your bank accounts, help categorize expenses, track mileage if you're driving for business, and makes tax time WAY easier whether you file yourself or eventually hire a CPA. Starting with good bookkeeping habits now will save you so much headache later.
Is QuickBooks really worth the monthly cost for a tiny business though? Are there free alternatives that work for very small operations?
Join the conversation
One thing nobody's mentioned yet - you need to keep detailed records of how many days you use the property personally vs. rental days. If you stay there during your visits, those days count as personal use, which can affect your deductions. If personal use exceeds the greater of 14 days or 10% of the days it's rented at fair market value, it's considered a "mixed-use" property with limited deductions. You can still deduct expenses, but they need to be allocated between personal and business use. Also, don't forget about depreciation! You can depreciate the property (excluding land value) over 27.5 years, which is a significant deduction. Just remember that when you eventually sell, you'll have depreciation recapture tax to deal with.
Do you know if there's any difference in how depreciation works for foreign vs. domestic properties? And would renovations/improvements to the property be depreciated differently?
The basic depreciation rules are the same for foreign and domestic properties - residential rental real estate is depreciated over 27.5 years using the straight-line method. The property's basis for depreciation is generally your cost plus certain closing costs, minus the value of the land (which can't be depreciated). For renovations and improvements, these are handled differently than regular repairs. Major improvements that add value or extend the useful life of the property are depreciated separately based on when they're placed in service. Smaller repairs are generally just expensed in the year they occur. This is true regardless of whether the property is foreign or domestic.
I think everyone's forgetting a really important thing here - CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES! I own a rental in Bangkok and this has been a huge headache. The IRS expects you to convert everything to USD based on the exchange rate on the day of the transaction. So when your tenant pays rent in won, you need to convert to USD. When you pay a plumber in won, convert to USD. It's a massive pain to track, especially with fluctuating exchange rates. Some tax software can't even handle it properly. Plus there's potential for currency gains/losses if exchange rates change significantly between when you collect rent and when you convert it to dollars. That's actually taxed differently than the rental income itself!
Emma Davis
ā¢Do you use any specific apps or tools to track all this currency conversion stuff? I'm about to close on a place in Japan and I'm already dreading the accounting headaches.
Tyrone Johnson
As someone who worked in estate planning for 15 years, I'll add that Form 4810 is generally considered a best practice, especially when the estate has been fully distributed. The form isn't "asking for an audit" as you feared - it's actually asking for the IRS to assess any tax due promptly so the executor/personal representative can be discharged from liability sooner. Think of it this way - without filing the form, the executor technically remains potentially liable for estate tax issues for the full 3 years. Filing Form 4810 cuts that down to 18 months.
0 coins
Amara Okafor
ā¢Thanks for the professional perspective! So if the form is filed and the IRS doesn't respond within the 18 months, does that mean they can't come after anyone later if they find an issue? And does filing this form increase the chances of getting audited compared to not filing it?
0 coins
Tyrone Johnson
ā¢If the IRS doesn't assess any additional tax within the 18-month period, they generally can't come after the estate or the personal representative after that time has elapsed. There are exceptions for fraud or significant understatements of income, but for a straightforward estate like you described, those wouldn't apply. Filing Form 4810 doesn't increase audit risk in my experience. The IRS doesn't view it as a red flag - it's a standard administrative request. They process thousands of these forms, and they don't trigger special scrutiny. Many tax professionals consider it good practice to file this form precisely because it limits liability exposure.
0 coins
Ingrid Larsson
Has anyone dealt with filing this in Massachusetts specifically? My father's estate is in probate there, and I'm confused about whether the 18-month federal timeframe conflicts with MA requirements.
0 coins
Carlos Mendoza
ā¢Massachusetts resident here. When we settled my grandmother's estate last year, our attorney filed the Form 4810 for federal purposes while acknowledging that MA still maintains their own 3-year period for state tax purposes. The two timeframes operate independently - shortening the federal period doesn't affect the state period at all.
0 coins