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Just to add on to what others have said - I've been deducting a portion of my rent for my online business for years with no issues. The key thing the IRS looks for is "exclusive use" - meaning you use that room ONLY for business, not as a guest room or for personal activities. One thing nobody mentioned yet - if you're running your business as an S-Corp (which many online businesses do for tax reasons), things get a bit more complicated. In that case, the business should either pay you rent (which you'd report as income) OR you can set up an accountable plan for home office reimbursement. Might be worth looking into depending on your business structure.

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Kai Santiago

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Can you explain more about the accountable plan option? I have an S-Corp for my online business and my CPA never mentioned this as a possibility. Currently not taking any home office deduction at all because I was told I couldn't.

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An accountable plan is basically a formal arrangement where your S-Corp reimburses you for legitimate business expenses you incur personally - including home office expenses. The key benefit is that the reimbursements aren't considered taxable income to you, but the corporation can still deduct them. You'll need to document the business use of your home (square footage calculations, exclusive use, etc.), calculate the expenses properly, and have formal documentation showing the corporation approved this arrangement. The business would then reimburse you periodically based on actual expenses. This avoids the "rental payment" situation your tax preparer was concerned about. Many CPAs aren't familiar with this approach, so it might be worth finding one who specializes in small business/S-Corp taxation.

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Lim Wong

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Has anyone actually been audited over a home office deduction? I've been claiming part of my rent for 3 years for my online shop and always wondered how strict they really are about the "exclusive use" requirement. Like if I occasionally use my business computer to watch Netflix, does that disqualify everything?

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Dananyl Lear

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I got audited in 2021 specifically for my home office deduction! They wanted proof that the space was used exclusively for business. I had to provide photos, a floor plan with measurements, and receipts for business equipment in that room. They also asked for a written explanation of business activities conducted in the space.

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Nia Jackson

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Another option you might consider is visiting your local Taxpayer Assistance Center in person. You'll need to schedule an appointment first (they don't take walk-ins anymore), but they can verify your identity on the spot and remove the hold. Just call 844-545-5640 to schedule an appointment. Make sure to bring two forms of ID (one must be government-issued with a photo), your Social Security card, and a copy of the tax return in question if you have it. The wait for an appointment is usually 1-2 weeks but it's guaranteed resolution versus waiting for a letter that might never come.

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Omar Hassan

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Do you know if I need to bring my actual tax return paperwork to the appointment? I used TurboTax and don't have a printed copy of everything. Would just my W-2s and ID be enough?

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Nia Jackson

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For identity verification appointments, you don't need your complete tax return paperwork if you filed electronically. Your photo ID, Social Security card, and W-2s should be sufficient as they're mainly verifying you are who you claim to be. If you can access a summary of your return from TurboTax (even just on your phone), that would be helpful but not strictly necessary. They mainly need to match your ID with the person who should be receiving the refund, along with verifying your income information matches what was submitted.

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NebulaNova

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Whatever you do, don't ignore this! My brother got the same message last year, never received any letter, and just decided to "wait it out." Six months later he still hadn't received his refund and ended up having to go through an even more complicated process to verify his identity. The IRS doesn't just remove these holds automatically - they will keep your refund indefinitely until you complete the verification process. I'd recommend trying multiple approaches simultaneously: call the dedicated identity verification number, make an appointment at a local office, and check if your address is correct in the IRS system.

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Is there any way to check if your address is correct with the IRS without calling them? Their phone lines are always jammed and I'm worried I might be in the same situation.

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Dylan Cooper

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Not sure if this helps, but I went through something similar with a sign-on bonus repayment. My W-2c also only had adjustments to boxes 3, 4, 5, and 6. I called my former employer and learned that for federal income tax purposes, they were treating my repayment as a miscellaneous itemized deduction that I would need to claim on my own, rather than adjusting Box 1. The reasoning they gave was that since the repayment happened in a different tax year from when I received the payment, they couldn't simply adjust Box 1. Instead, I had to handle it as either an itemized deduction or through the claim of right provision depending on the amount.

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That's interesting and might explain what's happening in my case too. Did your former employer provide any documentation explaining this approach? And which method did you end up using - the itemized deduction or claim of right?

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Dylan Cooper

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They didn't provide specific documentation beyond a brief explanation in the email that accompanied my W-2c. It was frustrating because they basically put the burden on me to figure out the tax implications. I ended up using the claim of right provision (Section 1341) since my repayment was over $3,000. This gave me a better result than the itemized deduction would have because I was in a higher tax bracket when I received the money than when I repaid it. I had to fill out some additional worksheets that weren't part of the standard tax software process, but it was worth it - I got back about $1,200 more than if I had just taken the itemized deduction.

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Pro tip: Always check both methods (itemized deduction vs claim of right) before filing. The "Claim of Right" method usually works better for larger repayments because it essentially gives you credit at your original tax rate rather than your current one. I'm a tax preparer and see this relocation/bonus repayment issue all the time. Most tax software doesn't handle it well automatically. In FreeTaxUSA, you'll need to manually work through the Section 1341 calculations. Look in the Deductions section for "Repayment of Income" or similar wording.

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StarSailor

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Does the Tax Cut and Jobs Act affect this? I thought miscellaneous itemized deductions were eliminated until 2025?

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Lilly Curtis

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Since you're just starting out, I'd recommend the free workshops from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). They offer free business mentoring including tax guidance from retired business owners and executives. I went to a few of their tax workshops when I started my freelance business, and the advice was incredibly practical since it came from people who had actually run businesses themselves. They can even pair you with a mentor in your specific industry who can guide you through the tax considerations.

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Kevin Bell

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Thanks for mentioning SCORE! I hadn't heard of them before. Do they offer online options or is it all in-person? And would they be able to help with digital/creative business tax questions specifically?

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Lilly Curtis

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They offer both online and in-person workshops depending on your location. During covid they moved most of their programs online and many stayed that way, which is great for accessibility. They definitely can help with digital/creative businesses! Many of their mentors have backgrounds in marketing, design, and digital services. When you sign up, you can specifically request someone familiar with your industry. The tax principles are largely the same across industries, but having someone who understands your specific business expenses and revenue models is super helpful.

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Leo Simmons

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One practical tip beyond just learning the basics - start tracking EVERYTHING now. I messed up my first year by not keeping good records. Get accounting software like Wave (free) or QuickBooks Self-Employed ($15/month) right away. The biggest tax issues for freelancers aren't about filing the forms wrong - it's about not having the right documentation or missing deductions because you didn't track properly. Trust me, you don't want to be scrambling in April trying to remember what that $83 expense from last March was for!

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Lindsey Fry

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This! I use a simple spreadsheet with categories for all my expenses and take photos of receipts with my phone. Makes tax time so much easier. Also, put 30% of every payment into a separate savings account for taxes - that saved me from panic when I got hit with my first self-employment tax bill.

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PixelPioneer

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My sister works for the IRS (not in audits) and she told me that most audit selections for basic tax returns happen through their computer system, not human selection. That system runs throughout the year, so there's no specific "season" for audit letters. That said, she mentioned they are usually especially busy with audits in the summer and fall after the main tax season ends, so that's when a lot of letters go out. But with all the budget cuts and staffing issues, everything is backed up so it's less predictable now.

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Sofia Perez

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Thanks for the insider perspective! Does your sister have any tips on what kinds of things the computer system typically flags? I'm wondering if having this side gig for the first time might have put me in a higher risk category.

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PixelPioneer

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The system mainly looks for statistical outliers compared to similar returns. So if you claimed deductions that are way higher than average for your income level, that's a red flag. Starting a Schedule C business can increase scrutiny, but it's not automatic - it's more about whether your reported expenses and income look reasonable for your type of business. Other big triggers include: not reporting income that was reported on W-2s or 1099s, claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit when the numbers don't quite add up, and home office deductions that seem disproportionate. But honestly, if you reported everything accurately and have documentation, even if you do get audited, it's usually just a matter of showing your records.

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I got audited in 2023 for my 2021 taxes. I filed in February 2022 and got the audit notice in November 2022, so about 9 months later. It was a mail audit and all they wanted was documentation for my charitable donations, which I had (thank god lol). The whole thing was way less scary than I thought it would be. Just make sure u keep good records for at least 3 years and you'll be fine!

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Paolo Rizzo

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This is reassuring. Was it easy to respond to them? Did you have to mail physical documents or could you upload them somewhere?

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