Yes, as a 1099 contractor you can absolutely deduct mileage for driving between job sites (but not commuting from home to your first job site of the day or from your last job site back home). For 2025, you can either take the standard mileage rate or track actual expenses like gas, maintenance, etc. The standard rate is usually easier - just keep a log of business miles driven. Also keep those receipts for tools and work clothes! Those are legitimate business expenses you can deduct on Schedule C.

Make sure your boss is actually classifying you correctly! Some employers try to call people "contractors" to avoid paying employment taxes when legally they should be treating them as employees. If they control WHEN and HOW you do the work (vs just the end result), you might actually be misclassified.

Are you a W-2 employee? If yes, then unfortunately no - those home expenses aren't deductible for regular employees anymore. If you're a 1099 contractor, then yes you could deduct the business portion of those expenses (would need to calculate what % is for work vs personal use).

Thanks for mentioning this! Do you know which form specifically I need to look for? And would I need to file separate returns for each year to get the different stimulus payments?

You'll claim the Recovery Rebate Credit directly on your Form 1040 for each year. There's a specific line for it on each year's tax return. And yes, you'll need to file a separate return for each tax year to claim the stimulus payments from that year. Each stimulus payment is tied to a specific tax year. So for example, the first two payments from 2020 would be claimed on your 2020 tax return, while the third payment from 2021 would be claimed on your 2021 return. Make sure you're using the correct year's tax forms when you file!

This is actually really important advice. I had a similar issue with a family member using my info. Without a police report, it was much harder to clear things up with credit bureaus and the IRS. They often require an official report for identity theft cases.

That's a huge relief to hear about your experience! Did you ever get any kind of notice or update from them before the refund showed up? I'm wondering if I'll be completely in the dark until money suddenly appears in my account.

I didn't get any notices beforehand at all. The money just showed up in my account one day. The only way I knew they were processing it was by checking the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website, which finally updated after about 8 weeks to show they had received my return. After that, it took about 2 more weeks for the refund to arrive. So yeah, you'll probably be in the dark for a while. Paper returns really do disappear into a black hole for a couple months. If you need the money urgently, that's when I'd recommend trying to talk to someone at the IRS directly.

This happened to me too! Turns out I had rounded my previous year's AGI instead of using the exact number. Such a stupid reason for rejection.

Is there any way to tell if I actually owe money to the state vs federal? I'm paranoid I'm going to mail something to the wrong place and then get in trouble for not paying.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Did you also report the fellowship stipend as "Other Income" like someone suggested above? And did you need to provide any additional documentation with your tax return?

Yes, we reported it as "Other Income" on Schedule 1 and labeled it as "Research Fellowship Stipend" in the description. This is the correct way to report it. We didn't need to attach any additional documentation to the tax return itself, but we did keep the letter from the university in our records in case of any questions. Most universities that regularly deal with international students and researchers have standard language they use for these letters that clearly explain the fellowship is not an employment relationship. Your husband should be able to request this from the international student/scholar office if you want extra peace of mind.

I used TurboTax last year for a similar situation and there was definitely an option to override. It's usually something like "I understand but want to continue without filing this form" somewhere on that screen. They make these warnings look scary but many are just precautionary.