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
I think the answer depends on the complexity of the question. For basic stuff like "Can I deduct my mortgage interest?" I don't need to research. But for anything with nuance or that seems unusual, absolutely research it. I've seen too many colleagues confidently give wrong answers because they didn't bother to check. Tax law is too complex and changes too often to rely solely on memory.
What's your go-to research source? I've been using the IRS website but sometimes it's hard to navigate.
My primary research source is the actual Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations when I need definitive answers. They're comprehensive but can be dense reading. For day-to-day questions, I use a combination of CCH IntelliConnect and Bloomberg Tax. They're subscription services but worth every penny for the time they save and the confidence they provide. They include practical explanations, examples, and citations to relevant code sections and cases. I also frequently check IRS publications for more straightforward explanations, though they don't cover every nuance.
Emma Wilson
Any1 else think its crazy how many tax pros just make stuff up? Had a client come to me after another preparer told them they could deduct 100% of meals (wrong) and their entire cell phone bill as a business expense without documentation (also wrong). When I asked the client if the preparer researched this, they said "no he seemed very confident." Confidence ā correctness in taxes!!
Malik Davis
ā¢Omg yes! Just had someone come to me with a MESS of a return from last year. Previous preparer had claimed random deductions with zero documentation and now they're being audited. Be confident in your research, not your memory!
Join the conversation
Just a heads up that getting this wrong can trigger an audit! My sister's salon got audited because she was inconsistent with how she categorized supplies vs. small equipment with de minimis. The auditor specifically looked at how she categorized product that was used in services vs. sold retail. Make sure you're consistent year to year with your approach! If you use de minimis for certain categories, keep using it that way. Sudden changes in how you categorize things can raise red flags.
Did your sister have to pay penalties? I'm worried I've been doing this wrong for years by putting everything under supplies.
Just a quick reality check - as a CPA who works with many salon owners, this question comes up constantly. Here's the simple version: 1) Supplies used up within a year in services (color, shampoo, etc.) = regular business expense on Schedule C 2) Equipment under $2500 that lasts multiple years (tools, iPads, etc.) = can use de minimis if you elect it 3) Retail products you sell = inventory (different rules entirely) For FreeTaxUSA, just group by category. "Hair color & chemical supplies - $X,XXX" is totally fine as one line. Hope that helps!
Join the conversation
I ran into this exact problem last year! That $103 is definitely interest/earnings that accumulated in your traditional IRA before you converted to Roth. Even if it was only in there briefly, money markets and other default holding options can generate small returns. What tripped me up with TurboTax was the Form 8606 part. You need to make sure you've indicated that you made a non-deductible contribution to your traditional IRA first, then the conversion. TurboTax sometimes misses this connection if you don't enter things in the right order. Did you also receive a 5498 showing your original contribution to the traditional IRA? That form would show the initial amount you put in before conversion.
No, I never got a 5498 showing my original contribution to the traditional IRA. Maybe that's part of the problem? I contributed $6,000 to the traditional IRA in January and converted it a few weeks later. Would TurboTax be confused because it doesn't see the original contribution form?
That's definitely the issue! The 5498 for traditional contributions typically comes really late (like May or June), long after tax filing season. So you need to manually enter your non-deductible contribution in TurboTax. Look for the section in TurboTax about "IRA Contributions" and make sure you've entered your $6,000 contribution as non-deductible to a traditional IRA. Then when you enter the conversion, TurboTax will understand that only the $103 above your contribution amount is taxable. Without that first step, TurboTax thinks the entire conversion amount is taxable!
Did you check if you had any existing pre-tax money in ANY traditional IRAs? This is the pro-rata rule trap that gets so many people with backdoor Roths. If you had any pre-tax IRA money anywhere (even old 401k rollovers), that would cause some of your conversion to be taxable.
I don't think I have any other IRA accounts... but now you've got me worried. How would I even check this? Is there a way to see all retirement accounts tied to my SSN?
Justin Trejo
ā¢You can check your credit report sometimes - it might show old accounts. Also check with previous employers to see if you had any 401ks that might have been auto-rolled to IRAs. The pro-rata rule is brutal and catches a ton of people doing backdoor Roths!
Join the conversation
Don't forget about all the other business expenses you can write off besides just rent! Since you do videography and photography, you can deduct: - Equipment purchases (cameras, lights, etc.) - Software subscriptions (editing software, cloud storage) - Travel to shoots (mileage or actual expenses) - Professional development (courses, workshops) - Marketing expenses (website, business cards) - Props and backdrops - External hard drives and memory cards These can add up to more savings than the home office deduction in many cases!
Thank you so much for this list! I've been deducting my equipment and software, but I completely forgot about tracking mileage to shoots. Do you know if there's a good app for tracking business miles? And can I retroactively claim mileage from earlier this year if I didn't track it at the time?
There are several good mileage tracking apps - MileIQ, Everlance, and Stride are popular ones. Most have free versions with limited trips and paid versions for more frequent drivers. For past mileage, you can create a log retroactively, but you'll need to provide reasonable documentation. Look through your calendar, emails, or invoices to find dates of shoots. Then use Google Maps to determine the mileage for each trip. Keep this log with addresses, dates, purpose of trips, and miles driven. It's not ideal, but it's better than losing the deduction entirely. Going forward, I'd strongly recommend using an automatic tracking app.
Ethan Clark
One thing nobody mentioned - if you're renting and want to take the home office deduction, make sure your lease allows for business use! I got in hot water with my landlord when they found out I was running a business from my apartment. Some leases specifically prohibit using the space for commercial purposes.
Mila Walker
ā¢This is so important! I had to renegotiate my lease when my landlord found out. Also worth checking your city's zoning laws - some municipalities have restrictions on home-based businesses, especially if clients come to your location.
Anna Xian
I think everyone is overlooking a key detail - the correction needs to be removed FROM THE PLAN by April 15, not just requested. Sending emails today won't help if the actual distribution doesn't happen by the deadline. You're unfortunately going to have to deal with the tax consequences.
0 coins
Fernanda Marquez
ā¢That's actually incorrect. According to IRS regulations, the deadline is for notifying the plan administrator, not completing the distribution. The regulation specifically states: "If the employee notifies the plan of the excess by April 15, the excess amount is not subject to double taxation." The actual distribution typically takes several weeks to process, but as long as the request is made by the deadline, the participant is considered compliant.
0 coins
Anna Xian
ā¢I work in benefits administration and handle these cases regularly. You're right that the notification deadline is April 15, not the distribution completion deadline - that was my mistake. What I should have clarified is that proper documentation of the notification is crucial. An email might work, but some plan administrators require specific forms to be submitted. The safest approach is to follow up with both administrators on Monday and ask them to confirm the appropriate procedure while referencing your weekend emails as initial notification.
0 coins
Jungleboo Soletrain
Anyone know how the taxes work on the returned excess? Like does it just get added to your income for the current tax year?
0 coins
Rajan Walker
ā¢The excess contribution amount gets added to your taxable income for the year you receive the distribution (so this current tax year, not last year). The earnings portion is also taxable in the current year. You'll get a 1099-R form showing the distribution. The good news is you avoid the 6% excess contribution penalty this way. The returned amount is technically taxed twice (once when contributed, once when distributed), but that's still better than the 6% penalty repeating every year until fixed.
0 coins