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Just a tip from someone who used to work at the IRS - if you mail anything important to them, ALWAYS use certified mail with return receipt requested. And make copies of EVERYTHING before you send it. It's sadly common for mailed returns to get lost in the massive processing centers. If you mail in your return again, make sure to write "COPY - ORIGINAL SENT [DATE]" in red at the top of each page. That helps prevent it from being processed as a duplicate filing. Also, something most people don't know - you can make an appointment at your local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center instead of calling. Google "IRS TAC appointment" and you can often get in within a week or two.
Thanks for this advice! I didn't know about the Taxpayer Assistance Center option. Do I need to bring anything specific to the appointment? And will they be able to tell me if my return was received even if it's not showing up in their system yet?
Bring a copy of your tax return, your certified mail receipt, photo ID, and any other correspondence you've had with the IRS. These in-person representatives can access different systems than the phone reps sometimes can, so they might be able to locate your return in a different status or location. They can also initiate a formal trace on your return using your certified mail information, which is much more effective than trying to do it over the phone. If they can't find it, they can help you submit a replacement return properly marked so it doesn't create issues. The in-person help is seriously underutilized but much more effective.
Has anyone tried faxing the IRS? I was in a similar situation last year and ended up faxing a copy of my return with a cover letter explaining that it was previously mailed. I got confirmation they received it within about 2 weeks, and my refund started processing after that. Just make sure to write "DUPLICATE - ORIGINAL MAILED ON [DATE]" on every page.
That's actually a smart idea. What fax number did you use? I didn't even know the IRS accepted faxes for tax returns.
7 Quick tip from someone who's been filing with 1099 income for years: track EVERYTHING. Mileage to meet clients, internet bills, office supplies, software subscriptions, professional development courses, etc. I use a separate credit card for all business expenses to make it easier at tax time. And don't forget about quarterly estimated tax payments! The IRS expects you to pay taxes throughout the year when you're self-employed, not just at filing time. I learned this the hard way my first year and got hit with penalties.
16 Do you have a recommendation for tracking mileage? I sometimes drive to client sites and I'm terrible at remembering to log it.
7 I use MileIQ for tracking mileage - it runs in the background on your phone and automatically detects drives. You just swipe left for personal trips and right for business trips. Super easy and creates IRS-compliant records. For quarterly taxes, I set aside 30% of every payment I receive into a separate savings account. That usually covers both federal and state taxes, plus the self-employment tax. Then I make payments online through the IRS Direct Pay system every quarter.
2 One important thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you're making decent money on your 1099 work, consider setting up a Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA. You can contribute WAY more than regular employees can to a standard 401(k), which can significantly reduce your taxable income. I put about 20% of my 1099 income into my Solo 401(k) last year and it saved me thousands in taxes while building my retirement. You can open one at most major brokerages like Fidelity or Vanguard pretty easily.
11 This is great advice! Does the Solo 401k have the same contribution limits as a regular 401k? And can I still contribute to my Roth IRA too?
Don't forget there's a special rule for "self-rentals" too! If you own a business AND rent property to that same business, different rules apply for QBI purposes. That rental income typically qualifies for QBI regardless of whether it meets the trade/business standard, as long as there's common ownership. Also, if your income is under the threshold ($170,050 for singles or $340,100 for married filing jointly for 2025), you don't have to worry about whether your rental is a specified service business or not.
Ooh, that's interesting about self-rentals. What about if I own a single-member LLC that owns both my business and a building, and the business operates in that building? Would that qualify as self-rental for QBI purposes?
For self-rentals and QBI, the key is having common ownership between the rental activity and the operating business, not necessarily the exact same entity. If your single-member LLC owns both the business operations and the building, it's actually simpler - it's all within one entity so there's no "rental" happening for tax purposes. The self-rental rule typically applies when you have separate entities or activities - like if you personally owned the building and rented it to your LLC business. In that case, the rental income would generally qualify for QBI regardless of whether the rental itself meets the trade or business standard.
Question for anyone who knows - does a triple net lease (NNN) where the tenant pays all expenses and I basically just collect a check each month automatically disqualify me from QBI? I have two commercial properties with NNN leases and trying to figure out if I should even bother trying to claim QBI on them.
Triple net leases are specifically mentioned in IRS guidance as potentially problematic for QBI. In Rev. Proc. 2019-38, they explicitly excluded triple net leases from the safe harbor. But that doesn't automatically disqualify you from claiming QBI - it just means you can't use the safe harbor provision.
Thanks for clarifying that! So I'd need to prove my triple net lease activities constitute a trade/business outside of the safe harbor? Sounds like an uphill battle given how passive those arrangements are by design. I might need to talk to my accountant about this one.
just wondering if anyone knows if we non-residents with SSNs have different filing deadlines? or is it still april 15 like everyone else?
One important thing to remember is that as a non-resident with 1099-NEC income, you might be subject to different self-employment tax rules depending on whether your country has a totalization agreement with the US. This can significantly impact how much you owe, so make sure whatever software you use addresses this!
I had no idea about totalization agreements! I'm from Brazil - do you know if that would apply to me?
Brazil currently doesn't have a totalization agreement with the US, so you would generally be subject to US self-employment taxes (Social Security and Medicare) on your 1099-NEC income. This is in addition to income tax. This is actually one of the trickier parts of filing as a non-resident with self-employment income, and why using specialized software can be worth the cost. The self-employment tax is roughly 15.3% on top of regular income tax, so it's a significant amount! Make sure whatever filing method you choose correctly calculates this for your 1099-NEC income.
Isabel Vega
11 I've been using the "Multiple Jobs Worksheet" on the W4 form itself and it's been pretty accurate for me. Make sure you're using the newest version of the W4 (they redesigned it in 2020). The old form used to use "allowances" but the new one is much more straightforward. If you and your spouse both work, or if you have multiple jobs, definitely fill out Step 2. And don't forget about any additional income like investments or side gigs in Step 4.
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Isabel Vega
ā¢1 Thanks for mentioning this! I completely forgot about the worksheet that comes with the form. Is it really accurate though? I've heard mixed things.
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Isabel Vega
ā¢11 I've found it to be surprisingly accurate for straightforward situations. I have two W-2 jobs with similar pay levels and following the worksheet got me within $200 of breaking even last year. Where it gets less reliable is if you have more complex situations like self-employment income, substantial investment earnings, or major deductions outside the standard deduction. In those cases, the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator or one of the other tools mentioned here would probably work better.
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Isabel Vega
15 Just a heads up that even with the best calculations, your withholding probably won't be perfect. I aim for a small refund (around $500) as a buffer rather than trying to hit exactly zero. That way if I made a small error or something unexpected happened, I'm not scrambling to pay a bill in April.
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Isabel Vega
ā¢19 This is great advice! I used to try to get it exactly right but would stress when I ended up owing even $100. Now I just aim for a small refund too and it's much less stressful.
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