What about vehicle advertising? I have my business logo and info on my vehicle. Is that deductible separately or is it considered part of the vehicle expense?

Vehicle advertising is absolutely deductible as a separate marketing expense, not as part of your vehicle costs. This includes permanent signage, vehicle wraps, magnetic signs, or even custom paint jobs with your business info. Save all receipts from the sign company or wrap installer. This is a great strategy because these advertising costs are separate from your vehicle deduction method. So even if you choose the standard mileage rate (which bundles most vehicle expenses together), you can still deduct the advertising separately as a marketing expense.

What mileage tracking app do you recommend? I've tried a couple but they drain my battery or forget to track sometimes.

That's fascinating! Do you need an engineering background to be credible in cost segregation, or can an accounting major learn enough to be valuable in that specific area?

You absolutely don't need an engineering background! While engineers are often involved in cost segregation studies, accountants play a crucial role in translating the physical components into tax classifications and depreciation calculations. What helped me was taking a specialized course through ASCSP (American Society of Cost Segregation Professionals) during my final semester. I combined that with reading every IRS ruling on the topic and creating sample studies for hypothetical properties. In interviews, I brought a portfolio showing how I would approach different property types. That practical demonstration of skills is what convinced the firm to place me directly in their real estate tax group instead of the general tax pool.

I'm at PwC in their real estate practice. Yes, you'll do grunt work, but it's ALL real estate-focused grunt work. Huge difference in learning curve compared to my friends doing general tax. After 2 years, I'm already sitting in on advisory meetings because I've seen so many different real estate structures.

Do you think you would have been audited if you'd used a local preparer from the start? I've heard the IRS is less likely to audit returns done by professionals.

I don't think using a local preparer would have prevented the audit because it was triggered by a specific issue with a 1099-K from my side gig that didn't match what I reported. The preparer told me these "document matching" audits happen regardless of who prepares the return. What would have been different is catching the error before filing. The software didn't flag the discrepancy, but a human preparer likely would have questioned me about it during the preparation process. So while it wouldn't have prevented the audit trigger, it might have prevented the error that caused it.

This is absolutely true. I worked at a tax prep chain in college and was disgusted by how we targeted low-income people with "instant refunds" that were just high-interest loans. The fees would eat up a significant portion of their refund, but they needed money immediately and couldn't wait for the IRS processing time.

What kind of background did you need to get hired at a tech company? Did you need technology experience or just strong sales tax knowledge? I'm interested in making a similar move.

Strong sales tax knowledge was definitely the priority, but familiarity with how software and digital goods are taxed across different jurisdictions was key. I had worked with several SaaS clients at my previous firm, which gave me relevant experience. Having some understanding of how technology companies operate is helpful, but they're mainly looking for someone who can navigate the extremely complicated tax treatment of digital products. Each state has different rules for how they tax software, subscription services, implementation fees, etc. If you can become an expert in that niche, tech companies will be very interested. Start by researching the specific tax rules for digital products in major states like California, New York, and Texas to build your knowledge base.

This is really interesting! What kind of technical skills would I need to develop to go down this path? I have basic SQL knowledge but haven't done much beyond that. Is there a particular certification or training program you'd recommend?

You don't need to be a programmer, but understanding how ERP systems work is essential. Focus on learning the basics of major platforms like SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite. SQL is definitely useful for data manipulation and reporting. Avalara and Vertex both offer certification programs for their solutions, which are a good place to start. Try to get involved in any tax technology projects at your current company, even if it's just helping with requirements gathering or testing. The key is to demonstrate that you understand both the tax implications and how they translate to system requirements. Most of the specific technical skills can be learned on the job, but showing interest and basic aptitude will get your foot in the door.

Thank you for this info! I'll definitely check the affordability calculation. My 1095-C shows coverage was offered starting in April, but my 1095-A covers January through December. So it sounds like I might need to repay premium tax credits just for April-December? The numbers on my tax return seem higher than that though.

You've got it right - you would only need to repay premium tax credits for the months when affordable employer coverage was available (potentially April through December in your case). If your tax software or calculation is showing a higher repayment amount, it might be incorrectly assuming you were ineligible for the entire year. Form 8962 (Premium Tax Credit form) allows you to do a month-by-month calculation. Make sure you're completing Part IV of that form correctly to allocate by month rather than using the annual calculation. This is a common area where tax software can get things wrong if the information isn't entered precisely.

Form 8965 isn't used anymore for tax years after 2019. The individual mandate penalty is $0 now at the federal level (though some states still have their own penalties). You're thinking of the old system. The issue here isn't about avoiding a penalty but about whether they have to repay premium tax credits they received.