Can I deduct Spotify if I use it to play music for open houses? Or is that stretching it?

That's actually a good question about Spotify. If you're using it exclusively for business purposes like open houses, you might be able to deduct it. However, if you also use it personally (which most people do), you would need to determine what percentage is for business use and only deduct that portion. Generally speaking, you need to be careful with these "dual-use" subscriptions. The safest approach would be to keep track of how many hours/days you use it specifically for open houses compared to personal use. But honestly, for something relatively small like a Spotify subscription, the record-keeping burden might outweigh the tax benefit.

This is such an important point! My friend went through this exact situation and ended up with a big tax bill because the broker wasn't withholding taxes. What questions should OP ask to make sure they're properly classified?

Did you find any good way to automate the collection of exemption certificates? We're struggling with getting schools to promptly provide their exemption documentation, and it's creating a bottleneck.

We built a simple upload portal as part of our onboarding process where organizations couldn't list events until they uploaded their exemption certificates. We also created state-specific templates with instructions that made it easier for them to provide exactly what we needed. For schools specifically, we found that being very clear about the consequences of not providing documentation (i.e., we'd have to charge their students/parents sales tax) motivated them to respond faster. Most schools already have these certificates on file, so it's just a matter of getting the right person to share them.

Great question about physical presence. While marketplace facilitator laws create nexus for the online sales portion, the physical location of events can indeed trigger additional tax considerations. In some states, there might be amusement taxes, entertainment taxes, or special venue taxes that apply based on where the event physically takes place. These are separate from sales tax on the tickets themselves and may have different filing requirements.

This is exactly what I'm worried about. I don't want to accuse my customer of anything, but the $9,500 amount seems specifically chosen. How do I protect my business while still maintaining the customer relationship? Should I just tell them I have to file the forms regardless of the payment amount since it's a single debt?

Yes, you should absolutely be transparent with your customer. Explain that since the payments are all related to a single debt, you're required to file Form 8300 regardless of the individual payment amounts. Make it clear this is a legal requirement for your business. If they're legitimate, they'll understand. If they suddenly change their mind about the payment plan or get upset, that's a huge red flag. Remember, filing Form 8300 is just information reporting - it doesn't mean your customer is doing anything wrong, but failing to file when required can result in serious penalties for YOUR business.

I file them regularly for my jewelry business. It's not terrible - basic info about your business, the customer (name, SSN/tax ID, address), and transaction details. You can e-file through the BSA E-Filing System. The trickiest part is knowing WHEN you need to file, not actually completing the form.

How complicated is the penalty abatement form? Did you need help filling it out or is it something that's pretty straightforward?

The penalty abatement form (Form 843) is actually pretty straightforward. It's just two pages, and for First-Time Penalty Abatement, you basically need to explain that you've had a good compliance history before this issue and had reasonable cause for the failure to pay. I wrote a simple letter stating I had always filed and paid on time previously, was unaware of the proper estimated tax requirements for my new business, and was now taking steps to resolve the situation. Include your contact info, the tax periods you're requesting abatement for, and why you believe you qualify. It took about 8 weeks to get approved in my case.

Thanks for mentioning COVID relief options. My business was definitely affected during that time. Do you know if these programs are still available in 2025? Also, how exactly do they calculate "disposable income" for the OIC formula?

Many of the COVID relief options have expired, but the IRS is still processing applications submitted during the eligible periods. If your tax debt originated during the pandemic years, you might still qualify for certain penalty relief under their broader "reasonable cause" criteria. It's worth mentioning in any communications with the IRS. For calculating disposable income in an OIC, they take your gross monthly income and subtract what they call "allowable expenses." These are based on national and local standards for living expenses like housing, transportation, food, etc. The key is that they use their own standards, not your actual expenses for many categories. So if your car payment is higher than their standard transportation allowance, they'll only count the standard amount. This is where many people run into issues with OICs - the IRS might calculate your disposable income as higher than what you actually have available after paying your real bills.

Can I just file my state taxes separately even if I normally do them together with my federal? I use TurboTax and I'm not sure how to separate them after I've already entered all my info for both.

Absolutely! Most tax software allows you to file state separately from federal. In TurboTax, after completing both returns, you can choose to e-file just the state portion. Look for filing options during the final steps - there should be checkboxes for federal and state that you can select independently. If for some reason your software doesn't allow separate filing, you can also go directly to your state's tax website. Many states offer free filing options for basic returns, and you can enter your information there independently from your federal return.

Unfortunately, yes. Paper returns are taking 6-12 weeks minimum to process this year, and that's if everything goes perfectly. My brother was in your situation last year and ended up waiting almost 4 months for his refund after paper filing. The non-filer issue seems to flag returns for additional manual review too.