Thanks for mentioning this! I actually realized I don't even need to worry about this line. I was going through the form line by line and got stuck on this one, but I don't use fuel for any of those special purposes. I was making things way more complicated than they needed to be! I'll check out that Interactive Tax Assistant for some of my other questions though - didn't know that existed.

No problem! That's actually super common - people trying to fill out every line whether it applies to them or not. The tax forms can be intimidating so it's a natural reaction. The Interactive Tax Assistant is at irs.gov/help/ita - it's not perfect but it can help with the basics. For most people, quite a few lines on the various schedules will be blank, and that's completely fine. Good luck with finishing your return!

Totally agree. I think they're trying to make things "simpler" but end up making it worse. Last year I could at least find everything in one place, now it seems like everything references some other form or publication. I ended up just using tax software this year because I couldn't deal with the instructions anymore.

This is actually a common misconception. Married Filing Separately almost always results in a higher tax bill than Married Filing Jointly. MFS has higher tax rates, lower thresholds for higher brackets, disqualifies you from many credits and deductions (like student loan interest, EIC, education credits), and prevents you from taking the standard deduction if your spouse itemizes. The only time MFS makes sense is in very specific situations like income-based student loan repayment, one spouse having huge medical expenses, or liability protection concerns.

The IRS Withholding Estimator is actually pretty good for this exact situation. My spouse and I used it after getting hit with a surprise tax bill our first year married. You enter all your income sources and it tells you exactly what to put on your W-4s. Definitely saved us from another surprise the following year.

Thanks for confirming! I found it confusing at first but once I put in all our info, the recommendations were spot on. We went from owing $3,200 our first year married to getting a small refund the next year after using the estimator to adjust our withholding. Definitely worth the time to fill it out properly.

Omg that sounds awful! Did you have to pay any penalties for having two plans? How did you even figure out you had duplicate plans?

I only realized I had two plans when I saw double payments coming out of my account! I called the IRS (waited forever) and they explained what happened. Fortunately, they waived penalties since it was clearly a misunderstanding, but they counted the extra payment toward my principal. The most frustrating part was that it took almost 3 months to get everything straightened out. The IRS had to manually cancel one of the plans and recalculate everything. Definitely check first before creating a new plan!

I've used both TurboTax and H&R Block over the years. In my experience, H&R Block actually shows the payment plan details in your account after filing, which TurboTax doesn't seem to do. The downside is that H&R Block's interface is clunkier overall. But for payment plan visibility, they're definitely better.

Do you recommend any specific apps or methods for tracking the business vs personal usage? I tried just keeping notes but I'm terrible at staying consistent with it.

I actually keep it super simple. For my phone, I use the call log that's already on my phone and just highlight business calls once a week (takes 5 minutes). Then quarterly, I calculate the percentage. No special app needed. For internet and other utilities, I use the square footage method since it's much simpler and well-accepted by the IRS. Just calculate what percentage of your home is exclusively used for business, and apply that percentage to your utilities. Take photos of your office space and keep documentation of the square footage calculations. The key is consistency - whatever method you choose, stick with it and document your calculations.

Seconding this! QBO has saved me countless headaches with my S Corp. The payroll integration is worth every penny for handling the salary requirements properly. Just make sure you set up the chart of accounts correctly from day one.

Does the IRS actually check every single form against what they have on file? I thought they just randomly audit a small percentage of returns?

The IRS uses automated matching programs that compare what's reported on your tax return with the information they receive from employers, banks, and other institutions. It's not a manual process checking every form, but their systems will flag discrepancies. This automated matching happens for most returns, not just those selected for audit. So if the income on your missing 1099 doesn't match what you reported, you might receive a notice from the IRS later. That's why it's important to report the income accurately even if you don't have the form.

Yes! Definitely call the company directly. Most businesses can easily generate a new copy of your 1099. I had this issue with a 1099-INT from my bank and they emailed me a PDF version within an hour of calling. Some companies even have portals where you can download your tax documents yourself.