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One thing nobody has mentioned yet - check if you can adjust your withholding for the remainder of the year instead of making it permanent. My wife and I had a similar situation and our payroll department let us do a one-time additional withholding to catch up for the year. We just submitted a request to take an extra $3000 out of one paycheck (split between both of us) rather than changing the W-4 permanently. Might be less paperwork if your employer allows it!
That's a great suggestion! I didn't know you could do a one-time withholding adjustment. Would I just ask our HR department about this option?
Yes, exactly! Just reach out to your HR or payroll department and ask if they allow one-time additional withholding requests. Most larger companies have a form for this. It's sometimes called a "one-time deduction request" or "special payroll deduction." The advantage is you don't have to remember to change your W-4 back later, and you can handle the entire under-withholding issue in one shot instead of spread across multiple paychecks. Just make sure to keep a copy of whatever form you submit and follow up to confirm it was processed correctly!
Amara Torres
Don't forget to recheck your W-4s in January! I made this mistake - fixed my withholding after getting a similar letter, but then forgot to update it for the new year and ended up in the same situation again. The IRS withholding calculator becomes available with updated tax tables usually by early February each year. I now put a reminder in my calendar to check our withholding quarterly.
Echoing this! I set a calendar reminder for February 15th every year to redo the withholding calculator. Tax brackets adjust annually for inflation, plus life changes like raises, new dependents, etc. can all impact your needs.
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Emma Bianchi
One thing nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you're paying quarterly estimated taxes going forward! As a content creator making that kind of money, you should be making payments every quarter to avoid underpayment penalties like you're experiencing now. 2025 estimated tax payment deadlines are April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15, 2026. Each payment should be roughly 25% of your expected tax liability for the year. TurboTax or any tax software can help calculate what these payments should be. Trust me, it's WAY easier to pay $10k four times a year than scrambling to find $40k all at once!
This is super important advice. I learned this the hard way too. Also, don't forget that the self-employment tax rate is 15.3% ON TOP OF your regular income tax. That's why the total bill feels so shocking compared to when you were an employee.
Since you mentioned having a child, don't forget to look into the Child and Dependent Care Credit if you pay for childcare while you're working on content creation. This is separate from the Child Tax Credit others mentioned. If you pay for daycare, nanny, or other care services so you can work, you can claim up to $3,000 in expenses for one child. Also, as a new parent, start thinking about a 529 college savings plan. Contributions aren't deductible federally, but many states offer tax deductions for contributions, and the growth is tax-free when used for education expenses. It's never too early to start saving!
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For food businesses specifically, you really need to check your local cottage food laws. Many states allow small-scale food production from home kitchens up to certain income thresholds before requiring commercial licensing. In my state, you can sell up to $25,000 of homemade food items annually under cottage food laws without needing a commercial kitchen, though you still need a basic food handler's permit and to follow labeling requirements. Ice cream might be trickier though, as dairy products often have stricter regulations.
Logan Scott
ā¢That's really helpful! Do you know if cottage food laws would protect him from potential tax issues too, or is that a completely separate concern? And would money made under cottage food laws still need to be reported as income?
Cottage food laws and tax requirements are completely separate issues. Cottage food laws just regulate food safety and allow you to legally sell certain foods from your home kitchen - they don't exempt you from tax obligations. Regardless of whether you're operating under cottage food laws or not, all income needs to be reported on your tax return. While operating under cottage food laws, you'd still report the income on your personal tax return. You could potentially file a Schedule C as a sole proprietor even without formally registering a business name with your state, which would allow you to deduct legitimate business expenses. Many cottage food operators start this way before formally establishing an LLC or other business entity.
Aaron Lee
OP, I did something similar with beard oil I made. Started selling to friends, then friends of friends. My advice: separate bank account ASAP! Even if it's just a second personal account. I got absolutely wrecked at tax time trying to separate personal and business transactions from one account.
This is seriously underrated advice. I use a completely separate credit card for ALL business purchases, even tiny ones. Makes tracking expenses 100x easier and looks much more legitimate if there are ever questions.
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Liam Cortez
I'm a piano teacher who also does performances, and I file everything under one business. My accountant said it's totally fine because they're related activities in the same industry. One thing she recommended though was keeping good records that clearly identify which income and expenses belong to which activity. This has been super helpful on the rare occasions when I've had specific questions about allocating certain expenses. Also helps me track which part of my business is more profitable!
Savannah Vin
ā¢Do you use any specific software or method to track this? I'm trying to figure out the best way to separate everything while still filing on one Schedule C.
Liam Cortez
ā¢I use QuickBooks Self-Employed and set up different categories for the income streams. So all income gets tagged as either "Performance Revenue" or "Teaching Revenue" when it comes in. For expenses, I either assign them fully to one activity or split them by percentage if they benefit both parts of the business. It's fairly simple once you set it up. The important thing is consistency throughout the year. I used to try tracking everything in spreadsheets, but it became too time-consuming. Having a system that can generate reports showing the profitability of each activity separately while still maintaining one overall business has been incredibly helpful for both tax purposes and business decisions.
Mason Stone
Random question but what tax software do you use that handles this well? I'm using TurboTax and struggling with how to report my wedding photography + photo editing services which are similar to your situation.
I've used FreeTaxUSA for my two related businesses (web design and digital marketing) and it handles it fine. You just list both activities in the business description field and then enter all income and expenses together. Way cheaper than TurboTax too.
Hattie Carson
One thing nobody mentioned yet - if you're making under $1,000 in crypto from these apps, you might not need to file quarterly estimated taxes, but you'll still need to report the income on your annual return. I learned this the hard way last year when I got hit with a small penalty for not making quarterly payments on my mining income.
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Xan Dae
ā¢Thanks for bringing this up! I didn't even think about quarterly taxes. How do you calculate how much you need to pay each quarter? Is there a minimum threshold before you have to start doing that?
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Hattie Carson
ā¢You generally need to pay quarterly estimated taxes if you expect to owe at least $1,000 in taxes for the year after subtracting withholdings and credits. The IRS has a "safe harbor" rule where you won't face penalties if you pay at least 90% of the current year's tax liability or 100% of the previous year's tax (110% if your AGI was over $150,000). For calculating the amount, you'd take your expected crypto income, combine it with any other self-employment income, then calculate the tax (including self-employment tax) and divide by four for each quarter. The deadlines are April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year.
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Destiny Bryant
Don't forget you can deduct expenses related to your mining! If you're using apps that use your phone's processing power, you can potentially deduct a portion of your phone cost, electricity used to keep it charged, and maybe even part of your data plan if it's using data. This can offset some of that self-employment tax burden.
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Dyllan Nantx
ā¢Can you really deduct part of your phone bill? How would you even calculate what percentage is used for mining vs regular use? I'm using one of these apps too but it seems hard to document.
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