IRS

Can't reach IRS? Claimyr connects you to a live IRS agent in minutes.

Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.



Fox KTVUABC 7CBSSan Francisco Chronicle

Using Claimyr will:

  • Connect you to a human agent at the IRS
  • Skip the long phone menu
  • Call the correct department
  • Redial until on hold
  • Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
  • Give you free callbacks if the IRS drops your call

If I could give 10 stars I would

If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!


Really made a difference

Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.


Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.

Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.


An incredibly helpful service

An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!


Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.

Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.


IT WORKS!! Not a scam!

I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!

Read all of our Trustpilot reviews


Ask the community...

  • DO post questions about your issues.
  • DO answer questions and support each other.
  • DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
  • DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)

Ethan Brown

•

Quick tip from someone who was in your shoes last year: be careful with the home office deduction if you're using Form 8829. While it can save you money, it has to be a space used EXCLUSIVELY for business. If you're working from your living room couch or kitchen table, it doesn't qualify. I learned this the hard way after claiming it and then reading more about the requirements. Ended up filing an amended return because I didn't want to risk an audit. But you can still deduct business percentages of internet, phone, and any supplies/equipment you buy specifically for work!

0 coins

Thanks for the warning! So if I have a desk in my bedroom that I only use for work, but it's in my bedroom where I also sleep, would that area around the desk qualify? Or does the entire room have to be exclusively for business?

0 coins

Ethan Brown

•

The space needs to be exclusively for business, not the entire room necessarily. So if you have a clearly defined area in your bedroom that's used only for work (like a desk and the surrounding area), that specific space can qualify. Take measurements of that dedicated workspace to calculate what percentage of your home it represents. You'll need to be able to prove that area is used exclusively for business if audited. Take photos of your setup, keep records of business activities conducted there, and ensure nothing personal is stored in that specific area. I recommend consulting a tax professional if you're unsure, but many people successfully claim partial room deductions.

0 coins

Something nobody's mentioned yet - if you're truly self-employed and not misclassified, don't forget you can deduct half of your self-employment tax on your 1040! This is an adjustment to income, so you get this benefit even if you don't itemize deductions. Also look into setting up a SEP IRA or Solo 401k if possible. You can put away a portion of your income tax-deferred, which reduces your taxable income now. The limits are pretty generous compared to regular IRAs.

0 coins

Carmen Ruiz

•

This is great advice. I started a SEP IRA when I was contracting and it made a huge difference in my tax bill. I think you can contribute something like 20% of your net earnings? Definitely worth looking into.

0 coins

Jacob Lewis

•

22 If you're just getting started and making under a few thousand dollars, consider if this actually qualifies as a business or just a hobby in the IRS's eyes. The "hobby loss rule" means you have to show profit in 3 out of 5 years to be considered a legitimate business. If it's classified as a hobby, you can't deduct expenses against other income. Just something to be aware of when deducting expenses from a side gig that's not profitable yet.

0 coins

Jacob Lewis

•

11 Wait, so if my candle making business hasn't been profitable yet, I can't deduct ANY of my expenses?? I've spent like $2000 on supplies and only made like $800 in sales so far this year.

0 coins

Jacob Lewis

•

22 That's not exactly right. You CAN deduct expenses even if you're not profitable yet. The hobby loss rule doesn't kick in immediately - it's more of a guideline the IRS uses after several years of losses. The key is demonstrating that you have a profit motive and operate in a businesslike manner, even while you're in the startup phase. Keep good records, have a separate business bank account, develop a business plan, market your products, and maintain professional practices. These all help show it's a legitimate business attempt, not just a hobby.

0 coins

Jacob Lewis

•

2 Quick tip: if you're selling handmade items, don't forget to deduct the cost of your time as labor when pricing your products! It's not a tax deduction but it's important for making your business actually profitable.

0 coins

Jacob Lewis

•

16 That's not actually how tax deductions work for sole proprietors. You can't "deduct" the value of your own labor - you can only deduct actual expenses paid. Though I agree it's important for pricing products correctly!

0 coins

Fidel Carson

•

Just to add on to what others have said, don't forget that with Schedule C you'll also need to pay self-employment tax (which is basically the FICA taxes that would normally be split between you and an employer). It's roughly 15.3% on top of your regular income tax. But the good news is you can deduct half of that self-employment tax on your 1040. Also, since you weren't having taxes withheld, you might get hit with an underpayment penalty unless you made estimated quarterly tax payments throughout the year. Just something to be aware of for next year if you continue freelancing!

0 coins

Oh no, I didn't make any quarterly payments! This is my first time dealing with self-employment. Will the penalty be really bad? And should I start making quarterly payments for this year right away?

0 coins

Fidel Carson

•

The penalty usually isn't too severe - it's basically an interest charge on what you should have paid earlier. There are some safe harbor rules that might help you avoid it, especially if this is your first year with self-employment income or if your W-2 withholding from any other jobs covers at least 90% of your total tax liability. Yes, for 2025 you should plan on making quarterly estimated payments. The due dates are April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 (of the following year). You can use Form 1040-ES to calculate and submit these payments. It's much easier to pay a little each quarter than to be hit with a large bill at tax time!

0 coins

Has anyone used the HR Block online software for filing Schedule C? I'm in a similar boat (1099-MISC for some tutoring work) and wondering if their interface is good for first-timers with self-employment income? Or should I splurge for the paid version of TurboTax?

0 coins

Xan Dae

•

I used HR Block last year for my Schedule C (freelance writing) and it was ok but not great. The interface was a bit confusing for business expenses. This year I switched to TurboTax Self-Employed and found it more intuitive - it asked better questions to help identify deductions I might have missed. It's more expensive but worth it if you have various expenses to deduct.

0 coins

My accountant told me that this is actually pretty straightforward. It IS income in the year you receive it, despite your intentions. What you do with the money afterward (saving it, spending it, giving it back) doesn't change the fact that it's income when received. But if you're planning to give it back as a gift later, just make sure you stay under the annual gift tax exclusion amount (currently $17,000) when you do give it to her, and you won't have any additional tax implications on that end.

0 coins

Does it matter if they're tracking it separately in a dedicated account? I've heard that can sometimes make a difference with the IRS if the money is clearly segregated.

0 coins

Keeping the money in a separate account is good practice and helps demonstrate your intent, but unfortunately it doesn't change the fundamental tax treatment. The IRS generally looks at the nature of the transaction when it occurs, not what you intend to do with the proceeds later. Having a separate account does provide a clear paper trail though, which is always helpful if questions ever arise. It shows you weren't trying to hide anything and had a specific purpose for the funds.

0 coins

Eli Butler

•

Has anyone considered setting up a 529 college savings plan with this money instead? If your daughter might use it for education in the future, you'd still need to report the rental income BUT the money could grow tax-free if used for education expenses later. Might be a win-win?

0 coins

This is actually brilliant! My sister did something similar with her kids' "chore money" - she reported it properly as rental income but then put it in 529s for them. The growth being tax-free for education expenses made it really worthwhile.

0 coins

Just wanted to add - if you're using TurboTax, make sure you get the right version. The basic/free version doesn't support Schedule C. You'll need Self-Employed or possibly Home & Business. FreeTaxUSA handles Schedule C in their Deluxe version which is WAY cheaper than TurboTax tho. Also, make sure you're tracking all your business miles if you drive to different job sites for your renovation work! That adds up to a big deduction.

0 coins

NebulaNomad

•

Is there a good app you recommend for tracking business miles? I always forget to log them and probably lost out on hundreds in deductions last year.

0 coins

I use MileIQ and it's been super helpful. It automatically tracks when you're driving and then you just swipe right for business trips and left for personal. Takes like 2 seconds per trip. Stride is another good one that's free, but I find it misses some trips since you have to manually start tracking. Either way, the standard mileage deduction is 65.5 cents per mile for 2023, so it adds up crazy fast especially for renovation work where you're going to different job sites!

0 coins

Anyone else notice their tax software always suggests amending previous years' returns? I used H&R Block last year for my cleaning business and it kept suggesting I amend 2022 to claim missed deductions. Is this just a way to charge more fees or actually worth looking into?

0 coins

Emma Taylor

•

In my experience it's worth checking! I amended my 2022 return after ignoring that message for months and got an additional $1200 refund. I had missed some legit business expenses my first year. Different software sometimes finds different deductions.

0 coins

Prev1...42344235423642374238...5643Next