I haven't tried different browsers yet, that's a good suggestion. I've been using Chrome this whole time. Did you have this specific issue with the vehicle info disappearing and Firefox fixed it? Or was it a different problem?

I had almost the exact same issue - the vehicle information would disappear whenever I navigated away from Schedule C. Switching to Firefox completely resolved it for me. I think it might have something to do with how different browsers handle the form's JavaScript. Make sure you clear your cache and cookies before trying in the new browser. Also, when entering the vehicle info in Firefox, I made sure to click the specific "Save" button in that section before moving to any other part of the form.

This is really helpful info! Do you know if there are any other sections of the Free File Fillable Forms that have known bugs this year? I'm about to start my taxes and wondering if I should just use different software entirely.

What about quarterly tax payments? I heard you need to make those when self-employed, but I've never done them before. How do you figure out how much to pay each quarter?

Quarterly tax payments are definitely something you need to handle. The IRS expects you to pay taxes throughout the year, not just at filing time. For someone making $75k in self-employment income, not making quarterly payments will likely result in penalties. The simplest way to handle this is to use the "safe harbor" provision - pay either 90% of this year's tax obligation or 100% of last year's tax (110% if your income was over $150k). I personally use an online calculator at the beginning of each year to estimate my quarterly payments, then set calendar reminders for the due dates: April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year.

I work with 3 different exchanges and only the US-based one sends me a 1099-NEC. The other two (based in Asia) don't provide any tax documents at all. I just download my commission reports and use those as documentation. My accountant says this is pretty common with international companies - they don't always comply with US reporting requirements.

18 So does the QBI deduction apply even if I take the standard deduction instead of itemizing? And does it reduce self-employment tax or just income tax?

7 Yes, the QBI deduction applies regardless of whether you itemize or take the standard deduction - it's completely separate from that decision. That's what makes it so valuable for self-employed folks. QBI only reduces income tax, not self-employment tax unfortunately. You'll still pay the full 15.3% SE tax on your net business income. That's actually why many people at your income level consider the S-Corp strategy mentioned earlier - it's one of the few legal ways to reduce your self-employment tax burden.

21 I switched from QuickBooks to FreshBooks last year and it's been way easier to use. Better receipt scanning and time tracking features which is helpful for client billing too. I can send you a referral code for a discount if you're interested.

1 Thanks, I didn't even think about freezing my credit! Do you know if there's any downside to doing this? Will it affect anything with my existing accounts?

14 No downside to your existing accounts - those all continue to work normally. Credit cards, loans, anything already open is completely unaffected. The freeze only prevents NEW accounts from being opened. The only minor inconvenience is that you need to temporarily lift the freeze when you want to apply for new credit (like a car loan or new credit card). This just requires logging into the credit bureau websites or calling them to lift the freeze temporarily - you can even specify exactly how long you want it lifted for.

16 Did you have any issues getting the IP PIN? I tried getting one online but couldn't pass their identity verification (they asked about an old loan I don't remember details about). Is there another way to get it?

Thanks for bringing this up - I actually forgot to mention that my wife does have a TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account) in Canada with about 20K in it. Would that really complicate things if we filed jointly? She also has a small retirement account through her employer.

Yes, that would definitely add complications if you file jointly. With MFJ, you'd need to report those accounts on a Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR) if the combined value of all foreign accounts exceeds $10,000 at any point during the year. You might also need to file Form 8938 depending on the total value. The bigger issue is that the US doesn't recognize the tax-free status of Canadian TFSAs the same way Canada does. If filing jointly, the earnings in her TFSA could be considered taxable income in the US, which defeats the whole purpose of that account from a Canadian perspective. This is one of those quirks of international taxation that often makes filing separately more advantageous.

Yes, there's a provision called "first-year choice" or "nonresident spouse treated as resident" election. It allows you to treat a nonresident alien spouse as a US resident for tax purposes, which enables joint filing. However, it comes with a major caveat: your spouse must agree to be taxed on worldwide income, not just US source income. This means ALL of their foreign income becomes subject to US taxation.