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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!
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Something that nobody's mentioned yet - if your kid is just filing a simple return with only W-2 income, you can use most tax software's free version for them. I set up separate accounts for both my teenagers and walked them through filing their own returns last year. Great learning experience for them and super easy since they just had basic W-2 jobs.
That's a great idea! Which tax software did you find easiest for teenagers to use? I'd like to start teaching my kids about taxes too.
I found FreeTaxUSA to be the simplest for my kids. The interface is clean without a bunch of upsells that confuse them. TurboTax also has a free option that works fine for basic W-2 income, but they push paid upgrades more aggressively which frustrated my teens. The key was sitting with them the first time and explaining each section. Now my 18-year-old handles it completely on her own, and my 16-year-old only needs a little guidance. It's definitely worth the time investment to teach them this life skill early!
Don't forget about potential state filing requirements too! Federal and state rules for dependents can be different. My daughter didn't need to file a federal return based on her income, but our state required her to file because the threshold was lower. Found this out the hard way last year and had to scramble to submit her state return before the deadline.
This is so true. I'm in California and our state threshold is different from federal. Worth checking your specific state requirements early!
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Your withholding sounds totally normal to me. Remember that federal withholding is just one part of what comes out of your check. You're also paying: - Social Security (6.2%) - Medicare (1.45%) - State income tax (Wisconsin's rates vary) - Possibly health insurance, 401k, etc. So while $526 might seem like a lot for just federal, when you add everything together, seeing 25-30% of your check disappear to various withholdings is pretty standard at your income level.
Darcy Moore
ā¢Exactly this. I'm in a similar salary range in Minnesota and between ALL the deductions (federal, state, SS, Medicare, health insurance, dental, vision, 401k) almost 35% of my gross pay never makes it to my bank account. It was a rude awakening when I got my first "adult job" lol.
This is actually super helpful to see all those categories broken down! I wasn't accounting for all the different types of withholdings when I was doing my mental math. My total withholding is about 28% of my gross, which sounds like it's pretty normal based on what you're saying. I definitely noticed the state income tax too (around $240 per paycheck), which was another surprise. Guess I need to adjust my budget expectations a bit. Thanks for the perspective!
Dana Doyle
Have you used the IRS withholding calculator? It's actually pretty good for figuring out if your withholding is correct: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator Just plug in your info and it'll tell you if you're on track or need to adjust your W-4. My husband and I had a similar issue when he got a raise - we were way overwithholding until we checked.
Thanks for sharing this! I just tried it out and it looks like I'm actually on track to get a small refund (about $800) if nothing changes. That's a relief since I was worried I might be underwithholding. Appreciate the resource!
Liam Duke
ā¢That calculator has been wrong for me 2 years in a row... it said I'd get a refund both times and I ended up owing around $1,200 each time. Just be careful relying on it exclusively.
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Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet - don't forget about self-employment taxes! If you do make your woodworking a legitimate business, you'll pay an additional 15.3% on your profits for Medicare and Social Security taxes. This is on top of income tax. This is one reason why an S-Corp can eventually make sense (after you're profitable), as you can pay yourself a reasonable salary (subject to SE tax) and take the rest as distributions (not subject to SE tax).
Ava Kim
ā¢Wait, so if I report losses in the beginning, would I still have to pay self-employment taxes? That seems counterintuitive if I'm not making money yet.
No, you wouldn't pay self-employment taxes on losses. Self-employment taxes only apply to profits. If your business has a net loss, there's no profit to tax. That said, consistent losses could potentially trigger IRS scrutiny under the hobby loss rules we discussed earlier. It's a balancing act - you want to take legitimate deductions to reduce your tax liability, but you also need to demonstrate a genuine intent to make profit over time.
Alicia Stern
Just went through this with my pottery business! My advice: start as a sole proprietor (Schedule C) first, not an S-Corp. Way simpler and lower compliance costs. You'll need to be careful about what you deduct. For equipment, anything over $2,500 typically needs to be depreciated rather than expensed entirely in year one (though Section 179 and bonus depreciation might help). For home workspace, you can only deduct space used EXCLUSIVELY for business. If your workshop doubles as storage or family space, you'll run into problems.
How serious are they about the "exclusively for business" part? My garage is technically my workshop but also stores holiday decorations and some other stuff. Would that disqualify the entire space?
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Nia Jackson
One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet - you should also be aware that your W-2 job will handle the employer portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes (7.65%). With your 1099 income, you pay the full 15.3% as self-employment tax. So even if the income tax withholding seems comparable, you're actually paying less in total taxes on your W-2 earnings compared to the same amount of 1099 income. This is why some people prefer W-2 jobs even if the stated pay is a bit lower.
Omar Hassan
ā¢That's a really good point! So with my W-2 job, I'm actually saving that 7.65% that I'd otherwise have to pay if it were 1099 income? Does this mean I should try to increase my W-2 hours rather than taking on more photography clients if I want to maximize my after-tax income?
Nia Jackson
ā¢Yes, you're saving that 7.65% on every dollar of W-2 income compared to 1099 income. Whether you should increase W-2 hours vs. taking more photography clients depends on several factors. If both pay roughly the same hourly rate before taxes, then yes, you'd keep more of your W-2 earnings after tax. However, if your photography business pays significantly more per hour, or if you can deduct legitimate business expenses, self-employment might still be more profitable despite the higher tax rate. Also consider that your photography business might have growth potential that your W-2 job doesn't.
NebulaNova
Don't forget about the W-4 form! When you started your W-2 job, you filled one out to tell your employer how much to withhold. If you're worried about owing a lot at tax time, you can submit a new W-4 and have additional money withheld from each paycheck to cover taxes on your 1099 income too.
This is what I do! Instead of making quarterly payments for my side gig, I just have my day job withhold extra. You can put a specific dollar amount on line 4(c) of the W-4. Super convenient.
Caleb Stark
A few other options to consider: 1. Check with your payroll provider if you use one - many offer W2 filing services even if you don't use them for regular payroll. 2. Try a local print shop that specializes in business services. Some have the official forms in stock and will sell individual copies. 3. If you use any tax software for your business (like QuickBooks), many have W2 filing capabilities built in that you might not be aware of. The electronic filing through BSO is definitely your best bet at this point though. The process is pretty straightforward once you get started.
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Zachary Hughes
ā¢Thanks for the additional suggestions! I actually don't use a payroll provider since it's just one employee (family member), but I'll check with the local print shop tomorrow. I do have QuickBooks but only the basic version - I'll see if it has W2 filing capabilities.
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Caleb Stark
ā¢QuickBooks Basic should have W2 capabilities, but you might need to purchase their payroll add-on to access it. It's usually around $50 for a basic filing service, which might be worth it for the convenience. Local print shops that cater to businesses are often overlooked resources for tax forms. They typically understand the requirements better than the big box stores and might be willing to sell you just the forms you need rather than a bulk pack.
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Jade O'Malley
Don't forget! The January 31 deadline is for providing W2s TO your employees. The deadline for filing Copy A with the Social Security Administration is actually later - January 31 if filing electronically, but February 28 if filing by paper. So if you're really stuck getting the official Copy A, you have a little more time than you might think for the SSA submission.
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Hunter Edmunds
ā¢That's not entirely accurate. The deadline is January 31 for BOTH giving forms to employees AND for filing with the SSA. The February 28 deadline was changed several years ago. Don't want OP to get penalized by following outdated info!
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