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11 One often overlooked approach is to use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator online. It's free and walks you through calculating the proper withholding. Make sure your parents have their most recent paystubs and last year's tax return handy when using it. I found it incredibly helpful when my wife and I were in a similar situation - owing about $5,000 because we hadn't updated our W4s after getting married. The estimator asks about both incomes, how often you're paid, and other factors that affect your taxes.
7 I tried using that estimator but got confused halfway through. It asked for projected deductions and I had no idea what to put. Do you just guess? Or is there a way to figure out what deductions they'll have for this year?
11 For the deductions section, you can use last year's deductions as a starting point if your situation hasn't changed much. If your parents take the standard deduction (which most people do now with the higher amounts), you can just select that option without itemizing. If they do itemize, have them look at Schedule A from last year's return and use those figures as estimates, adjusting for any known changes (like if they paid off their mortgage or expect higher medical expenses this year).
5 Don't forget that underpayment penalties can apply if they don't withhold enough throughout the year! To avoid penalties, they generally need to withhold at least 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's tax (whichever is smaller).
16 Wait, so even if they pay everything they owe by the tax deadline, they can still get penalties if they didn't pay enough during the year?? That seems really unfair!
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Just wanted to add something important - make sure you're also checking your state requirements! Federal might only need the 4868 personal extension, but some states require separate business extensions even for single-member LLCs. I learned this the hard way last year and got hit with a state penalty even though my federal extension was properly filed.
Oh crap, I didn't even think about state requirements! I'm in California - does anyone know if I need to file something separate for my LLC at the state level?
California requires an automatic 6-month extension for filing your state personal income tax return, so you don't need to file a separate extension form for that. However, you still need to pay any estimated tax you owe by the original due date. For your LLC specifically, California requires an annual LLC tax of $800, which is due by the 15th day of the 4th month of your taxable year (April 15 for calendar-year taxpayers). This payment isn't extended by your personal extension, so make sure you've paid that already if it applies to you.
If you're filing an extension, just remember that self-employment tax is no joke! I didn't set aside enough my first year with my LLC and got hit with a huge tax bill. What accounting software are you using to track your business expenses?
I've been using QuickBooks Self-Employed for my single-member LLC and it's been great for tracking everything. It even has a tax estimation feature that helps you set aside the right amount each quarter.
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If you're really enjoying learning about taxes, check out the "Tax Geek" section of the IRS website where they have detailed publications on specific topics. Publication 550 about investment income is particularly interesting if you have stocks or bonds. One thing though - while paper filing is educational, I'd strongly recommend against mailing a paper return unless you absolutely have to. The processing times are ridiculous right now, and if there's any small error, it can delay things by months. Use the learning for understanding, but consider e-filing the actual return.
Do the free fillable forms on the IRS website count as e-filing? That seems like a good middle ground where I could still fill everything out myself but submit electronically.
Yes, the free fillable forms definitely count as e-filing! That's exactly the perfect middle ground. You'll still need to understand each form and calculation yourself (unlike with TurboTax which handles that for you), but you get the benefit of electronic submission. This way you still get the educational experience of working through the forms manually, but avoid the massive delays of paper processing. Plus, the fillable forms will catch basic math errors, which is helpful when you're learning.
The IRS actually has this cool program called VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) where they train volunteers to help people file taxes. Once you get comfortable with the basics, you might enjoy volunteering! I did it for two years and learned WAY more about taxes than I ever would have otherwise.
I've heard about that program before! Do you need any special qualifications to volunteer, or can anyone sign up for the training?
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Something nobody mentioned yet - since you're 18, make sure you know if your parents are still claiming you as a dependent on their taxes! This affects how you file and what credits you might be eligible for. If they're claiming you (which they probably can if you're living with them and they provide more than half your support), you'll need to check the box that says someone can claim you as a dependent. This limits some tax benefits you can claim. Also, make sure you're setting aside around 25-30% of what you earn for taxes. Self-employment tax alone is about 15.3%, plus whatever income tax bracket you fall into. That might seem like a lot, but it's better than getting hit with a big tax bill and penalties later!
This is super helpful! I hadn't even thought about the dependent thing. I am still living with my parents and they pay for most of my stuff, so I'll definitely check with them about this. Is there an easy way to calculate how much I should be setting aside each time I get paid? I'm making anywhere from $150-400 a week depending on how many gigs I pick up.
A simple rule of thumb is to set aside 30% of everything you earn. That should cover both your self-employment tax (which is about 15.3%) and your federal income tax. If your state has income tax too, you might want to bump that up to 35%. The easiest way to manage this is to open a separate savings account just for taxes. Every time you get paid, immediately transfer 30% to that account and don't touch it. At tax time, you'll have the money ready to pay what you owe. Plus, if you end up owing less than you saved, you'll have a nice little bonus!
don't freak out but you should probably file quarterly estimated taxes too if your making decent money. I didn't know this my first year as a freelancer and got hit with a penalty 😩 you gotta use form 1040-ES and pay every 3 months if you expect to owe more than $1000 in taxes for the year. first payment for 2025 would be due April 15th
This is so important! I got slapped with a $420 penalty my first year freelancing because nobody told me about quarterly payments. The IRS doesn't play around with this stuff.
Nina Fitzgerald
Have you checked with the financial institution that holds the Roth IRA? They should have records of all contributions made to the account, regardless of who made them. I had a similar situation and Fidelity was able to provide a complete history going back to when the account was opened. If your grandparents made qualified contributions on your behalf, those amounts would still come out tax-free before any earnings. The key is to document those contribution amounts.
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Justin Chang
•I did contact them but they said they only keep detailed records for the past 7 years, and this account was opened about 15 years ago. They gave me what they had, but it doesn't cover the initial contributions. I'm going to ask my grandparents if they kept any statements from when they first set it up.
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Nina Fitzgerald
•That's actually pretty common for financial institutions to only maintain detailed records for 7-10 years. Definitely check with your grandparents for the older statements. Another approach is to work backward using your tax returns. If you've been reporting and paying taxes on the earnings each year, you might be able to reconstruct the basis by totaling all the reported earnings and subtracting that from the account value before your withdrawal. The difference would likely represent the contributions.
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Jason Brewer
Just curious - was your withdrawal due to a COVID-related hardship? There were some special rules for that, but they've mostly expired now. Also what software are you using to file? Some of them have special wizards for handling retirement distributions that might help you calculate the taxable portion.
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Kiara Fisherman
•The COVID withdrawal provisions expired in 2020 - they wouldn't apply to a 2024 distribution. But there are other exceptions like first-time home purchase, education expenses, or unreimbursed medical expenses that might help avoid the 10% penalty (though not the tax on earnings).
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