I hadn't even thought about changing my business structure! Is that process complicated? And does it make record-keeping even more strict?

The process isn't too complicated - you file Form 2553 with the IRS to elect S-Corp status. The main thing is you need to start running payroll and paying yourself a reasonable salary, which means quarterly payroll tax returns. Record-keeping is more formal, yes. You'll need better separation between personal and business finances (which you should do anyway), and you'll have to file a separate tax return for the business (Form 1120-S) in addition to your personal return. Many people use a payroll service to handle the salary part. It's more paperwork for sure, but the tax savings can be significant because only your salary is subject to self-employment tax, not the full business profit.

This! I got hit with a $1,200 penalty my first year in business because nobody told me about quarterly payments. Such a painful lesson.

I've been making some payments but probably not enough. Is there a specific form I should be using for these quarterly payments?

Do you know if you can deduct mileage if you work from home but occasionally drive to client meetings or to pick up supplies?

Absolutely you can! Any driving from your home office to client sites, suppliers, business meetings, etc. counts as deductible business mileage. Just make sure to keep a log with dates, starting/ending mileage, and purpose of each trip. The only driving that's not deductible is regular commuting to a primary workplace. But if your home is your primary workplace (home office), then driving to clients or for business purposes is generally deductible. There's a pretty generous mileage rate too - it was 65.5 cents per mile for 2023.

Which tax software do you recommend for first-time self-employed? I've used the free versions before but now I need something that handles Schedule C.

$1500 is a lot to pay when there are software solutions that do the same thing for way less. I used CoinTracker for my CP2000 response and it worked fine.

You're right that software can work for simpler situations. My case was particularly complex with DeFi staking, liquidity pools, and cross-chain transactions that most software couldn't handle correctly at the time. For someone with straightforward trades on major exchanges, software might be sufficient. But when you're facing a $40k tax bill and have complex transactions, sometimes the expertise and representation of a professional is worth the cost. They can also help if you need to negotiate a payment plan or have other complicating factors in your tax situation.

This is unfortunately common with crypto. If you can't access the original exchange data, try these approaches: 1. Bank/credit card statements showing deposits to those exchanges 2. Email confirmations of purchases 3. Blockchain explorers to verify transactions from your wallet addresses 4. If you have partial records, you can sometimes reconstruct activity based on withdrawals to known wallets Document your attempts to obtain complete records. The IRS does recognize that some extinct exchanges make perfect recordkeeping impossible. They generally just want to see a good faith effort to accurately report your activity. If all else fails, you may need to use "other methods" to establish basis, which a tax professional can help with. It's better to respond with partial records than to ignore the CP2000 entirely.

That's super helpful! Can I claim these education credits even though my tuition is already fully covered by scholarships? I wasn't sure if I'd be eligible since I'm not personally paying anything out of pocket for classes.

That's a great question. You can't "double-dip" by claiming education credits for expenses already covered by tax-free scholarships. However, you might still qualify if you have some educational expenses that weren't covered. For the American Opportunity Credit specifically, you can claim expenses for required books, supplies, and equipment even if you buy them from somewhere other than your school's bookstore. So if you paid for any of those out-of-pocket (not with scholarship money), you might be able to claim the credit. Also, if you have to include some scholarship money as taxable income, you can treat that amount as if you paid it out-of-pocket for qualified expenses, potentially making you eligible for credits.

This is a super important point! When I was in college with a similar scholarship situation, I did the math and realized it was better for my parents NOT to claim me one year because of how the education credits worked out. We saved more money overall by having me file independently.

Do you need any specific documentation to prove financial hardship? My rent and utilities already take up most of my paycheck, and with the garnishment I literally can't buy groceries.

You'll need documentation showing your income and necessary living expenses. Gather recent pay stubs, bank statements, utility bills, rent/mortgage statements, medical bills, and receipts for other essential expenses like groceries and transportation costs. Be thorough about documenting every necessary expense. The more comprehensive your documentation, the stronger your hardship case will be. For your specific situation about not being able to afford groceries, make sure to calculate your basic food needs as part of your essential expenses. The Taxpayer Advocate can put a rush on your case if you're facing immediate hardship like potential eviction or inability to purchase necessities.

This happened to me too! IRS had my old address from 3 years ago. I moved twice and the notices never got forwarded. By the time I realized what was happening, they'd already been garnishing for 2 months.