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Have you considered doing it yourself instead? I switched from paying $800+ to using tax software for my S Corp about two years ago. There's definitely a learning curve, but once you understand the forms (which it sounds like you already do), it's not that complicated for a simple structure like yours. I use TaxAct Business which costs around $110 for federal + state 1120S. First year took me about 6-7 hours, second year was down to about 3 hours. Considering I was saving $700+, that's a pretty good hourly rate for my time. The software walks you through everything and has built-in error checking. Since you're already organizing everything line-by-line, you're doing half the work anyway.
Does the software handle the reasonable compensation requirements and QBI calculations properly? I tried doing my own S Corp return once and ended up with a notice from the IRS about my salary being too low relative to distributions. Cost me way more than what I saved on preparation.
The software does have warnings about reasonable compensation if your salary seems too low compared to distributions, but it doesn't give specific guidance on what's "reasonable" - that's still on you to research and determine. For QBI, it does the calculations automatically once you enter all the required information. The wizard asks you questions about your business type and aggregation elections to determine eligibility. It's actually handled really well. You're right that getting those aspects wrong can be costly - I spent extra time researching those specific areas before filing. There are also some good YouTube tutorials specifically on S Corp tax prep using the major software packages that helped me avoid common mistakes.
Just want to point out something others haven't mentioned - those national chains often have staff with varying levels of experience. If you're paying on the lower end ($600), you're likely getting a newer preparer who's basically following a script and entering data. If you're paying closer to $1500, you should be getting a more experienced preparer who's doing more analysis. My advice? If you really want to stick with a professional, find a small local CPA firm that specializes in small businesses. They'll often charge similar to what you're paying now but provide WAY more value - actual tax planning, mid-year check-ins, business advice, etc. The national chains are basically factories during tax season with huge staff turnover.
Taylor To
ā¢That makes a lot of sense about the experience levels. I think I'm actually going to look into a local firm based on your suggestion. I'm realizing now I've been evaluating purely on price rather than value. I don't mind paying the same amount if I'm getting actual business advice along with the tax prep. Do you think it's too late to switch for this tax season, or should I wait until next year?
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Dylan Cooper
Could you possibly claim Head of Household status instead of Single? If you had a qualifying dependent living with you for more than half the year (like a child), you might qualify for Head of Household even though you're divorced. The tax rates are better than filing as Single. Worth looking into if you have kids or another qualifying dependent!
Andre Moreau
ā¢No kids unfortunately. It was just me and my ex-wife. We don't have any dependents together, and no one else lived with us. Based on what everyone's saying, looks like I'm stuck with the Single filing status and this huge tax bill. Just wish I'd known about this earlier in the year so I could have adjusted my withholdings.
Dylan Cooper
ā¢That's tough, sorry to hear it. Without a qualifying dependent, you're right that Single is your only option. For next year, definitely update your W-4 with your employer ASAP to avoid withholding problems. One thing to consider is whether you might qualify for any tax credits based on your situation. The Saver's Credit could apply if you contributed to retirement accounts and your income isn't too high. There might also be education credits if you paid any tuition or student loan interest.
Just a heads up - this might be minor, but if you paid any medical expenses for your ex while you were still married (even if you can't claim her as a dependent), those expenses might be deductible if your total medical expenses exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. Keep all receipts and documentation. Divorce tax situations are always messy, but documenting everything helps.
This is good advice. Also, don't forget about any legal fees specifically related to tax advice during your divorce. Those might be deductible too, even though general divorce attorney fees aren't. My accountant helped me identify about $1,800 in deductible legal fees from my divorce last year that were specifically for tax consultation.
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Just an FYI - I work at a tax prep office and we're seeing lots of clients in this exact situation. The distinction between Zelle and other payment apps is important. Zelle operates differently because it's owned by banks, not a separate payment processor. Zelle claims they don't issue 1099-Ks at all because they're just facilitating direct bank-to-bank transfers, not actually processing payments themselves. But that doesn't mean you're off the hook! If you're getting regularly scheduled payments of the same amount, that looks exactly like income to the IRS. If you get audited, they'll ask for bank statements and those Zelle deposits will be right there. Better to report it all now than pay penalties and interest later.
Thanks for this info! So even if Zelle doesn't report it, I should still be reporting this income? Would I just add it as "miscellaneous income" or would I need to file as self-employed with a Schedule C?
You should definitely report the income regardless of whether Zelle issues a 1099-K. Since you're receiving regular payments for work performed, this would be considered self-employment income, not miscellaneous income. You'll need to file Schedule C to report your business income and expenses, and Schedule SE to calculate your self-employment tax. This is actually better for you in many ways because with Schedule C, you can deduct legitimate business expenses that reduce your taxable income. If you have a home office, use your phone for work, or have any other expenses related to this work, those can potentially be deductible.
Is anyone else noticing that the payment apps are super inconsistent with reporting? I get payments through CashApp, Venmo AND Zelle for my small business and last year only PayPal sent me a 1099-K even though I made over $10k on each platform.
Dylan Cooper
ā¢Same experience here. I got a 1099-K from PayPal but nothing from Venmo despite making similar amounts on both. I reported everything anyway because I don't want headaches with the IRS, but the inconsistency is frustrating. I think different platforms are interpreting the requirements differently.
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Hey everyone, I'm a tax preparer (not a CPA) and I see this Form 8863 issue all the time. Another thing to check is if you received any scholarships or grants. Those reduce your qualified education expenses for the Lifetime Learning Credit calculation. For example, if you paid $5000 in tuition but received a $4000 scholarship, you can only use $1000 as your qualified education expense. That might be why you're ending up with zero, especially if your education expenses weren't that high after considering scholarships. Also, make sure you're eligible for the credit based on your income. The Lifetime Learning Credit phases out at higher income levels (starts phasing out at $80,000 for single filers and $160,000 for joint filers for 2024 returns).
That's a great point! I didn't even think about my scholarship reducing my eligible expenses. I received about $3,500 in scholarships last year. So if my tuition was $5,000, I would only be able to claim $1,500 for the Lifetime Learning Credit?
That's exactly right! You would only be able to claim $1,500 as your qualified education expenses in that scenario. And remember, the Lifetime Learning Credit is calculated as 20% of your qualified expenses, so your potential credit would be $300 ($1,500 Ć 20%). Then, that potential credit amount gets compared to your remaining tax liability on the Credit Limit Worksheet. If your remaining tax liability is less than $300 (or zero), that's why you'd end up with zero or a reduced credit amount on line 19 of Form 8863.
Max Knight
Has anyone tried using a different tax software? I was using FreeTaxUSA and had the exact same issue with Form 8863 and the Lifetime Learning Credit. Switched to TaxSlayer and somehow it calculated a credit for me. Not sure if it's correct but it definitely gave me a different result.
Emma Swift
ā¢I used both TurboTax and H&R Block and got the same zero result with the Lifetime Learning Credit. I think different software might do the calculations slightly differently, but the end result should be the same if you're entering the same information. Might be worth double-checking that you input everything identically in both programs.
Alice Coleman
Hey just want to throw out there that if you can't find software that supports Form 8915-e yet, paper filing really isn't as bad as people say. I had to paper file last year for a different reason and it only took about 6 weeks to process which was way better than I expected.
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Owen Jenkins
ā¢No way! I paper filed in February and I'm STILL waiting for my refund. The IRS is a disaster right now. E-file if you possibly can.
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Lilah Brooks
Just checked with my CPA and they confirmed that UltraTax CS (Thomson Reuters) has Form 8915-e available now. If you need this form urgently, might be worth paying a professional who uses one of these higher-end software packages that get priority updates.
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Jackson Carter
ā¢Do you know roughly what CPAs are charging for a return with Form 8915-e? I'm trying to decide if it's worth it vs waiting for my regular software to update.
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