Pay nothing until a live IRS agent is on the phone with you.
Can't reach IRS? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
$0 upfront. We only hold your card.
No live agent, no charge.
$9.99 is charged only once a live IRS agent is on the phone with you.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the IRS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the IRS drops your call
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Be careful about claiming too many travel deductions if your business isn't showing a profit yet! If you have losses for 3+ years, the IRS might classify your business as a "hobby" and disallow all your deductions. Make sure your consulting business shows a genuine profit motive and isn't just a way to write off personal travel.
This is actually a really good point. I got audited last year because I had 4 years of small losses in my photography business, and the IRS questioned whether it was a legitimate business or just a hobby. Had to provide a ton of documentation showing I was actively trying to make it profitable.
Just a heads up that business travel rules got a bit stricter after COVID. Make sure your business travel is truly "necessary" not just "helpful" for your business. The IRS has been looking more closely at home office deductions and business travel since so many people started working remotely. Double check that your trips genuinely qualify before deducting!
Join the conversation
Make sure you're also checking your state tax situation if you moved between states! I moved from Ohio to Pennsylvania last year and had to file partial-year returns in both states. The local city taxes were actually easier to deal with than the state portion.
Thankfully I stayed in the same state, just moved to a different city. But good point about checking state taxes for anyone who crosses state lines! Did your employer automatically split the state tax withholding correctly on your W2?
My employer did split the state withholding correctly, but they messed up the calculation slightly. They withheld at the Ohio rate for too long after I moved to Pennsylvania. I ended up owing a bit to Pennsylvania and getting a slightly larger refund from Ohio. The key is to check the withholding amounts against what you actually owed in each state based on your income during the time you lived there. If you worked remotely at all, it gets even more complicated because some states try to tax you based on where the work was performed while others go by your residence.
Just a tip from someone who processes payroll - make sure your employer has your correct address now! Often when people move, they update their address for W2 purposes but forget to update their local tax jurisdiction with payroll. This can mess up your withholding for next year. Double check your first pay stub of 2025 to make sure they're withholding for the correct city.
This is such important advice! My husband didn't notify his employer when we moved last year and they kept withholding taxes for our old city. Created a huge headache at tax time.
Join the conversation
Has anyone tried just hiring a specialized accountant instead of dealing with this themselves? I'm in a similar situation (Portugal resident, paying health insurance in UK) and finding it impossible to get straight answers from either tax authority.
I did that last year - hired a cross-border tax specialist for my France/Luxembourg situation. It cost about €400 but saved me nearly €2,800 in properly claimed deductions. Make sure you find someone who specializes in BOTH countries though, not just a general "international tax expert.
That's helpful, thanks! €400 sounds reasonable for the peace of mind. Did you find them locally or use an online service? I'm having trouble finding someone who knows both Portuguese and UK tax systems.
Don't forget about SOCIAL SECURITY TREATIES which are different from tax treaties! In my case (Finnish working in Estonia), I couldn't deduct my Estonian health insurance on my Finnish taxes directly, but I could get a certificate of coverage from Estonia that prevented me from having to pay duplicative premiums in Finland. Sometimes the solution isn't getting a deduction for foreign premiums but rather getting an exemption from having to pay them twice. Worth looking into this angle too!
Join the conversation
I've been doing my taxes with a combo of gig work and regular W-2 for years. Here's my take: If your side hustle stuff is pretty straightforward (like driving or selling things online), TurboTax Self-Employed will do the job fine. Just track your income from TikTok Shop in a spreadsheet if you don't get a 1099. BUT if you have more complicated situations - like home office deductions, inventory, depreciation, etc. - paying a CPA for the first year can be worth it. They'll set you up with a good system and you can probably do it yourself after that. Whatever you do, DON'T use the free or basic versions of tax software. They'll let you start the process and then hit you with "you need to upgrade" once you get to the self-employment forms.
Any recommendations for tracking apps? I have like 5 different side hustles and keeping track of everything is a nightmare.
I've had good results with QuickBooks Self-Employed for tracking throughout the year. It connects to your bank accounts and credit cards, then automatically categorizes expenses. You can also use it to track mileage if you drive for any gigs. It's about $15/month but honestly saves me hours of headaches at tax time. If you want something free, a simple Google Sheet works too - just be disciplined about entering your income and expenses regularly. The key is separating business vs. personal spending, which gets messy fast if you're not tracking consistently.
Don't forget about quarterly estimated tax payments if you're making decent money from your side gigs! I learned this the hard way last year and got hit with a penalty because I didn't know I needed to pay throughout the year.
How much do you need to make before you have to do the quarterly payments? I make maybe $800-1000 a month from my side gig.
KingKongZilla
Has your uncle considered converting some of that money to a Roth IRA? He could contribute up to the annual limit ($7,000 for 2025 if he's under 50, $8,000 if he's 50+) and that growth would be tax-free in retirement. Won't solve the whole issue but might help reduce some future tax implications.
0 coins
Skylar Neal
•That's an interesting idea I hadn't thought about! He's 52, so he could do the $8,000 contribution. Would he be able to just move some of the CD money directly into a Roth or would he need to wait until the CD matures? Also, are there income limits for Roth contributions that might affect him?
0 coins
KingKongZilla
•He would likely need to wait until the CD matures unless he's willing to pay an early withdrawal penalty, which would probably negate some of the tax benefits. Yes, there are income limits for Roth IRA contributions. For 2025, a single filer starts to see reduced contribution limits at around $146,000 and is completely phased out at $161,000. With his $75K self-employment income plus $12K in interest, he should be well under those limits, so he'd be eligible for the full contribution.
0 coins
Rebecca Johnston
Just a heads up - your uncle might need to make quarterly estimated tax payments on that interest if the bank isn't withholding enough. With $240k at 5%, that's about $12k in interest income, which could mean an extra $3k-ish in taxes depending on his tax bracket.
0 coins
Nathan Dell
•This is super important advice! I didn't make estimated payments on some investment income last year and got hit with an underpayment penalty. It wasn't huge but still annoying to pay extra for no reason.
0 coins