This is actually incorrect information. Traveling from your home to ANY client is considered commuting by the IRS and isn't deductible - even if you have a home office. The only exception is if your home office is your principal place of business AND you're traveling to a temporary work location.

Thanks for the reference! I'll definitely check out Publication 463. I'm trying to understand all the rules before I file my 2025 taxes and want to make sure I'm claiming everything I'm legitimately entitled to without raising any red flags.

I do have email correspondence outlining the scope of work and agreed payment terms, but not a formal signed contract. She sent me spreadsheets tracking which returns I completed and amounts owed, which I've saved. Would these be sufficient documentation for a small claims case? I'm in Texas, which I believe doesn't have a specific tax preparer regulatory board, but I'll definitely look into state-specific options.

Email correspondence can absolutely serve as documentation of your agreement, especially if it clearly outlines the work to be done and the payment terms. Those spreadsheets tracking completed returns will be particularly valuable evidence. For small claims court in Texas, you'd want to compile all communications about the work, evidence that you completed the work (like submission confirmations or acknowledgments from her that she received the completed forms), and documentation of any partial payments already made. Texas small claims (Justice Court) has a limit of $20,000, so your claim would fit well within their jurisdiction.

Really good point. Maybe OP should start by sending a message formally stating they still have access to all these sensitive business details through the shared drive and requesting guidance on proper deletion once payment is received? That creates a paper trail showing they're trying to handle the info responsibly.

Thanks for bringing this up - I hadn't considered the statute of limitations angle. Do you think filing the Form 8606 now for those old contributions might trigger some kind of review of those past tax years?

Filing Form 8606 now for old contributions typically doesn't automatically trigger an audit, but it does put those years on the IRS's radar. The good news is that you're trying to comply with the rules by properly documenting your basis in the IRA, which looks better than if they discovered the unreported contributions some other way. The key is documentation - make sure you have records of all those contributions and be prepared to show they were made with after-tax dollars. If you're concerned, working with a tax professional who specializes in IRA issues might be worth the investment to ensure everything is handled properly and to help respond if the IRS does have questions.

This is incorrect information. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated the deduction for IRA losses completely through 2025. Even before that, claiming such losses was extremely difficult and rarely beneficial due to the AGI limitations. Please don't give tax advice if you're not certain - it could cause serious problems for the OP.

That's interesting. I didn't have any extreme circumstances like that though. Just poor planning and procrastination on my part unfortunately. Do you know if the IRS ever just "forgives" these situations if I explain it was an honest mistake?

The IRS generally doesn't "forgive" missed deadlines just because it was an honest mistake. They hear that all the time. If it was truly just procrastination, you'll need to follow the pay-first-then-claim-refund route the others mentioned. However, there was actually a recent Supreme Court case (Boechler v. Commissioner) that established equitable tolling could apply for certain tax deadlines, though that was for Collection Due Process cases, not deficiency notices. Still, tax law continues to evolve on these issues.

In my experience, amended returns are taking FOREVER right now - like 6+ months. I filed one in April and it's still "processing" according to Where's My Amended Return tool. But that's separate from the Tax Court deadline issue. The amended return won't stop the deficiency assessment if you missed the petition deadline.

Thanks for the reminder about the Section 199A deduction! Is that handled automatically through Form 8995A or do I need to do something else to claim it? For the HSA, I'm contributing the maximum for individual coverage. One question though - if I switch to family coverage mid-year, can I contribute the full family amount or is it prorated?

Form 8995A is specifically for calculating your Section 199A (Qualified Business Income) deduction, so no need to do anything additional. It flows automatically to your 1040. For HSA contributions after switching to family coverage mid-year, it gets a bit complicated. You can actually contribute the full family maximum ($8,300 for 2024) if you're still covered by a family HDHP on December 1st and remain covered for the full calendar year of 2025 (called the "last-month rule"). If you don't maintain coverage through December 2025, you'd need to prorate your contribution based on how many months you had each type of coverage.

Just a quick correction - the SE tax is actually 15.3% (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare) on that 92.35% of net earnings, up to the Social Security wage base limit ($168,600 for 2024). Then 2.9% Medicare tax continues beyond that with no limit, plus an additional 0.9% for high earners. But your point about deducting half on Schedule 1 is super important - loads of people miss that and it's a significant deduction!