Thanks for this specific breakdown! Yes to all of those questions - they assigned clients, partners reviewed everything before it went out, I had set office hours (9-6 generally), and they provided everything including legal research software and admin support. Sounds like Form 8919 is definitely the right approach here.

You're welcome! With all those factors, you're clearly describing an employee relationship, not an independent contractor situation. Form 8919 is absolutely the right approach. Just one more tip - in Section 3 of the form where it asks for the reason code, use code G since you received both a 1099 and W-2 from the same firm in the same year. This is a textbook example of when to use that code. And keep copies of any firm policies, emails about work requirements, etc. that demonstrate the control they had over your work, just in case questions come up later.

Yes, TurboTax does support Form 8919! I used it last year for this exact situation. When you enter your 1099-MISC, it will ask a series of questions about your working relationship with the payer. Answer those honestly, and if it determines you were misclassified, it will guide you to Form 8919 instead of Schedule C/SE. One tip though - make sure you're using at least TurboTax Deluxe. The free version doesn't support this form.

Thanks for bringing this up! My qualified expenses should be enough since my tuition and required fees were about $18,000 this year, and I only received a $5,000 scholarship. The bond interest I'm trying to exclude is around $2,400. I wasn't counting room and board - good to know that's excluded for this benefit. Does it matter if some of the qualified expenses were paid from a 529 plan? Or does that create another reduction?

Yes, expenses paid with 529 plan distributions would reduce your qualified education expenses for the savings bond interest exclusion. The IRS doesn't allow "double-dipping" of tax benefits. So if you used $8,000 from a 529 plan to pay for some of that $18,000 in tuition and fees, and received a $5,000 scholarship, your remaining qualified expenses for Form 8815 would be reduced to $5,000 ($18,000 - $5,000 - $8,000). That would limit how much bond interest you could exclude.

There's no time limit between when the bonds were issued and when you use them for education. As long as you cash the bonds and pay the qualified education expenses in the same tax year, you can potentially claim the exclusion (assuming you meet all the other requirements about ownership, income limits, etc.). So 2010 bonds used for 2025 education expenses could qualify. Just remember both actions (redeeming the bonds and paying the expenses) need to happen in the same tax year.

1 How can I tell which years I might have owed taxes without actually filing? My situation was pretty simple - just W-2 income with standard tax withholding, but I honestly don't remember the details from 5+ years ago.

3 You can request a "Wage and Income Transcript" from the IRS which shows all reported income for a specific year. This will show your W-2s, 1099s, and other income documents that were filed. If you only had W-2 income with standard withholding, you may not owe anything, but you'd need to run the numbers to be sure. Another option is to request an "Account Transcript" which will show if the IRS has already created a substitute return for you and assessed any taxes. This can give you a clearer picture of which years need attention first.

1 That's really helpful, thank you! So it sounds like for FAFSA purposes I'm probably okay since I've filed 2021-2023, but I should still consider filing the older years to avoid any potential issues with the IRS down the road. Do you know if scholarships or grants ever look at tax compliance?

13 Most federal and institutional scholarships and grants follow FAFSA guidelines, so they primarily care about your current financial situation rather than past tax compliance. However, some private scholarships may have their own requirements, and occasionally they do perform background checks that could potentially flag tax issues. The bigger concern is indeed potential issues with the IRS. Even if you don't owe money, having unfiled returns can create problems years later - especially when you reach important financial milestones like buying a home, starting a business, or applying for certain jobs. It's generally best to clean up tax issues while they're relatively recent and documentation is easier to obtain.

Florida requires C corporations that are doing business in Florida to file Form F-1120 (Florida Corporate Income Tax Return) regardless of whether they have any tax liability. Even if your corporation falls below the income threshold where you'd owe tax, you typically still need to file the return. There is an exception for corporations not doing business in Florida and corporations that have no income reportable to Florida. So it depends on where your C corporation is operating and generating income. Florida does have filing exemptions for certain entities like S corporations and certain non-profits, but standard C corporations generally need to file.

I'm definitely going to contact the site coordinator. Should I specifically mention which volunteers made the mistakes, or just explain the situation generally? And is there any chance this could get me in trouble since I signed it even though the information was wrong?

It's helpful to mention specifically which volunteers made the mistakes so the coordinator can address the training issues, but don't worry about getting yourself in trouble. The IRS understands that taxpayers rely on preparers' expertise, especially in VITA programs. You're taking the proper steps to correct the return, which shows good faith on your part. Remember that VITA volunteers are trained specifically not to create forms or enter information they don't have documentation for. The site coordinator needs to know this happened so they can make sure those volunteers receive additional training or supervision. This protects future taxpayers from experiencing the same issues.

I've used both VITA and TurboTax Free. Honestly, for basic student returns, the free software is pretty foolproof. It asks straightforward questions about your education expenses and walks you through everything. Plus, you can save your work and think about it or do research before submitting.