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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls ā which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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Romeo Quest
Don't forget to report that employer to the IRS! They're legally required to provide W-2s by January 31st. You can call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to report them. I did this when my employer "forgot" to send my W-2, and miraculously they "found" it and sent it within a week after the IRS contacted them. Also check your state's department of labor about those unpaid wages. Some states have penalties for employers who withhold pay, and they can sometimes get things moving faster than you can on your own.
Thank you so much for this suggestion! Would reporting them to the IRS interfere with my ongoing case with the department of industrial relations? I'm definitely going to call them about the W-2 issue.
Romeo Quest
ā¢Not at all - these are completely separate issues being handled by different agencies. The IRS is concerned with tax compliance (providing W-2s), while the department of industrial relations handles wage theft and payment issues. You should absolutely pursue both avenues simultaneously. In fact, the pressure from multiple agencies often motivates employers to resolve issues faster. The IRS penalties for not providing W-2s can be significant, which might get their attention in a way your individual requests haven't.
Val Rossi
Just to add something important - make sure you keep REALLY good records of all your attempts to get your W-2 and your communications with this employer. Save emails, text messages, write down dates of phone calls, etc. This will help you if the IRS has questions about why you filed with Form 4852. Also, when you estimate your withholding, err on the side of caution and estimate a bit LOWER than you think it might be. It's better to potentially owe a small amount later than to claim too much withholding and raise red flags.
Eve Freeman
ā¢This is good advice. I actually took screenshots of all communications with my former employer when they wouldn't give me my W-2. The IRS never questioned my Form 4852, but I was prepared just in case.
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When this happened to me at State University, I asked them to show me exactly how they calculated what I owed. Turns out they were trying to collect for an extra 3 months before I became benefits-eligible! Check their math carefully - don't just accept whatever number they give you. Also, they should give you a detailed breakdown showing the exact pay periods affected, the amounts that should have been withheld, and how they're going to collect it. If they don't provide this automatically, request it in writing.
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely ask for a detailed breakdown. Did you have to pay interest on top of the missing FICA taxes?
No, I didn't have to pay any interest. Since it was their error, they only collected the actual missing FICA amounts. They initially tried to include interest in their calculation, but I pushed back and pointed out that their own policy stated that administrative errors shouldn't result in additional costs to employees. I'd recommend checking your university's HR policies on payroll errors. Most have some language about how corrections should be handled, and this might give you some leverage if they try to charge interest or penalties.
Aisha Patel
Just a heads up - make sure you're saving extra money from each paycheck for the rest of the year! When this happened to me, the sudden drop in take-home pay (both from the new correct withholding AND the back payments) really messed up my budget. I wasn't prepared for my paycheck to be almost 12% smaller.
LilMama23
ā¢Good point. When my company had a similar FICA withholding error, I adjusted my W-4 to reduce other withholding temporarily while I was paying back the FICA. You can increase your allowances slightly to offset some of the pain if needed.
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Lara Woods
Another thing to consider is that your activity might be classified as a business rather than a hobby depending on how regularly you're doing this and how much profit you're making. The IRS has a "hobby loss rule" where if you don't show profit in 3 out of 5 years, they might classify it as a hobby and limit your deductions. In your case, since you're actually profiting after the cash back, you should probably treat it as a business. The upside is you can deduct legitimate expenses like maybe a home office portion, shipping costs, secure storage, etc. The downside is you'll need to pay self-employment tax on your profits.
Lucas Turner
ā¢That's a good point about the business vs. hobby classification. I'm definitely making a consistent profit when you factor in the cash back, and I've been doing this for about 2 years now. Do you think I need to register as an actual business in California, or is just filing Schedule C enough?
Lara Woods
ā¢Filing Schedule C is enough for federal tax purposes, but California may have additional requirements. If you're operating as a sole proprietor (just yourself), you typically don't need a formal business registration with the state unless your local county/city requires business licenses for your type of activity. However, if your annual gross receipts are over $100,000, you might need to register for a seller's permit with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, even for gold coins. I'd recommend checking with your county clerk's office about any local business license requirements as they vary by locality. Better to be compliant from the start than face penalties later. Given the nature of dealing with valuable items like gold coins, being properly registered might also give your customers more confidence.
Just my 2 cents, but you should also look into whether your credit card company might issue a 1099-MISC if your cash back rewards exceed a certain threshold (usually $600). Some banks treat large rewards as miscellaneous income rather than rebates, especially for business cards. I had this happen with my Amex business card last year when I got like $800 in rewards from a similar type of reselling operation. The 1099 made it pretty clear I needed to report it as income.
This is incorrect. Cash back on purchases is considered a discount or rebate, not reportable income, even if it exceeds $600. Banks only issue 1099s for referral bonuses, sign-up bonuses, or interest income - not for cash back on purchases. The IRS views cash back as effectively reducing the purchase price.
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To actually answer your original question about TurboTax - I've used it for the past 5 years and it's fine. Not amazing, not terrible. Here's my honest take: PROS: - Really easy interface - Imports W-2s automatically if your employer supports it - Good at finding common deductions - You can pay the fee out of your refund CONS: - They constantly try to upsell you - Basic version is limited, you'll probably need Deluxe ($60ish plus state) - Customer service can be slow during peak season - The "audit defense" they sell is overpriced for most people If you're comfortable with slightly less hand-holding, check out FreeTaxUSA. I switched this year and saved about $70 for basically the same result.
StarStrider
ā¢Thanks for the breakdown! That's really helpful. Did you find it easy to switch to FreeTaxUSA after using TurboTax for years? Was there a learning curve?
There was a small learning curve switching to FreeTaxUSA, but nothing major. The interface isn't quite as polished as TurboTax, but all the same information is there. The biggest difference is that FreeTaxUSA doesn't push upgrades constantly, which was refreshing. One helpful thing is that FreeTaxUSA lets you import your previous year's return from TurboTax, so I didn't have to re-enter all my personal info. The actual filing process took maybe 15 minutes longer than TurboTax, but saving $70 was totally worth it to me.
Just FYI - if your income is under $73k, you can use the IRS Free File program to access TurboTax and other tax software completely free. Don't go directly to TurboTax.com - instead go through the IRS website (https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free). The software companies hide these free versions on their own sites.
Liam Mendez
ā¢This!! I accidentally paid $120 for TurboTax last year when I could've gotten it free. They're super sneaky about it. Always go through the IRS Free File page.
Zara Rashid
One tip from someone who's been doing survey sites for years - create a simple spreadsheet tracking all your survey income throughout the year. I list date, survey site name, survey ID or description, and amount paid. Makes tax time so much easier! Also, you can use the IRS free file options if your income is under their threshold. I use FreeTaxUSA which handles Schedule C and SE really well for this type of situation. Don't pay for expensive software if you don't need to!
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Luca Romano
ā¢Do you need to include any kind of documentation or proof of the survey income when you file? Or do you just report the total amount? I'm worried about getting audited.
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Zara Rashid
ā¢You just report the total amount on your tax forms - no need to attach any documentation when filing. But you should absolutely keep records (payment screenshots, spreadsheet of earnings, withdrawal confirmations) for at least 3 years in case of an audit. Don't stress too much about audits - they're rare, especially for simple returns with modest income. The key is being honest about reporting ALL income and having reasonable documentation to back it up if ever questioned. My spreadsheet plus screenshots of payment summaries from each site has been more than sufficient for the past 5 years.
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Nia Jackson
Does anyone know if you need different business codes for different types of online income? I do surveys but also product testing and user testing websites which pay more. Should these be on separate Schedule Cs or combined?
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NebulaNova
ā¢I combine all my "opinion-based" work on one Schedule C. The business code I use is 541910 for "Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling" which covers surveys and user testing. If your activities are all related to giving opinions and testing, one Schedule C is fine. If you have very different activities (like surveys + selling crafts), then separate them.
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