Thanks for bringing this up! We are claiming the Child Tax Credit for both kids, but I'm not sure if we've maxed it out. My husband does get 1099s and I know he needs to do the quarterly payments but honestly we never knew how to calculate them properly. Is there a simple formula to figure out roughly how much we should set aside from each check?

A simple rule of thumb is to set aside about 25-30% of his 1099 income for taxes. This covers both income tax and self-employment tax (which is roughly 15.3% alone). For proper quarterly payments, you can use the IRS Form 1040-ES worksheet, which helps calculate your required payments based on expected income. The due dates are April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year. Setting up a separate savings account just for taxes can be really helpful - deposit that percentage from each check immediately before you're tempted to spend it.

This is great advice! I'm a contractor too and opened a SEP IRA last year. Was able to contribute almost 20% of my income and it dropped me into a lower tax bracket. Saved me thousands.

Just be aware that SEP IRAs have an earlier deadline than traditional IRAs! For 2024 taxes, you need to set up and contribute to a SEP IRA by the tax filing deadline (including extensions) in 2025. Don't wait until last minute like I did!

I've used FreeTaxUSA for the last three years including for my small business (Etsy shop) and rental property. It's handled everything perfectly and I've never had an issue. The interface isn't as pretty as TurboTax but it asks all the same questions and I've gotten identical results when I've compared them side by side. Saved me like $120 each year.

Have you had any issues with Wave at tax time? I tried it last year and my accountant complained that the reports weren't detailed enough for some of the deductions we wanted to take. Did you add any paid features to make it work better?

I did have some limitations with Wave during my first tax season, particularly around categorizing certain business expenses properly. I ended up using their paid receipt scanning feature ($8/month) which helped tremendously with organization and made my accountant much happier. For detailed job costing and tracking profitability by service type, Wave definitely has limitations. I supplement with a simple spreadsheet for that analysis. The payroll integration with OnPay has been flawless though - all my quarterly filings have gone through without issues and the reports are accepted by my accountant without complaints.

I switched from QuickBooks to Xero last year for my pool service company (5 employees) and it's been excellent. The inventory tracking is better for tracking chemicals and supplies, and the mobile app is way more user-friendly for entering expenses on the go. Their project tracking feature works well for tracking costs by customer property too.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's helpful to know about the mobile app and project tracking - both would be really useful for my lawn care business. How was the transition from QuickBooks? Did you lose any historical data in the switch?

You know what, that could actually be part of the problem. I didn't realize the W-4 had changed that significantly. I did fill out a paper form when I started and I remember putting "0" for allowances, but maybe that wasn't even the right field on the new form. I definitely didn't check anything about multiple jobs because my first job had already ended when I started this one. Do you think that could have somehow triggered zero withholding?

That could absolutely be the issue. The new W-4 doesn't have a place for "0 allowances" anymore, so if you were filling out an old form or using old terminology on the new form, it might have confused your payroll department. Even though your jobs weren't simultaneous, the Step 2 checkbox helps the withholding system account for your total annual income. Without it checked, the system might have been withholding as if this was your only income for the year, and depending on your pay rate, that might result in little or no withholding if the projected annual amount would be under the standard deduction.

That's a good point. If they gave you a W-2 but treated you as an independent contractor for withholding purposes, that's definitely something the IRS would be interested in knowing about. Companies can get in big trouble for misclassifying employees.

They definitely gave me a W-2, not a 1099. And they are withholding Social Security and Medicare taxes correctly - it's just the federal income tax that's showing $0. So I don't think I'm being classified as an independent contractor. It seems more like some kind of specific error with just the federal income tax withholding.

Thank you for mentioning this! I had no idea this was a thing. I'll definitely ask our CPA about the Voluntary Disclosure Program. Is there anything specific we need to do to qualify for this?

You're already taking the right first step by working with a CPA to file all the past returns. The key requirements are that you're coming forward voluntarily (before the IRS contacts you about the unfiled returns) and that you're filing accurate returns for all missing years. Make sure your CPA specifically requests penalty abatement using Form 843. They should cite "reasonable cause" and explain the circumstances that led to the unfiled returns. Having professional help with this process is crucial because the specific language and approach matter a lot in how the IRS responds.

That's not entirely accurate. The IRS doesn't immediately put liens on property, especially if you're voluntarily coming forward. They typically only place liens after multiple notices and lack of response or cooperation.