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Self employed handyman - Can I write off car depreciation for my work truck?
Hey all, I've been working as a self-employed handyman for about 2 years now and I'm trying to be smarter about my taxes this year. I use my truck constantly for jobs - hauling materials, driving to client sites, etc. Probably put about 15,000 business miles on it last year. I've been tracking my gas and maintenance expenses, but someone mentioned I might be able to write off the actual depreciation of the vehicle too? It's a 2019 Ford F-150 that I bought used last year specifically for work (but I do occasionally use it for personal stuff too, maybe 20% of the time). Is vehicle depreciation something I can legitimately claim as a self-employed person? Do I need to track something specific to qualify for this? I've been using standard mileage up to now but wondering if actual expenses might be better with depreciation included. Any advice appreciated!
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How to File an Extension for Single Member LLC Taxes?
Hey tax folks, I'm in a bit of a time crunch with my taxes this year and need to file an extension. I run a single member LLC which is my only source of income. From what I've read, I think I can make an estimated payment to the IRS and label it as for an extension, but I'm not 100% sure on the process. Do I file Form 4868 like regular individuals, or is there a different form since I have an LLC? Also, I heard you still need to pay what you think you'll owe by the original deadline even with the extension - is that true? This is my second year with the LLC and last year I had an accountant handle everything, but trying to save some money by doing it myself this time. Any advice from those who have done extensions with a single member LLC would be super helpful! Thanks in advance.
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Just a heads up from someone who's done this a few times - make sure you're also considering your state tax extension requirements! Many states automatically extend when you get a federal extension, but some require a separate form and payment. For example, I have a single member LLC in California, and I need to file Form FTB 3519 for my state extension in addition to the federal Form 4868. And like the federal extension, CA requires payment of estimated tax by the original due date. Check your state's department of revenue website for specific requirements since they vary a lot.
Do you know if Texas requires a separate form? I've got an LLC there but can't figure out if I need to do anything special for the state since they don't have personal income tax, but do have that franchise tax thing.
Texas is a bit different since they don't have personal income tax. For a single member LLC in Texas, you're right about the franchise tax. If your LLC's revenue is over the threshold (currently $1,230,000), you need to file a franchise tax report by the due date or request an extension. For the extension in Texas, you'd file Form 05-164 and make any required payment. Even if you're below the no-tax-due threshold, you may still need to file a "No Tax Due Report" by the deadline or request an extension. The Texas Comptroller's website has detailed information specific to your situation.
Have any of you used TurboSelf for filing extensions for single member LLCs? Their ads keep popping up on my feed claiming they specialize in self-employed taxes, but I'm not sure if it's worth the money compared to other options.
I tried TurboSelf last year for my LLC extension and it was okay but not great. It handled the basic Form 4868 fine, but wasn't very helpful with calculating a good estimated payment amount. I ended up overpaying by almost $2,000 because it used a very conservative calculation method. Their support was also really slow to respond when I had questions about how to properly categorize some business expenses that would affect my payment amount. I think there are better options out there specifically for small business owners.
Can I submit a Form 8275 type disclosure statement with Form 941 for ERTC claims?
So I'm trying to figure out this whole Employee Retention Credit situation with all the confusing guidance out there. My business had some disruptions during the pandemic that I think qualify us for ERTC, but there's so much ambiguity in the rules. I want to file for the credit on Form 941, but I'm concerned about potential penalties if the IRS disagrees with my interpretation. On income tax forms, you can file Form 8275 to disclose positions that might be questionable but have reasonable basis, which helps avoid penalties even if the IRS ultimately disagrees. Does anyone know if there's an equivalent disclosure statement I can attach to Form 941 for ERTC claims? It seems weird that Form 8275 exists for income tax but not for payroll taxes. If the IRS guidance is this unclear, shouldn't there be a way to make a good faith claim while protecting yourself from penalties?
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Have you considered just using a tax professional who specializes in ERTC claims? DIY approach with disclosure statements is risky with how aggressively the IRS is auditing these credits lately. My company worked with a specialized CPA firm that handled everything, including creating a comprehensive reasonable basis document. They included case-specific citations for our industry and documentation of exactly how our business met the criteria. Cost us about $3,500 but they helped us claim nearly $180K in credits correctly, so well worth the fee.
What firm did you use? I've been hesitant about some of these ERTC specialist companies because there seem to be so many pop-up firms just chasing these claims and I'm worried about getting aggressive advice that could cause problems later.
I used a regional accounting firm in our area that already handled our regular tax work, not one of the ERTC mills that appeared overnight. That's exactly why I suggested finding a professional - too many firms are pushing aggressive positions without considering the documentation needed to support them. If you already have a CPA or tax preparer, ask if they have ERTC experience or can refer you to someone reputable. The best protection is having a tax professional who will stand behind their work and be there if questions come up later. The firms that properly document reasonable basis positions are worth their weight in gold right now with all the ERTC scrutiny.
Just an FYI for everyone in this thread - the IRS announced increased scrutiny of ERTC claims last month. They're specifically looking at claims that don't have strong documentation of eligibility. So definitely document everything thoroughly whether you use Form 8275-type disclosures or not. The moratorium on processing new claims was lifted, but they're applying extra review steps. My accountant said claims with detailed supporting documentation are moving through faster than those without.
Yeah my claim from October is still "processing" even though the IRS cashed the check for the quarter I had to pay additional tax on. Feels like they're just sitting on these claims hoping people forget about them.
W4 Question: I work 4 jobs, should I adjust my withholding for each position?
So I'm juggling 4 different jobs right now and just finished doing my 2024 taxes. I was shocked to discover that 2 of my employers weren't taking ANY federal taxes out! No wonder my refund was so much smaller than I expected. Looking ahead to this year, I definitely need to update my W4 forms but I'm confused about the right approach. Should I be changing the W4 for all four jobs or just focus on my main source of income? The W4 form seems way more complicated than it used to be. In the past, I would just claim fewer allowances to have more taken out, but now it's this whole worksheet thing with multiple steps. I started looking at it last night and just got overwhelmed. If I update all four W4 forms the same way, will I end up having too much withheld? But if I only update my main job's W4, will that be enough to cover what the other jobs should be withholding? I'm trying to avoid another tax surprise next year.
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Here's what I did in your situation - I calculated my total expected income from all jobs, then figured out what tax bracket that puts me in. Then I did the withholding calculations as if each job was my only job, but used that higher tax bracket percentage. For example, if each individual job would put me in the 12% bracket, but combined they put me in the 22% bracket, I made sure each job was withholding at least 22% of my income. It's not perfect but it worked well enough to avoid owing a huge amount.
Doesn't that mean you're overwithholding though? Wouldn't you end up with a massive refund? I'm trying to get mine as close to zero as possible.
You're right that it might result in slightly overwithholding, but in my experience it wasn't a massive refund - just enough to feel safe. The reason is that not all your income is taxed at your highest bracket rate because of how tax brackets work. Only the portion above each threshold gets taxed at the higher rate. So while it's not perfectly calibrated, it's a simple approach that errs on the side of caution. I'd rather get a small refund than owe money and potentially face penalties.
Has anyone tried the "Two Earners/Multiple Jobs Worksheet" on the W4 form? I tried filling it out last year and got so confused. The instructions say to only complete it on one W4 (highest paying job) but I don't understand how that accounts for all jobs.
I tried it and it worked pretty well! The key is you ONLY fill out that worksheet and put the extra withholding amount on your highest-paying job's W4 (Step 4c). For your other jobs, you just fill out the basic info but don't do any adjustments. The worksheet basically calculates the additional tax you need to withhold to make up for having multiple jobs, then concentrates it all on one paycheck. It seems weird at first but makes sense when you think about it.
Accountant applied our tax refund to next year's estimated taxes without asking us
So we tried out a new tax professional this year and I just realized they made a decision that's really impacting our finances. When filing our taxes (2024 filing for 2023 taxes), the accountant apparently selected the option to apply our refund to next year's estimated tax payments instead of having it sent to our bank account. The issue is that this isn't a small amount - we're talking about $47,000 that we were counting on getting back. We've always gotten refunds deposited directly in previous years, and I never authorized this change. Based on my salary and withholding pattern, we'll likely get a refund next year anyway, so having this extra money tied up with the IRS for a full year is frustrating. Is there a way to amend the return to get this refund back now instead of having it applied to next year's estimated payments? I've contacted the accounting firm and their response has been pretty unhelpful - basically just saying "that's what we did" without offering solutions. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is a significant amount of money that we'd rather have now than letting the government hold onto it interest-free for another year.
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Something similar happened to me a few years back, though with a smaller amount. I think some accountants default to applying refunds to next year's estimated taxes because it's easier for them to manage their clients' tax planning. But they should ALWAYS discuss this with you first, especially for such a large amount. I'd honestly consider finding a new accountant after this. At the very least, they should have explained why they made this choice and given you options. The fact that they're being dismissive about it now is even more concerning.
Would you recommend discussing this issue with the accountant's supervisor? Or is it better to just move on to a new tax professional at this point?
I'd definitely escalate this to a supervisor or the firm's partner. A mid-5-figure refund being handled differently than expected without client consultation is a serious customer service issue. Explain calmly that this decision has significant financial implications for you, and you expect them to help resolve it, including assistance with filing the amended return. If they're still dismissive after escalation, that's when I'd definitely move on to a new tax professional. A good accountant should be willing to explain their decisions and help fix issues when they arise. Also, be sure to get clear communication about their standard procedures before next tax season, regardless of which firm you use.
I'm curious - why did you have such a large refund in the first place? Not judging, just thinking you might want to adjust your withholding going forward. That's basically an interest-free loan to the government of $4,000 per month.
This is actually good advice. I adjusted my W-4 last year to have less withheld and get more in each paycheck instead of a big refund. It's made a huge difference in my monthly budget!
That's a fair question. We had some unusual circumstances last year - I received a large bonus that had mandatory 37% withholding, plus we sold some property but had significant basis in it so the withholding ended up being much higher than the actual tax due. We normally try to get our withholding pretty close to what we'll owe. You're absolutely right though - going forward we're adjusting everything to prevent this situation. I just need to solve the immediate problem of getting this year's refund back rather than having it applied to estimated taxes.
Brielle Johnson
Don't forget about the business mileage log requirement! Whether you choose standard mileage or actual expenses with depreciation, you NEED a detailed mileage log that shows: - Date of each trip - Starting and ending location - Purpose of the trip (client name, etc) - Business miles driven Without this documentation, the IRS can disallow your entire vehicle deduction if you're audited. I learned this the hard way and had to pay back thousands. There are good apps like MileIQ or Everlance that can help track this automatically.
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Honorah King
Is a paper log still acceptable? I'm old school and keep a notebook in my glove compartment where I write down all my business trips.
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Brielle Johnson
Yes, a paper log is absolutely acceptable! The IRS doesn't require any specific format as long as you're capturing all the necessary information (date, starting point, destination, purpose, and miles driven). Your glove compartment notebook works perfectly fine as long as you're consistent with recording your trips. Some people actually prefer paper logs because they can't be altered as easily as digital records, which can sometimes be an advantage if you're ever questioned. Just make sure you're keeping up with it in real-time rather than trying to reconstruct it at tax time. The IRS is particularly suspicious of logs that appear to have been created all at once.
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Oliver Brown
Quick question - if I'm using my personal SUV for doordash deliveries part time, can I still claim depreciation or is that only for like full-time self employed people? I use it maybe 15 hours a week for deliveries.
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Mary Bates
Absolutely you can! It doesn't matter if you're part-time or full-time - what matters is the business use percentage. If you use your SUV 30% of the time for DoorDash, you can deduct 30% of your actual expenses (including depreciation) OR use the standard mileage rate for the business miles. Just make sure you're tracking your delivery miles separately from personal use. Most delivery drivers I know use the standard mileage method since it's simpler, but you should run the numbers both ways to see which gives you a better deduction.
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