That's a really good point I hadn't considered. Do you know if these church donations would still "count" somehow even if I take the standard deduction? I'm nowhere near the itemizing threshold since I rent my home and don't have many other deductions.

Unfortunately, if you take the standard deduction, you can't also claim charitable donations. That's one of the trade-offs - it's either the standard deduction OR itemizing all your qualifying expenses (including charitable donations). There was a temporary exception during COVID where people could deduct some charitable contributions even with the standard deduction (up to $300 for individuals or $600 for married filing jointly), but that provision expired after the 2021 tax year. For 2023 and 2024, we're back to the normal rules where charitable donations only help you tax-wise if you're itemizing.

Is that $500 threshold per charity or total for all charities combined? I donated clothes to Goodwill ($300ish), toys to a church program ($200), and furniture to a homeless shelter ($400) last year.

What kinds of things could be missed on a home sale? I thought it was pretty simple - if you lived there 2 of 5 years you get the exemption up to $250k/$500k depending on if you're single or married?

The basic exemption rule is straightforward, but there are several areas where people commonly miss opportunities or make mistakes. Home improvements can be added to your basis (original purchase price + improvements), which reduces your capital gain. Many people don't keep good records of these or don't know which improvements qualify. This includes major renovations, additions, new roof, HVAC systems, etc. - not regular repairs or maintenance. If you ever used part of your home for business or rental purposes, the calculation gets more complex since that portion may not qualify for the full exemption. This requires proper allocation and depreciation recapture considerations.

Second FreeTaxUSA! Used it for the last 3 years and it's just as good as TurboTax for way less. I had a home sale last year too and it walked me through it fine. Saved like $120 compared to TT.

Because the IRS doesn't know whether your distribution is contributions, conversions, or earnings without you telling them. That's what Form 8606 does - it helps you calculate and show which part of your distribution is taxable. Without it, they'd have to assume the worst (that it's all earnings).

Thanks for this advice. I do have some text messages from the production coordinator with specific reporting instructions and break schedules. Should I include screenshots of these with my SS-8 filing? And did you end up saving much on your taxes after going through the process?

Yes, definitely include screenshots of those text messages! They're perfect evidence of the control factor. Anything showing they dictated when and how you performed the work strengthens your case dramatically. As for tax savings, it wasn't huge for me since it was just a few days of work, but I saved about 7.65% on those earnings (the employer half of FICA taxes). The bigger impact was that the company got flagged for a broader employment tax review, which potentially helps all the other misclassified workers too.

That hasn't been my experience at all! I filed one for a $750 job last year and got a determination in about 4 months. I think it depends on how clear-cut the situation is. My case had obvious employee factors like required uniforms, equipment provided, and scheduled hours - sounds similar to the OP's situation.

Thanks for the warning. I tried the online transcript request but couldn't verify my identity because my phone isn't in my name (I'm on my parents' family plan). How long does the mail request usually take? I'm worried it won't arrive in time for my deadline.

Mail requests generally take 5-10 business days to process plus mailing time, so you're right to be concerned about meeting your deadline. Since you're in a time crunch, I would recommend using Claimyr as others have suggested to get through to an IRS agent who can provide your wage information immediately over the phone. Alternative verification methods for the online transcript system include using a credit card number (doesn't have to be in your name) or getting a one-time code mailed to your address of record, but that also takes 5-10 days. The fastest solution is definitely speaking directly with an IRS agent who can read your wage information to you from their system.

This is great advice! I had a similar issue and my school's financial aid office was able to give me a 30-day extension on tuition payments once I showed them proof I had filed my taxes. Saved me from having to drop my classes while waiting for the loan disbursement.