Just want to add that since you're in Florida, you have one major advantage - no state income tax! This means you only need to worry about federal taxes on your Meta Bonus income. However, don't forget that you'll still need to pay self-employment tax (15.3%) on top of regular income tax. One thing I wish someone had told me when I started earning from social media: open a separate savings account and immediately transfer 25-30% of any bonus payments you receive. This way you won't be scrambling to find tax money when filing season comes around. The quarterly estimated tax payments that others mentioned become really important once you start earning more consistently from Meta's programs. Also, keep screenshots of your Meta Creator Bonus dashboard and any payment notifications - these help document your income sources if the IRS ever has questions about your 1099-MISC.

Maya, I completely understand the confusion! I went through the exact same thing when I started earning from Instagram's Creator Fund. Even though it feels weird to call yourself a "business" when you're just posting content you enjoy, the IRS treats any income from these creator programs as self-employment income. Here's what I learned: when TurboTax asks for business info, keep it simple. Use your own name as the business name, select "Sole Proprietorship," and for the business activity code, use 519130 (Internet Publishing and Broadcasting). Don't overthink it - you're not incorporating or anything complex. The good news about being in Florida is no state income tax! But you will need to pay self-employment tax on that $4000, which is about 15.3%. Start setting aside money now for next year's earnings - I learned this the hard way. Also, make sure you're tracking any expenses related to your meme page. Things like your phone bill (business portion), any apps you pay for, internet costs, etc. can all be deducted and will reduce your tax burden. Good luck!

I've been reading through all these experiences and I'm really grateful for the detailed insights everyone has shared! As someone who's been considering this exact path, it's clear that Jackson Hewitt's free training is more of an entry point than comprehensive business tax education. What I'm taking away from this discussion is that there are really two separate goals here: (1) learning actual business tax preparation and (2) gaining practical client experience. It seems like JH might help with #2 but definitely not #1, based on everyone's experiences. The IRS Annual Filing Season Program keeps getting mentioned as a much better foundation for actually understanding business taxation. Given that it's free and self-paced, it seems like a no-brainer to start there rather than hoping to learn complex tax concepts through JH's basic training. I'm curious - for those who completed the AFSP, did you feel confident enough afterward to handle basic Schedule C returns, or did you still need additional training/experience before feeling ready to work with business clients? Trying to gauge whether the AFSP alone provides enough foundation to potentially skip the chain experience entirely and go straight to applying at local firms or starting with VITA. The pay situation at JH does sound pretty discouraging across the board. If the main value is client interaction experience, I wonder if there are other ways to develop those skills that don't involve working for such low pay. Maybe starting with VITA volunteer work could provide similar client experience while also contributing to the community?

This entire discussion has been incredibly enlightening! As someone who's been contemplating the same path as Zainab, I really appreciate everyone sharing their real-world experiences rather than just the marketing pitch from tax prep companies. The pattern that's emerged is crystal clear: Jackson Hewitt's free classes are essentially basic software training with minimal business tax content. The real value seems to be in the client interaction experience, but even that comes at the cost of pretty terrible pay across most locations. I'm really intrigued by the AFSP + VITA combination that just came up. It never occurred to me that VITA could provide the same practical client experience as working at a chain, but with better mentorship and more meaningful work. Plus avoiding the pay disappointment entirely while actually helping people who need it most. For anyone else following this thread, it seems like the winning formula is: AFSP for solid tax law foundation → VITA for practical client experience and mentorship → transition to local CPA firms with a strong combination of knowledge and demonstrated client service skills. This path avoids the low pay and limited learning of the chains while still building all the necessary competencies. Has anyone here actually tried the AFSP + VITA route specifically? I'd love to hear how that combination worked out compared to the chain experience. The mentorship aspect of VITA sounds particularly valuable - something you definitely don't get at Jackson Hewitt from what everyone's described.

Just want to add one thing I learned the hard way - if you don't report this income and the family DOES decide to claim you as a childcare expense on their taxes (which they might do despite what they told you), it creates a mismatch that can trigger IRS questions. This happened to me a few years ago. The family told me they weren't reporting, then claimed childcare expenses, and I got a notice from the IRS asking about the unreported income. Not a full audit, but definitely a headache to resolve.

Based on everyone's advice here, it sounds like you definitely need to report this income. I'm in a similar boat - made about $2400 babysitting for three different families this year and was getting mixed messages about whether it counted as "real" income. What helped me was tracking down the actual IRS publication (Pub 926) about household employees. It's pretty clear that if you're providing childcare services regularly, you're either a household employee (if they control your work) or self-employed (if you control how you do the work). Either way, it's taxable income over $400. The "gift" explanation from the mom is unfortunately just wrong, even if she genuinely believes it. The IRS looks at the substance of the transaction - you provided services, you got paid. That's income, not a gift. One thing I'd add to the great advice about expenses - if you used your phone for coordinating with the family or took any training courses related to childcare, those can be business expenses too. Every legitimate deduction helps offset that self-employment tax!

Has anybody used TurboTax Self-Employed for Uber Eats? I heard it imports all ur earnings automatically but costs like $140. Is it worth it or should I just use FreeTaxUSA?

One thing that really helped me when I started with Uber Eats was setting up a separate savings account just for taxes. I automatically transfer 25-30% of each deposit into that account so I'm not scrambling come tax time. Also, don't forget about other deductible expenses beyond just mileage! Things like car washes (to keep your delivery car clean), phone chargers, hand sanitizer, masks, and even tolls can add up. I keep all my receipts in a shoebox and it's saved me hundreds. The key is to start tracking everything NOW - don't wait until tax season. Your future self will thank you! And seriously, those quarterly payments are crucial if you're making decent money. I learned that the hard way my first year.

I've been using Go2Bank for tax refunds for the past 3 years and can share some real experience. Year 1: got my refund exactly 2 days early (was thrilled!). Year 2: only 1 day early. This year: right on the IRS scheduled date with no early deposit at all. What I've learned is that it really comes down to IRS processing timing rather than Go2Bank's policies. When the IRS is running smoothly and sends ACH notifications early, Go2Bank delivers on the "up to 2 days early" promise. But when the IRS is backed up or your return needs any kind of review, that early notification doesn't happen. My advice: Go2Bank is solid for direct deposits and their mobile app is pretty good for tracking when deposits hit. Just don't plan your budget around getting money early. The "up to" part of their promise is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Treat any early deposit as a nice bonus rather than something you can count on.

I've been using Go2Bank for about 18 months now and can add some perspective to this discussion. In my experience, they're pretty reliable for getting refunds 1-2 days early, but there are a few things to keep in mind: 1. The timing really does depend on your filing situation - if you have kids and claim Child Tax Credit or EITC, the IRS holds those refunds until mid-February regardless of when you file, so the "early deposit" window is smaller. 2. Go2Bank's customer service can be hit or miss if you need to call about anything. I've had good experiences with their chat support though. 3. One nice feature they have is push notifications when deposits are pending, so you'll usually get an alert the evening before the money actually hits your account. Overall, I'd say they deliver on their promise most of the time, but like everyone else has mentioned, plan for the official IRS date and treat early deposits as a bonus. The peace of mind is worth more than potentially scrambling to cover expenses if timing doesn't work out as expected.