First time fill in Dental Hygienist with 1099-MISC - Why do I owe so much Federal tax?

The reason you're seeing a tax bill is because 1099 income is considered self-employment income, and there are two key parts to this: First, no taxes were withheld from your dental hygienist pay - not just income tax, but also no Social Security or Medicare taxes (which are normally split between employer/employee). Second, with self-employment, you're responsible for both halves of Social Security and Medicare taxes (this is the "self-employment tax" on Form SE) - which is about 15.3% of your net earnings, on top of regular income tax. When you filed Schedule C, you reported your business income and expenses. This net profit flows to your Form SE where the self-employment tax is calculated, and then both the income and the SE tax end up on your 1040. The good news is you may be able to reduce what you owe by deducking business expenses on Schedule C. Did you have any expenses related to your fill-in work? Things like scrubs, supplies, license fees, continuing education, or mileage to temporary work locations might be deductible.

I had almost the exact same situation last year - was a fill-in dental assistant and got shocked with a huge tax bill. I tried everything but kept getting confused with all the Schedule C stuff, deduction rules, and quarterly payment requirements. I ended up using https://taxr.ai to analyze my 1099-MISC and W-2 forms and it saved me a ton of money. The system automatically identified several deductions I had no idea I qualified for as a temporary healthcare worker. It also explained exactly how self-employment taxes work in really clear language. The best part was it showed me how to properly document my business expenses and mileage that I was driving between offices. If you're struggling with Tax Slayer, you might want to check it out - totally changed my understanding of how to handle mixed W-2 and 1099 income.

Wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that someone mentioned earlier. I was really skeptical at first but I had a similar 1099-MISC situation from dental fill-in work. It actually found several deductions I had no idea about - including partial home office deduction since I handle my own scheduling and billing, professional liability insurance premium, and even my scrubs and specific dental tools I purchased. The biggest help was properly calculating my mileage between multiple offices (I worked at 3 different locations). My tax bill went from around $2,200 to just under $1,400 after all legitimate deductions. The explanation of self-employment taxes actually made sense unlike the IRS instructions. Definitely worth it for anyone doing dental fill-in work on 1099.

If you're having trouble getting answers from the IRS about your 1099-MISC situation, I highly recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual human at the IRS. I spent DAYS trying to get someone on the phone to explain why my self-employment taxes were so high as a dental hygienist doing fill-in work. After my fifth attempt waiting on hold for hours, a colleague suggested Claimyr. They have this system that navigates the IRS phone tree for you and calls you back when an actual agent is on the line. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I finally spoke with explained exactly which expenses I could deduct as a dental professional and walked me through how self-employment taxes work. Changed my entire understanding of 1099 work and saved me from making some serious filing mistakes.

Just wanted to update after trying Claimyr to reach the IRS about my dental hygienist 1099-MISC situation. I was super skeptical (as you could tell from my previous comment), but my accountant kept insisting I needed clarification directly from the IRS about some deductions. I reluctantly tried it, and no BS - I got connected to an actual IRS agent after about 90 minutes. Never would have believed it. The agent was incredibly helpful and explained exactly which expenses I could legitimately deduct for my fill-in dental work. She also walked me through how to handle quarterly estimated payments for this year to avoid another surprise tax bill. I was 100% wrong about this service. If you need to actually talk to someone at the IRS about self-employment taxes or 1099 issues, this actually works. Saving me from a potential audit was worth every penny.

As a CPA who works with many dental professionals, I wanted to add some perspective. The "shock" of 1099 income is very common for first-timers in the dental field. For dental hygienists specifically, you should track: - Professional licenses and renewals - Scrubs and lab coats (must be specialized, not general clothing) - CE courses required to maintain your license - Professional liability insurance - Professional association memberships - Specialized tools/equipment you personally provide - Mileage between different offices (but not regular commuting to a single location) Remember that self-employment tax (15.3%) is calculated on 92.35% of your net earnings, and half of that tax is deductible on your 1040. Quarterly estimated tax payments are essential if you continue 1099 work to avoid penalties next year.

has anyone tried using an S-corp structure for dental hygiene fill-in work? I've been doing this for a few years and my accountant suggested I look into it to save on self-employment taxes.

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! I'm a dental hygienist who did fill-in work for about 6 months last year and just got hit with a massive tax bill that I wasn't expecting at all. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially learning about the self-employment tax being 15.3% on top of regular income tax. No wonder my bill was so high! I had no idea I'd be responsible for both the employer AND employee portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes. I'm definitely going to go back through my records and look for all those business expenses everyone mentioned. I bought several sets of scrubs, renewed my license, paid for continuing education, and drove to 4 different offices throughout the year. I kept most of my receipts but never thought to track mileage - lesson learned for next time! For anyone else in this boat, it sounds like the key is being really thorough about documenting legitimate business expenses on Schedule C. Even though the tax bill is still going to be substantial, every deduction helps reduce that painful self-employment tax calculation.

As someone who just went through this exact situation as a dental hygienist doing fill-in work, I completely understand your shock! The $2,000 tax bill hit me like a truck too when I first saw it. The key thing to understand is that your $9,200 from dental work isn't just subject to regular income tax - it also gets hit with self-employment tax of about 15.3% (Social Security and Medicare taxes that normally get split between you and an employer). On $9,200, that's roughly $1,300 in self-employment tax alone, plus whatever income tax applies. You definitely need to file Schedule C since you received a 1099-MISC. But here's the good news - you can reduce your tax burden by claiming legitimate business expenses. Things like: - Scrubs and uniforms (if they're specialized for dental work) - License renewal fees - Continuing education required for your license - Professional liability insurance - Mileage between different offices (not your regular commute) - Any dental tools or supplies you purchased Start gathering receipts and calculating your business mileage. Even if you don't have perfect records, you can reconstruct reasonable estimates based on your work schedule. Every deduction reduces both your income tax AND self-employment tax, so it's worth being thorough. The tax software is probably calculating correctly - it's just that nobody warned us about how self-employment taxes work! Set aside about 25-30% of any future 1099 income for taxes to avoid this surprise next year.