Is the 1099-NEC tax rate seriously this high? My refund got slashed!

Wait seriously? No one ever mentioned the self-employment tax part to me... Is there any way to reduce this now that I've already submitted my return? I definitely had expenses (new strings, a guitar stand, gas to get to the venue) but I didn't track any of that since I didn't know it was deductible.

You can absolutely file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to claim those expenses you didn't include initially. Just make sure you have some documentation for the expenses - receipts, bank/credit card statements, or even a mileage log if you tracked your driving. For the future, keep track of ALL expenses related to your music gigs. You'll report these on Schedule C when you file. Even small things add up - strings, picks, equipment maintenance, portion of your phone bill if you use it for booking, etc. Many musicians even deduct a portion of their home as a practice space.

Does this actually work for musicians too? I just got my first 1099 for teaching piano lessons and I'm freaking out about taxes.

I'm skeptical about AI tax tools. How does it actually know what expenses are legitimate vs what might trigger an audit? The last thing I need is the IRS coming after me.

It absolutely works for musicians! The system is trained on tax regulations for all kinds of independent contractors, including performing artists. It'll help identify deductions specific to your situation like instrument costs, music subscriptions, recording equipment, travel to gigs, etc. The AI is actually built on IRS guidelines and tax court cases, so it's designed to recommend legitimate deductions, not risky ones. It flags things that might increase audit risk and explains why. I was worried about the same thing, but it's actually more conservative than some of the "creative" deductions my friends were taking.

How exactly does this work? I don't understand how some service can get through faster than I can by calling myself?

Yeah right. The IRS is IMPOSSIBLE to reach. If this actually worked, everyone would be using it. Sounds like you're just promoting something.

The service uses an automated system that keeps dialing and navigating the phone tree until it gets a real person. It's not that they have a special line - they're just using technology to handle the frustrating wait times. Once they get a person, they call you and connect you directly to that IRS agent. No more spending your whole day hitting redial or being on hold. I was totally skeptical too, I thought nothing could fix the IRS phone nightmare. But I was desperate after trying for three days straight to get through about a payment plan issue. When I finally got connected to an actual IRS agent who helped resolve my issue, I was honestly shocked at how well it worked.

How do you even figure out how much to pay for these quarterly payments? My gig schedule is super irregular - some months I might make $300, others nothing at all.

You have a couple of options for estimated payments. The simplest is to take your total expected 1099 income for the year, calculate roughly what you'll owe (about 30-35% to be safe), then divide by 4 and pay that amount each quarter. If your income is very irregular, you can use what's called the "annualized income installment method" which lets you make different payment amounts each quarter based on what you actually earned that quarter. It's a bit more work but prevents overpaying when your income fluctuates. There's a worksheet (2210-AI) that helps you calculate this.

Yes, you absolutely can if they're used primarily for your music business. The key is to track what percentage is business vs. personal use. If you use Spotify 70% of the time to learn songs for paid gigs, you can deduct 70% of the subscription cost.

@AstroAce is right about the business percentage approach. I'd recommend keeping a simple log for a month or two to track your usage - like noting when you're using Spotify to learn songs for gigs vs. just personal listening. You can even deduct music notation apps, metronome apps, or other music-related subscriptions if they're helping you with your paid performances. Just make sure you can justify the business purpose if asked.