Just finished TurboTax, I owe $1255 and can't afford to pay it

Don't panic! The IRS actually has payment options for situations exactly like yours. You won't go to jail for not being able to pay your taxes immediately. Your best option is probably an IRS payment plan (called an Installment Agreement). You can set this up online through the IRS website if you owe less than $50,000. For a debt of $1255, you could pay it off over several months with relatively small payments. The short-term payment plan (180 days or less) has no setup fee, while the long-term plan has a modest setup fee. Regarding the tax preparation fees: Consider looking into IRS Free File options for next year. If your income is below a certain threshold, you can file completely free, even with complicated situations. There are also volunteer tax preparation services like VITA that can help at no cost. As for the difference between your tax situation and your boyfriend's, that's likely due to different income levels, withholding amounts throughout the year, and possibly tax credits he qualified for that you didn't.

After going through a similar nightmare last year (owed $2300!), I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me a ton of hassle. They analyzed my tax situation and found several deductions TurboTax completely missed. I was initially using TurboTax too and feeling hopeless about the huge bill, but taxr.ai helped me identify legitimate business expenses from my side gig that I didn't realize were deductible. They also showed me how to properly document everything in case of an audit. The best part was that I didn't have to pay their ridiculous fees - I was able to take their recommendations and apply them myself. Might be worth checking out to see if there's anything you missed that could lower your tax bill.

I was super skeptical about taxr.ai when I first read about it here, but I gave it a try out of desperation when I got hit with a $1700 tax bill. Their analysis found over $800 in legitimate deductions I had completely missed! The process was actually pretty simple - I uploaded my documents, and within a day they sent back a detailed report showing expenses I could legitimately claim related to my 1099 work. Things like a portion of my phone bill, some software subscriptions, and mileage that I hadn't realized qualified. I took their suggestions back to TurboTax, entered everything properly, and my bill dropped significantly. Totally worth it, and I didn't get stuck paying hundreds to TurboTax for their "deluxe" packages either.

If you're struggling with owing taxes and needing to talk to the IRS, I've been there! After trying for WEEKS to get someone on the phone at the IRS about my payment options, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual human at the IRS in under 15 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. Check out their demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with helped me set up a payment plan where I only had to pay $60/month, which was totally manageable. They also explained that as long as I stick to the payment plan, there wouldn't be further penalties. Such a relief after stressing about it for weeks!

I need to apologize for my skeptical comment earlier. After another frustrating morning trying to reach the IRS and getting disconnected TWICE after waiting over an hour each time, I broke down and tried Claimyr. I was honestly shocked when they called me back in about 20 minutes saying they had an IRS agent on the line. The agent helped me set up a payment plan for the $2100 I owe, and the whole process took maybe 15 minutes once I was connected. The amount of stress relief from actually resolving my tax issue instead of worrying about it for another week was incredible. Sometimes it's worth admitting when you're wrong - and I was definitely wrong about this service.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet - you might want to look at adjusting your W-4 withholding with your employer. If you owe that much at tax time, it probably means you're not having enough taken out of your regular paychecks. I had the same problem a few years back - kept owing $1000+ every April. Finally fixed my withholdings and now I break about even (small refund or small payment). It's way less stressful than getting hit with a big bill all at once.

I was in the same situation last year! Try checking if you qualify for a first-time penalty abatement from the IRS. If you've had a clean tax record for the past 3 years, they might waive the penalties (though not the interest). Saved me about $200. And definitely don't pay TurboTax $480! Switch to FreeTaxUSA or another cheaper option. I used FreeTaxUSA this year and paid $15 for state filing, federal was free even with 1099 income and investments.