Should I report income from a job I only trained at for 2 days? W-2 vs 1099 confusion

I'm so confused about my tax situation after this weird job experience. I started at this restaurant and only worked for 2 days before quitting because the manager was completely inappropriate and the kitchen was honestly disgusting. On my first day I filled out a W-2 and I-9 forms as part of regular onboarding. Today (almost 3 weeks later!) I got a surprise in the mail - a termination letter along with a cashier's check for those 2 training days. The letter mentions they're providing a "1099 form since onboarding wasn't completed," but what they actually included was a W-9 form! The check doesn't have ANY taxes withheld and there's no paystub. I have no clue if I'm supposed to fill out this W-9 and return it, or if it's just for my records? Will they report these wages to the IRS even though taxes weren't taken out? The amount is only $178 but the IRS honestly terrifies me and I don't want any problems. Should I just report this income myself when I file next year? This whole situation feels so sketchy!

0 coins

18 comments

Zoe Papadakis

•8M

This is definitely confusing but I can help sort this out! When a business sends you a W-9 form, they're requesting your taxpayer information (like your SSN) so they can properly report payments made to you. They're essentially trying to classify you as an independent contractor rather than an employee. Since you filled out a W-2 and I-9 initially, they started the process of treating you as an employee. But it seems they've changed their mind and now want to treat your training as contractor work. This happens sometimes with very short employment periods, though it's not always appropriate. You should definitely report this income on your taxes. The company will likely issue you a 1099-NEC (for non-employee compensation) after the year ends using the information from the W-9. You'll report this as self-employment income when you file.

0 coins

Zoe Papadakis

•8M

As a contractor, you're responsible for paying both the employee and employer portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes (self-employment tax), which is about 15.3% of your earnings. With W-2 employment, you only pay half and the employer pays the other half. So yes, contractor classification usually results in higher tax liability. Working just 2 days doesn't automatically make someone a contractor. Classification should be based on the nature of the work relationship, not duration. If they controlled when and how you worked, provided equipment, and supervised you, you were likely an employee regardless of how long you worked there. Many businesses misclassify workers to save on taxes and benefits.

0 coins

Jamal Edwards

•8M

I had a similar situation last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was a huge help! They analyzed my documents and told me exactly what to do. I scanned my W-9 and termination letter and their system explained that the employer was trying to classify me as an independent contractor - which wasn't actually correct for my situation since I was under their direct supervision. They recommended I still fill out the W-9 and return it (so the company had my correct info), but also keep documentation of the initial W-2 setup. When tax time came, I accurately reported the income but didn't have to pay the extra self-employment taxes since I had proper documentation showing I was misclassified. Saved me a bunch of money!

0 coins

Jamal Edwards

•8M

The service analyzes your specific situation based on IRS guidelines and gives you personalized advice - way better than generic Google results that don't apply to your exact scenario. They helped me understand exactly what documentation to keep and how to properly report the income. They don't directly interact with the IRS for you, but they provide detailed guidance on how to handle your specific situation correctly, including what forms to use if you need to dispute misclassification. In my case, they helped me prepare a Form SS-8 (to determine worker status) and showed me how to properly file Form 8919 to report the wages without paying self-employment tax. All their recommendations are based on actual tax regulations.

0 coins

Liam O'Sullivan

•8M

Just wanted to update - I was skeptical about taxr.ai but decided to try it anyway for my contractor/employee confusion. Uploaded my documents and WOW - totally worth it! The system immediately identified that I had been misclassified based on the actual work I was doing (despite being called a "contractor"). They walked me through exactly how to handle my tax filing, including the specific forms needed. They even generated a pre-filled SS-8 form for me to submit to the IRS to determine my correct classification. The analysis explained exactly why my situation qualified as employment rather than contract work according to IRS rules. Super clear explanations and everything was tailored to my specific situation. Much better than the conflicting advice I was getting from random internet searches!

0 coins

Amara Okonkwo

•8M

I had a similar issue last year trying to figure out my employment classification. After weeks of trying to call the IRS directly (always busy signals or 2+ hour hold times), I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in less than 15 minutes who answered all my classification questions and confirmed I needed to use Form SS-8. Check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c to see how it works. Honestly, I thought it wouldn't work, but it did exactly what they claimed. The IRS agent I spoke with was super helpful and walked me through exactly what forms I needed to file for my specific situation.

0 coins

Amara Okonkwo

•8M

They use an automated system that continually calls the IRS and navigates the phone tree until it gets through, then it calls you to connect. It's not a special line - it's just technology doing the waiting for you instead of you having to do it yourself. Yes, it was definitely a real IRS agent. I verified by calling the official IRS number myself afterward and confirming the information they gave me. The agent I spoke with provided their IRS ID number and everything. It's not a scam - it's just a service that handles the frustrating waiting process.

0 coins

Fatima Al-Sayed

•8M

I need to update my previous comment. After being super skeptical about Claimyr, I decided to try it myself when I needed to talk to the IRS about a misclassification issue similar to OP's. I was SHOCKED when they got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 12 minutes. The IRS agent confirmed that if I filled out a W-2 and I-9 initially, then the company should be treating me as an employee regardless of how brief the employment was. She explained I should complete Form SS-8 to request a determination of worker status and that I could file Form 8919 to report the wages correctly without paying self-employment tax. Saved me hours of waiting on hold AND potentially hundreds in taxes I shouldn't have had to pay. Can't believe I'm saying this, but it actually worked exactly as advertised.

0 coins

Dylan Hughes

•8M

I was speaking from practical experience rather than the technical rules. Yes, you're correct that all income should legally be reported. The automated matching system does exist, but in reality, very small discrepancies often don't trigger further action due to the IRS's limited resources. However, I should have been clearer - it's always best practice to report all income regardless of amount because it's the law, and because even small unreported amounts can cause problems if there are other issues with your return that trigger a review.

0 coins