Tax Resources for Beginners: Finding Easy Guides for Personal and Small Business Taxes

Hey everyone, I'm on the hunt for some super straightforward resources or maybe classes about taxes. I need something that explains everything clearly - from tracking expenses to filing for both personal and small business taxes. I started my handmade jewelry business last year and quickly realized I'm completely lost when it comes to filing those business taxes (or even my personal ones honestly). The worst part is my anxiety goes through the roof whenever I try to deal with tax stuff. It's like my brain immediately freezes up and I can't think straight at all. I get so overwhelmed that I can barely focus on the forms. I really want to get better at handling this stuff for next year's tax season. Right now I'm just shoving receipts in a shoebox and hoping for the best, which I know is a terrible system! Any recommendations for resources that don't assume you already know a bunch about taxes? Thanks so much!

0 coins

18 comments

Quinn Herbert

•8M

Hey there! Tax anxiety is super common, even for people without anxiety disorders, so first off - you're not alone in feeling overwhelmed. For beginners, I'd recommend starting with the IRS's own "Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center" website. Despite being a government resource, parts of it are surprisingly accessible. Their "Tax Calendar for Small Businesses" is a great tool to keep track of filing deadlines. For a more guided experience, check out "Tax Savvy for Small Business" by Frederick Daily - it breaks down complicated concepts into plain English. The "For Dummies" series also has "Small Business Taxes For Dummies" which is exactly what it sounds like. For tracking expenses and income, starting with simple software might help. Wave Accounting is free and designed for small businesses. QuickBooks Self-Employed is another good option that helps separate personal and business finances. The most important thing is to set up a basic system now rather than waiting until tax season. Even a simple spreadsheet tracking income and categorizing expenses is better than the shoebox method!

0 coins

Quinn Herbert

•8M

For most beginners, I'd say start with the free resources before investing in courses. The IRS workshops and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) offer free or very low-cost training that's quite good for the basics. Give those a try first, then decide if you need more specialized training. Regarding TurboTax, their Self-Employed version is fairly user-friendly and does handle simple small business situations well. However, if your business has inventory, multiple revenue streams, or employees, you might outgrow it quickly. It's a good starting point though! Just be aware that as your business grows, you might eventually need something more robust.

0 coins

Hazel Garcia

•8M

After struggling with tax anxiety myself when I started my Etsy shop, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it literally changed everything for me. What I love is that it actually explains things in plain language instead of tax jargon. I uploaded some of my records and got step-by-step guidance on what I needed to track and how to categorize everything properly. The best part was having it analyze my previous returns to find stuff I missed - turns out I could have been deducting my home office and some other business expenses all along! It's like having a patient teacher who doesn't judge you for not knowing the basics.

0 coins

Hazel Garcia

•8M

Yes, it absolutely helps with quarterly estimated payments! It actually reminds you about upcoming deadlines and helps calculate the right amount based on your income patterns, which saved me from underpaying last year. Regarding accuracy, I was skeptical too after getting bad advice from another platform. What convinced me was that taxr.ai has actual tax professionals reviewing the guidance. You can even ask follow-up questions if something doesn't make sense. I've used it for two tax seasons now without any issues, and my accountant friend looked over my return and said it was done correctly.

0 coins

Laila Fury

•8M

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. It's been a game-changer for my photography side business! I was literally tracking nothing before except total income, and now I have everything categorized properly. It analyzed my bank statements and helped me identify business expenses I didn't even realize were deductible. The best thing was how it walked me through setting up a simple system that doesn't take much time to maintain. I'm not naturally organized but I've been keeping up with it for two months now, which is a record for me. Feeling so much less anxious about next year's taxes already!

0 coins

Simon White

•8M

If you're struggling with IRS questions and getting nowhere on the phone, try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS about my small business tax ID confusion, and kept getting disconnected. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes! You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was shocked it actually worked. The agent answered all my questions about separation between personal and business taxes and helped me understand which forms I needed to file for my situation. Saved me from what would have been a costly mistake.

0 coins

Simon White

•8M

It uses an automated system that essentially waits on hold for you, then calls you when it reaches a human representative. It navigates all the IRS phone menus automatically. I don't understand all the technical details, but it works by essentially doing the waiting part for you. I was incredibly skeptical too. I literally tried for three days straight to reach someone before trying this. I figured it was worth a shot as nothing else was working. I got the call back when they reached a representative, and suddenly I was talking to an actual IRS employee who helped sort out my confusion about Schedule C reporting requirements.

0 coins

Geoff Richards

•8M

I feel like I need to eat my words here. After my skeptical comment, I tried Claimyr out of sheer desperation because I had a weird situation with my business expense categorization I couldn't figure out. Got connected to the IRS in about 25 minutes (was quoted 30). The agent actually cleared up my confusion about separating personal and business vehicle expenses for my mobile pet grooming business. I've been doing my taxes wrong for TWO YEARS and now I understand how to fix it. Never been so happy to be wrong about something! Just wanted to update in case anyone else is as skeptical as I was.

0 coins

Nasira Ibanez

•8M

As someone who also gets overwhelmed with taxes, I found that taking a community college course on small business accounting really helped me. It was super affordable (like $120 for the semester) and designed for non-accountants. The instructor focused specifically on tax preparation and record-keeping for small businesses. Also, don't underestimate the value of setting up simple systems from the start. I use a dedicated business credit card for ALL business purchases, which automatically creates a record. Then I just download the year-end summary which categorizes everything.

0 coins

Nasira Ibanez

•8M

Yes, the course definitely covered quarterly estimated taxes! The instructor spent an entire session on how to calculate them properly and how to avoid penalties. They even provided spreadsheet templates that made the math much easier. The course also covered when you actually need to make quarterly payments (since not everyone does) and how to adjust them if your income fluctuates throughout the year. It was honestly the most practical and helpful part of the entire course for me.

0 coins