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Ryan Vasquez

What are my chances of being audited with self-employment income and multiple W-2s?

So my tax situation just got way more complicated this year and I'm kinda freaking out about possible audits. For the last few years, I had a super simple setup - just a couple W2s and standard deduction, filing single. TurboTax free edition was all I needed and filing was a breeze. But 2024 blew all that up! I had 3 different W2 jobs, plus I started doing independent contractor work for about 8 months which more than quadrupled my income compared to 2023. I've got about $2,700 in legitimate business expenses to deduct (mostly software subscriptions, equipment, and some travel). On top of that, I moved mid-year so now I have to file in two different states. Oh, and I did a backdoor Roth IRA contribution too. I've been using TurboTax premium (since I don't qualify for free filing anymore) and I think I've got everything filled out correctly with all the required forms (Schedule C, Form 8606 for the backdoor Roth, etc.). I've been making quarterly estimated tax payments (though cutting it close on deadlines) and looks like I'll actually get a small refund when all is said and done. My big question is - should I still try to find a CPA (though many aren't taking new clients this close to April 15), or just submit through TurboTax and hope everything goes through okay? I'm really worried about getting audited with all these changes. Any thoughts on my audit risk or what I should do?

Your risk of audit is actually still pretty low. The IRS audits less than 1% of all returns, and while certain factors can increase your risk, what you've described isn't throwing major red flags. Multiple W-2s are very common and not an audit trigger. The self-employment income on Schedule C does slightly increase audit risk, but $2,700 in business expenses against significantly higher contractor income is a reasonable ratio that shouldn't raise eyebrows. The IRS tends to scrutinize returns with unusually high deductions relative to income, which doesn't sound like your case. Two-state returns and backdoor Roth contributions are also fairly routine these days. Making your quarterly estimated tax payments shows good compliance, which actually works in your favor. If you've been careful documenting your business expenses and have receipts for everything you're deducting, you're in good shape. The tax software should handle all the forms correctly if you've input everything accurately.

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Thanks for this explanation. What about the fact that my income quadrupled this year? I heard big income jumps can trigger audits? Also, how long should I keep my receipts for those business expenses?

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Income jumps alone aren't automatic audit triggers, especially when there's a clear reason like adding contractor work. The IRS understands income can fluctuate significantly with career changes. They're more concerned with unexplained income or mismatches between reported income and the information they receive from employers/clients. Keep all tax-related receipts and documentation for at least 3 years from the filing date, as that's the standard statute of limitations for audits. However, I recommend 7 years to be extra safe, especially with self-employment. Digital copies are fine, so you can scan and organize them electronically if that's easier.

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After reading your situation, I was in a similar boat last year with multiple income sources and state tax issues. After tons of stress, I found this AI tax review service at https://taxr.ai that completely saved me. They analyzed all my documents and flagged errors in my Schedule C that I would have missed. What's cool is you can upload your draft return before filing and their system reviews everything for audit risks and mistakes. For me, they caught that I had categorized some business expenses in the wrong sections, which could have raised red flags.

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Does it actually check for audit red flags? I'm curious if it would tell you your specific audit risk percentage or just general advice?

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I'm skeptical about these AI tax tools. How does it compare to having an actual CPA look at your stuff? I mean, is it just checking basic math or does it actually understand complex tax situations?

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It doesn't give a specific percentage for audit risk, but it identifies specific elements in your return that could increase scrutiny, like unusual expense ratios or income reporting discrepancies. It highlights these issues with explanations about why they might trigger additional review. The AI actually does understand complex tax situations pretty well. While it's not a replacement for a CPA in extremely complicated scenarios, it catches many of the same issues a human would spot. It analyzes your return against IRS data patterns and tax law, which helps identify potential problems a basic math check wouldn't catch. I found it particularly helpful for self-employment income because it checks if your deductions are proportionate to industry norms.

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I was skeptical about AI tax tools too until I tried that taxr.ai service after seeing it mentioned here. I had a complicated situation with rental income, self-employment, and multiple state filings. The regular tax software I was using missed several things that could have triggered an audit. What impressed me was how it caught a specific issue with my home office deduction where I had calculated square footage incorrectly. It also identified that I had missed claiming some qualified business income deductions that saved me about $1,700. The review highlighted specific audit risk factors based on my return, not just generic advice. I ended up paying a lot less than what a CPA would have charged me, and I felt much more confident filing my return. For someone in a situation like yours with new self-employment income, it's definitely worth checking out.

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Wait how does this even work? The IRS phone line is always jammed. Does this service just keep calling for you until it gets through?

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This sounds like BS honestly. Nobody can get through to the IRS these days, especially during tax season. I've tried everything and always end up in an automated system that eventually hangs up. If this actually worked, everyone would be using it.

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It basically works as a callback service. Instead of you waiting on hold for hours, their system navigates the IRS phone tree and waits in the queue for you. When it finally reaches a human agent, you get a call connecting you directly to that agent. It's basically waiting on hold so you don't have to. You're right that the IRS lines are incredibly jammed, especially during tax season. That's exactly why this service exists. The system keeps trying different tactics and times to get through when call volumes might be lower. It's not magic - it's just leveraging technology to handle the frustrating wait time while you go about your day.

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I need to apologize for my skepticism about that Claimyr service. After struggling with some questions about my 1099 income, I decided to give it a shot as a last resort. I was honestly shocked when I got a call back connecting me to an actual IRS representative after about 40 minutes. The agent was able to clarify some specific questions I had about home office deductions that were relevant to my situation. She also explained exactly what documentation I should keep on hand in case of an audit. Getting definitive answers directly from the IRS gave me so much more confidence in filing my return. For anyone on the fence - it actually works as advertised. Would have saved me hours of frustration if I'd tried it sooner instead of playing the endless redial game on my own.

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I think you'll be fine filing with the tax software if you've been careful inputting everything. I was in an almost identical situation 2 years ago (multiple W2s, new 1099 income, two states) and filed with TurboTax without issues. The biggest thing is making sure you have documentation for all your self-employment deductions. Keep detailed records of what each expense was for and how it relates to your business. If you're deducting any home office expenses, make sure you've measured the space accurately and it's used exclusively for work. Also, double check that your quarterly estimated payments are all properly credited in the software. Sometimes those can get missed if the dates or amounts aren't entered correctly.

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Thanks for the reassurance! I've been keeping all my receipts digitally and have a spreadsheet tracking business expenses. One thing I'm unsure about - for software subscriptions that are partially personal and partially business, is it really a problem if I deduct the full amount? They're not huge (like $15/month services).

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You should only deduct the business portion of mixed-use subscriptions. If you use a service 70% for business and 30% for personal, deduct just 70% of the cost. While the dollar amount might seem small, it's about the principle of accurate reporting. The bigger issue is that incorrectly categorizing personal expenses as business ones establishes a pattern that could create problems if you're ever audited. Be especially careful with things like software, phone bills, and internet service where the IRS knows most people have some personal use component. Document your calculation method for determining the business percentage and stick with it consistently.

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Has anyone here actually been audited? I filed with 1099 income for years and always worried but never got flagged.

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I got audited in 2022 for my 2020 return. It wasn't as scary as people make it out to be - just a mail audit asking for documentation on some business expenses. I had to send copies of receipts and explain a few deductions. Took about 3 months to resolve and they actually ended up owing me an additional $340 because I'd missed a legitimate deduction they found during review!

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My advice - file electronically through the software if you're confident, but pay the extra fee for audit protection. Most tax software offers this now for like $40-50 extra, and it gives you representation if you do get audited. Way cheaper than hiring a CPA now and the software is pretty good at handling all the forms you mentioned. Just make absolutely sure you double check all your entries before submitting!

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I've been through a similar situation and wanted to share what worked for me. Your audit risk is genuinely low - the combination of factors you described (multiple W-2s, reasonable business expenses relative to income, proper quarterly payments) actually shows good tax compliance rather than red flags. That said, I'd strongly recommend doing a final review of your return before filing. Whether that's through one of those AI tax services people mentioned, a quick consultation with a CPA, or just methodically going through each form line by line depends on your budget and comfort level. The most important thing is having solid documentation for every business deduction. Since you mentioned keeping receipts digitally, make sure you also have a clear business purpose documented for each expense. For mixed personal/business items, only deduct the business portion and keep notes on how you calculated that percentage. Your income jump from adding contractor work is actually pretty normal and explainable, so don't stress too much about that aspect. The IRS sees career changes all the time, especially with the gig economy boom.

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This is really helpful advice! I'm in a somewhat similar boat - just started freelancing this year and worried about all the new forms and deductions. Quick question about the documentation - when you say "clear business purpose documented," do you mean like writing notes on each receipt or keeping a separate log? I've been just saving receipts but wondering if I need more detail for things like software subscriptions and equipment purchases.

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