Real tax questions from real readers, answered. Got a question of your own? This is where Taxgirl answers them.
Taxpayer asks: I made $400 from my freelance work. Why didn’t I receive a form W-2? Does this mean that I don’t have to report the income? Taxgirl says: You don’t receive a form W-2 if you’re classified as an independent contractor (more on that in future posts). You’ll receive a form 1099 from the…
Taxpayer asks: I would like some help to finding a website that could help me find amount that your can use for charitable items such as clothes and household items. We sold our house this year and really down sized to what we are taking. For example I gave 42 shirts to a nonprofit thrift…
That’s right, it’s that time of year: tax time! As a result, your questions for "ask the taxgirl" are coming fast and furious. I had been answering about one per week but I’m getting quite the queue, so I’m going to bump it up to two per week. If you don’t see your answer immediately,…
Taxpayer asks: I hope you can suggest a course of action for what I believe is a 1098-T form error. The college is a public college. The 1098 provided does include the following items: Tuition, Activity Fee, Technology Fee, and College Fee. I have read IRS Pub 970 several times and in particular pages 34…
Taxpayer asks:It’s February and I didn’t receive my W-2 (or 1099). What do I do?Taxgirl answers: You should receive your forms W-2 or 1099 by January 31. If you haven’t received your forms, you should first contact your employer (or the issuer). You might not have received the form because of an incomplete or bad…
Taxpayer asks: I just changed jobs and I don’t know how many exemptions to claim for withholding. Help! Taxgirl answers: This is one of those questions that is really fact-specific: it depends on your individual circumstances. That said, since I’m getting a fair number of questions about withholding, I’ll attempt to pass some general information…
Taxpayer asks: I stumbled here by mistake but am glad I did. I’m a first time home owner about to file his first 1040. I know I can legally claim my interest paid on my return but while reading about that, I also read that “real estate taxes” charged by the county can be deducted….
Taxpayer asks: Each year, instead of a Christmas bonus, my employer gives us some pretty nice gifts for the holidays, stuff like iPods and gift cards. Since it’s a gift, I don’t have to pay taxes on it, right? Taxgirl says: Clearly, a holiday bonus of cash is taxable as income. It’s not really a…
Taxpayer asks: I read your advice about deductions for business expenses but I don’t use a home office or some of the other things you mentioned. I do, however, use a car for much of my work. Can I deduct that? Taxgirl says: If you use your car exclusively in your business, you can deduct car expenses. You…
Taxpayer asks: My question is about how to file taxes for my work. Since I’m writing a TV show blog, can I deduct my cable bills? How about my internet? Taxgirl says: Ahh, deductions, the most mysterious of tax form entries. What’s deductible? What’s not? A lot of what can be deducted is very fact-specific,…