Taxpayer asks: What is your opinion of the online Tax Software: http://www.republictax.com ? Taxgirl says: Never heard of them before. I do like software if you know what you’re doing. I personally use TurboTax, despite their horrible promotion, because they are very Mac-friendly.
Taxpayer asks: Wow, your website is really helpful! I have some Independent Contractor/Schedule C questions: Is it possible to deduct “professional development” costs? i.e. things I did or classes that I took that make me better at doing what I do as an individual in my very small business. My father thought it would be deductible,…
Taxpayer asks: When figuring home office deduction for a separate structure like a garage, do you include the full square footage of the house and the garage or just the garage when it asks for office space? Taxgirl says: Assuming that you don’t pay separate utilities, etc., for the garage space, it makes the most…
Taxpayer asks: Hi Taxgirl,I’ve been claiming lots of dependents (that don’t exist), but not filing or paying any Federal income taxes for the past three years. What is going to happen to me? Taxgirl says: Generally, if you’ve made a genuine mistake or you’ve omitted to include income on your return (or file at all),…
Taxpayer asks: Hey there! I found your blog entirely through random surfing, and it’s perfect for a question I have right now.I’ve returned to being a full-time student, after several years of working in the real world. Last year, my income was a big, even 0. I had simply no taxable income. The IRS seems…
Taxpayer asks: I just got married to my beautiful wife who happens to be Australian. I’m a graduate student in San Diego and she hasn’t come to live with me yet. My wedding was on December 27th so I’m wondering if it is somehow illegal for me to file my taxes as unmarried. She has never made…
Taxpayer asks: A tax client was issued a 1099-MISC for rental income received in 2006. Box 1 of the form showed $1000 when the correct number should have been $500. My client contacted the issuer, but the issuer will not correct this error. Please advise as to what I should do. Taxgirl says: Gosh, this…
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 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…