One thing nobody mentioned - make sure you're tracking your deadhead miles too (the miles driving back from a delivery when you don't have food in the car). Those miles are fully deductible for your DoorDash work! I made the mistake of only counting miles when I had food in the car my first year and missed out on almost 40% of my potential deduction. For your 1099 work, it's any mile driven for business purposes, including getting back to a hotspot area.

I'm a newer delivery driver and this whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I had no idea about the W-2 vs 1099 distinction for mileage deductions. I've been driving for a local pizza place (W-2) for about 6 months and just started with Uber Eats on weekends. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like I need to completely separate my tracking - no deductions for the pizza place miles, but full business mileage deduction for Uber Eats including those return trips I never thought to track. One question though - if I'm doing both jobs in the same shift (like finishing my pizza place shift then immediately going online for Uber Eats), how do I handle the transition? Is the drive from the pizza place to my first Uber pickup considered business mileage for the 1099 work? Also want to echo what others said about asking for higher reimbursement from employers. My pizza place only pays 40 cents per mile and after reading Connor's success story, I'm definitely going to have that conversation with my manager!

Just want to add another perspective here - I've been dealing with roommate rental income for about 3 years now and learned some things the hard way. One thing that caught me off guard initially was keeping track of improvements vs. repairs. If you fix something that was already broken (like a leaky faucet), that's a deductible repair expense. But if you upgrade something (like replacing old carpet with new hardwood), that's an improvement that has to be depreciated over time instead of deducted immediately. Also, definitely keep receipts for EVERYTHING. I got lazy about it my first year and regretted it when tax time came around. Even small things like furnace filters or light bulbs can add up to meaningful deductions when you're calculating the rental portion. A simple spreadsheet or even just a shoebox works - just make sure you're documenting all your housing-related expenses throughout the year. The percentage calculation Logan mentioned is key too. I calculate mine based on square footage of bedrooms plus shared common areas. So if my roommates have 3 out of 4 bedrooms and we all share the kitchen/living room equally, I use about 62.5% for my rental portion calculations.

Great question! I went through this exact situation when I first bought my house. Yes, you absolutely need to report all $1,950/month ($650 x 3) as rental income on Schedule E, even though it's going toward your mortgage. Here's what helped me get organized: First, figure out what percentage of your home the roommates are using. If they each have their own bedroom and you all share common areas equally, you might calculate it as (3 bedrooms ÷ 4 total bedrooms) + (shared spaces ÷ 4) for your rental percentage. You can then deduct that same percentage of expenses like: - Mortgage interest (not the principal payments though!) - Property taxes - Homeowners insurance - Utilities (if you pay them) - Repairs and maintenance - Depreciation on the rental portion Keep really detailed records from the start - trust me on this. I use a simple Excel sheet to track every house-related expense throughout the year. Even small things like air fresheners or toilet paper can add up when you're calculating your rental portion deductions. The key thing to remember is that while you have to report the income, the deductions will likely offset most or all of it, especially in your first year when you can claim depreciation. Just make sure you're working with the right tax software (you'll need one that handles Schedule E) or consider talking to a tax professional for your first year to make sure you're doing everything correctly.

Before you go crazy trying to find old W-2s, check if you can access your Social Security account online at ssa.gov. They keep records of all reported wages that had Social Security taxes withheld. It won't have your withholding info, but it will at least show you where you worked and how much you made each year, which is a good starting point.

I went through this exact same situation about 3 years ago! First thing - breathe. You're not going to jail and this is way more common than you think. Here's my step-by-step approach that worked for me: 1. Start with the IRS online transcript request (yes, you'll need to verify through ID.me but it's worth it). This will show you exactly what employers reported for each year. 2. Focus on 2022-2024 first since those are the years you can still get refunds for. Don't stress about earlier years right now - get current first. 3. For missing W-2s, try contacting HR departments first. Even if a company closed, their payroll records often transfer to successor companies or payroll services. I was shocked how many "closed" businesses still had my records. 4. If you're feeling overwhelmed, definitely consider the free VITA program mentioned earlier. They helped me file 3 years of back taxes for free and were incredibly patient. The key thing to remember: if you were always having taxes withheld and making under $18K, you were almost certainly due refunds every year. The IRS doesn't penalize you for filing late when they owe YOU money. You've got this!

Just wanted to add another important consideration - if you become a resident alien after your F1 exempt period, you might also need to deal with state tax implications. Some states have their own rules for determining residency that might differ from federal tax residency. I learned this the hard way when I became a federal resident alien but my state (California) considered me a resident for state tax purposes much earlier due to different criteria. This meant I had to file amended state returns and pay additional state taxes on income I thought was exempt. Each state has different rules, so definitely research your specific state's requirements once you determine your federal status changes.

This is such valuable information - thank you everyone for sharing your experiences! I'm in a similar situation as an F1 student approaching my 5th year, and I had no idea about some of these complications like FBAR requirements and state tax differences. One thing I'm curious about: if you become a resident alien for tax purposes but are still on F1 status for immigration purposes, does this create any conflicts? I've heard some people worry that filing as a resident alien might somehow affect their visa status or future applications, since F1 is technically a "non-immigrant" visa. Has anyone dealt with this concern or gotten clarification from immigration attorneys about whether tax residency status affects immigration status? Also, for those who've gone through this transition, did you notice a significant difference in your tax liability when switching from 1040NR to 1040? I'm trying to budget for potential changes in what I'll owe.

I'm going through almost the exact same situation! Got my 570 code on March 4th and the 971 just appeared yesterday. This is also my first year claiming CTC for my daughter, so it sounds like we're in the same boat with the verification process. Reading through everyone's experiences here is really reassuring - it seems like this 2-3 week timeline from 570 to 846 is pretty consistent. @Mei Liu, your tracking of the Thursday update patterns is super helpful! I've been obsessively checking my transcript daily, but now I know to focus on Thursday mornings. @Dylan Cooper, the PCS timing stress is real! I'm not military, but we're relocating for my job next month too. The Form 8822 advice from others here is solid - I just submitted mine online yesterday to be safe. One thing I noticed from reading all these responses is how much the IRS communication could be improved. Having codes appear with no explanation really adds unnecessary anxiety to an already stressful process. At least this community fills in the gaps! Keeping my fingers crossed we both see those 846 codes soon! 🤞

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Got my 570 code on March 6th and just saw the 971 appear this morning. This is also my first time claiming CTC for my two kids, so it sounds like we're all going through the same verification process. What's really reassuring is seeing the consistent timeline patterns everyone is sharing - the Thursday update cycle seems pretty reliable based on @Mei Liu's tracking. I've been checking my transcript obsessively every day, but now I know to focus on Thursday mornings! The military PCS situation adds extra stress to an already anxiety-inducing process. I'm not military myself, but I can imagine how challenging it must be to coordinate a move while waiting for your refund. The Form 8822 and Taxpayer Advocate Service suggestions from others here are really valuable. One thing that strikes me from reading all these experiences is how much clearer the IRS could make this process. Having mysterious codes appear with no explanation really amplifies the stress. At least we have this community to help decode what's actually happening! Fingers crossed we all see those 846 codes soon. Based on everyone's timelines, it sounds like we're right on track for resolution in the next week or two! 🤞