One thing no one's mentioned - if you're getting paid regularly for these gigs, you should be making quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid this problem next year. The IRS expects you to pay taxes throughout the year, not just at filing time. If you only pay at tax time, you might even get hit with underpayment penalties.

Anyone know if you can deduct a portion of streaming service subscriptions (Spotify, Apple Music) if you use them to learn songs for paid gigs? I've got three 1099-NEC forms this year from different venues and I'm trying to find every legitimate deduction.

Don't forget part-year resident returns! Since you moved to Idaho, you're a part-year resident there, and you were a part-year resident of the last state you lived in. Part-year returns can be tricky but they're designed to make sure you're only taxed once on each dollar you earn.

I went through a very similar situation a few years ago when I worked in multiple states! One thing that really helped me understand the double taxation issue was checking whether any of the states you worked in have reciprocity agreements with each other. For example, if you lived in Pennsylvania but worked in a neighboring state with a reciprocity agreement, you might only need to file in your home state. However, since you worked in Wisconsin, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, you'll likely need to check each combination. Also, keep all your W-2s handy and look at Box 17 (State income tax) on each one. If you see state taxes withheld, that state will expect you to file a return there. The key is that when you file multiple state returns, each state's tax software should ask about taxes paid to other states - that's where you claim the credit to avoid double taxation. Since Nevada has no state income tax, that's one less return to worry about! But definitely file in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania for the income earned there.

Has anyone actually been audited over mileage? I've been a 1099 contractor for 6 years and honestly just guesstimate my miles. Never had any issues.

As someone who's been through the 1099 contractor maze myself (freelance graphic designer), I can confirm what others have said about the temporary work location rule being your friend here. The key distinction is that you don't have a "regular" workplace - you're bouncing between different client sites that are all temporary by nature. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet: make sure you're also tracking any trips between job sites during the same day. If you go from your home to Site A, then to Site B, then back home, ALL of those miles are deductible business miles, not just the initial trip from home. Also, with 24,000 miles, you're looking at potentially $15,720 in deductions at the current rate (24,000 × $0.655). That's a huge amount to leave on the table! Definitely worth getting this sorted out properly. The documentation advice from @Ravi Sharma is spot on - I learned that lesson during a small audit a few years back. Better to over-document than under-document when it comes to the IRS.

I'm a real estate tax guy and see this situation all the time with clients. Here's my take: You absolutely need to report your portion of the 1031 exchange on your personal return, which typically means filing Form 8824. The key thing most limited partners miss is that you need to adjust your basis in the new partnership interest. The exchange doesn't reset your basis - it carries over from your old partnership interest (with some possible adjustments). If you don't track this correctly, you could end up paying too much tax when you eventually sell or paying tax on phantom income during ownership. Also, check if you received any cash or other non-like-kind property (boot) as part of the exchange. That would be immediately taxable even though the main gain is deferred.

Has anyone used TurboTax for reporting a K-1 from a 1031 exchange? I'm trying to figure out if I need to upgrade to their business version or if the premier version can handle this. Their support wasn't very helpful when I asked about form 8824.

Has anyone tried setting up a Donor Advised Fund? My accountant mentioned this as a way to bunch deductions like someone mentioned above, but still distribute the donations to our church over time. Apparently you get the tax deduction when you fund it, not when the money actually goes to the charity?

I've been dealing with a similar situation with my small accounting practice LLC. One thing that's worked well for me is creating a clear separation between personal charitable giving and business community involvement. For my personal church donations (which are the majority), I use the bunching strategy someone mentioned above - I'll make 2-3 years worth of donations in December of alternating years to get over the standard deduction threshold. This at least gets me some tax benefit every few years. For my business, I focus on sponsorships and community involvement that have clear promotional value. For example, I sponsor our local church's financial literacy workshops and provide free tax prep seminars. I get my business name on materials, build relationships with potential clients, and can deduct these as legitimate marketing expenses. The key is making sure there's a genuine business purpose beyond just charitable giving. The documentation piece is crucial - I keep detailed records of any promotional materials, take photos of signage, and get written acknowledgments that specify what business benefit I received. This way if I ever get audited, I can clearly show these weren't just disguised charitable contributions. It's definitely possible to structure some of your giving to get tax benefits, but you need to be strategic about separating personal charity from legitimate business marketing expenses.