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Maya Jackson
Does anyone know if Square fees are considered part of my business expenses? I use Square for in-person craft fairs sometimes and they take a percentage of each sale.
Yes! Square fees, Etsy fees, PayPal fees - any payment processing charges related to your business are 100% deductible on your Schedule C. They go on line 10 (Commissions and fees). These are one of the few "pure" business expenses that you don't have to worry about allocating between personal/business use.
Great question about handling mixed purchases! You're absolutely right to include the proportional shipping and tax costs along with the base price of your business items. Here's a simple way to think about it: if your business supplies made up 60% of the total merchandise cost in an order, then 60% of the shipping and tax should also be counted as business expenses. So if you bought $30 in chains and charms plus $20 in personal items (total $50), and shipping was $5 with $3 tax, then your business expense would be: $30 + (60% Ć $5) + (60% Ć $3) = $30 + $3 + $1.80 = $34.80. I'd recommend setting up a simple system now while your business is small - maybe a dedicated spreadsheet or even just a notebook where you track each purchase with columns for date, vendor, total cost, business portion, and calculated business expense. Also consider getting a separate credit card just for business purchases to make year-end calculations easier. One more tip: don't forget you can also deduct things like the percentage of your internet bill used for business, mileage to buy supplies or ship orders, and if you have a dedicated workspace at home, potentially some home office expenses. The IRS has great resources on their website about Schedule C deductions that are worth checking out!
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Nia Thompson
Has anyone had success using the "garage sale rule" with the IRS? I've read that they generally consider occasional sales of personal items like a garage sale, even when done online, and don't expect you to report those sales if they're at a loss?
AstroAce
ā¢Yes, the "garage sale rule" is essentially what we're talking about here. The IRS does recognize that people sell personal items at a loss, whether in a physical garage sale or online, and these don't generally create taxable income.
I'm in a similar boat - selling old furniture and electronics to help with bills. One thing that's helped me feel more confident is keeping a simple spreadsheet with what I'm selling, the sale price, and my best estimate of what I originally paid (even if I don't have receipts). For items where I really can't remember the original price, I've been looking up similar items online to get a reasonable estimate of what they would have cost when new. The key is being reasonable and honest - the IRS isn't expecting perfect records for personal items you bought years ago. Also, don't stress too much about the PayPal vs eBay threshold differences. Even if you do get a 1099-K, it's just a reporting document - it doesn't automatically mean you owe taxes on money you didn't actually profit from. The important thing is that you can show these were personal items sold at a loss when you file your return. Keep good records of what you're doing now, and you'll be fine even if you cross whatever threshold ends up applying this year.
Maya Diaz
ā¢This is exactly the approach I've been taking! I started a simple spreadsheet too after reading all these responses. It's actually been kind of therapeutic to go through my old stuff and document it properly - makes me feel like I'm being responsible about the whole situation. One thing I've found helpful is taking photos of items before I list them, especially if they show wear or damage that proves they're used personal items. It's extra documentation that these aren't new inventory items I'm trying to flip for profit. Your point about being reasonable with estimates is spot on. I've been conservative with my original price estimates - if I think something cost between $50-80 originally, I'll use the lower number. Better to underestimate what I paid than to look like I'm inflating costs. Thanks for the reassurance about the thresholds too. All this advice has really helped calm my nerves about the whole 1099-K situation!
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Does anyone know how detailed we need to be with the expenses? Like do I need to list every single item I sold with its original cost, or can I just put a total amount that covers everything?
You don't need to itemize every single sale on your tax return itself, but you should have documentation of your calculations in case of an audit. On Schedule C, you can use categories like "Cost of Goods Sold" for the total amount. The important part is having your own records that break things down. A simple spreadsheet with item descriptions, estimated original purchase prices, sale prices, and dates would be sufficient. For higher-value items (like anything over $100), you'll want more detailed documentation.
Mason Lopez
This is such a frustrating situation that so many of us are dealing with now! I went through the exact same thing last year when I sold some old furniture and electronics during my move. The 1099-K made it look like I had all this "income" when I actually lost money on everything. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track everything. I made columns for: item description, estimated original purchase price, sale price, and sale date. For items where I couldn't remember the exact original price, I researched what similar items cost new around the time I would have bought them. The key is being reasonable with your estimates. If you sold a laptop for $300 that you bought 3 years ago, look up what that model cost new back then - it was probably $800-1000. Document your research process too (like "checked Best Buy archives" or "found similar listing on eBay sold listings"). Also, don't stress too much about having perfect receipts for everything. The IRS understands that people don't keep receipts for personal items forever. Just be honest, reasonable, and keep good records of how you arrived at your cost estimates.
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Yara Nassar
TurboTax won't always let you e-file a 1040-X even if it's just Schedule D changes. It depends on the specific situation and tax year. I tried to e-file an amendment for my 2019 taxes (in 2022) and the system forced me to paper file because of some limitation with Schedule D amendments for that specific tax year. But when I did a 2020 amendment with Schedule D changes, it let me e-file with no problem.
StarGazer101
ā¢This is really important info. I think it also depends on how long ago the original return was filed. Like if you're amending something from 3+ years ago, they might force paper filing.
StarStrider
I just went through this exact situation last month! Had to amend my 2023 return for some incorrect cost basis reporting on Schedule D. TurboTax handled it perfectly through their amendment workflow. The key thing is to make sure you use TurboTax's "Amend a Return" feature rather than trying to create a new return. It will pull up your original return, let you make the Schedule D corrections, and then generate a proper 1040-X that only includes the changed information. When I e-filed mine, the IRS only received the 1040-X form and the corrected Schedule D - no other unnecessary forms. The whole process took about 10 weeks to get processed, which seems pretty standard based on what others have mentioned here. One heads up though - TurboTax will charge you an additional fee for the amendment (I think it was around $40-50), but honestly it was worth it for the peace of mind knowing everything was filed correctly electronically.
Emma Bianchi
Quick question - am I the only one who thinks its weird that the IRS doesn't just automatically do your taxes for you if they already know how much you made? Like they send those letters saying "hey you made this much" so obviously they know! Why do we even have to file???
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Lucas Kowalski
ā¢It's because of the tax prep industry lobby. Companies like TurboTax and H&R Block literally spend millions lobbying Congress to keep tax filing complicated so they can sell their services. Many other countries do exactly what you're suggesting - the government just sends you a completed tax form and you verify it.
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Carter Holmes
Hey Ryder! I totally get the panic - I was in a similar situation a few years ago and it felt overwhelming. But honestly, you're taking the right step by addressing this now rather than continuing to put it off. A few things that might help ease your mind: First, if you've been working regular jobs, your employers were likely withholding taxes from your paychecks, which means you probably won't owe as much as you think (and might even be due refunds for some years). Second, the IRS has programs specifically for people in your situation - the First Time Penalty Abatement can waive many late fees if you qualify. For your immediate apartment application problem, you might be able to get wage transcripts from the IRS that show your income history even without filed returns. This could at least help with the rental application while you work on getting caught up. I'd recommend starting by gathering whatever documents you can find (W-2s, 1099s, bank statements) and then deciding whether to tackle this yourself or get help. The peace of mind of having it resolved is honestly worth whatever effort or cost it takes. You've got this!
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Chloe Zhang
ā¢This is really helpful advice! I'm actually in a somewhat similar situation (though not quite as many years behind) and I had no idea about the wage transcripts option for rental applications. That could be a game-changer for getting housing sorted while working through the tax stuff. Carter, when you went through this, did you end up using a professional or doing it yourself? I'm trying to weigh the cost vs. the complexity, especially since it sounds like the First Time Penalty Abatement thing could save a lot of money if done right.
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Diego Rojas
ā¢@833b61bcc5df I ended up doing a hybrid approach - got an initial consultation with an Enrolled Agent to understand my situation and create a game plan, then handled most of the actual filing myself using tax software for previous years. The consultation cost me about $150 but it was worth it because they helped me prioritize which years to file first and walked me through the First Time Penalty Abatement process. The EA also helped me understand that since I had been having taxes withheld, I was actually due refunds for 3 out of 5 years I needed to catch up on. That consultation basically paid for itself in peace of mind and strategy. For someone like Ryder with multiple income sources including freelance work, I'd definitely recommend at least getting professional guidance on the approach even if you do the legwork yourself.
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