Don't overlook IRS Publication 334 (Tax Guide for Small Business) - it's completely free and written specifically to be understandable. The IRS also has virtual workshops for small business owners that cover the basics. For a more comprehensive education, I took a small business accounting class at my community college, and it was incredibly helpful. My instructor was a practicing CPA who brought real-world examples to class. The structured environment and ability to ask questions made the learning stick better than self-study.

Just want to throw in that I learned more from "Deduct It! Lower Your Small Business Taxes" by Fishman than I did from my expensive business degree. It's updated yearly and focuses on maximizing legitimate deductions specific to small businesses. The section on home office deductions alone saved me thousands.

Another tip - check your online account at the IRS website. Sometimes your wage and income transcript is available there, which includes the W-2 info that was reported. Not always super quick to update, but worth checking! Go to irs.gov and look for the "Get Transcript" option.

Just drive over there! If they're only 15 mins away and you've already tried texting, just stop by in person and ask for a copy. They're legally required to give it to you, and it's harder for them to ignore you when you're standing right there lol.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet is that you might want to think about business deductions for your consulting work! You can deduct legitimate business expenses against that 1099 income, which can reduce both your income tax and self-employment tax. Think about things like: - Home office (if you have dedicated space) - Internet and phone (percentage used for business) - Business travel or mileage - Professional subscriptions or software - Professional development or education - Equipment or supplies This could significantly reduce what you owe on that consulting income. Just make sure you keep good records and receipts.

I got audited last year because of this exact situation! I had W-2, 1099 and 1099-R all in one year. The thing that triggered the audit was that I didn't pay enough estimated taxes throughout the year. Make sure you're paying enough throughout the year - either through withholding or quarterly payments. The safe harbor is paying either 90% of this year's taxes or 100% of last year's (110% if your AGI was over $150k). I wish I had known that before. Would have saved me a lot of headache!

I'd completely eliminate tax brackets and go with a simple continuous function. Something like: tax rate = base rate + (income/scale factor)%, capped at some maximum. No more weird jumps where earning $1 more puts you in a new bracket. No more marriage penalties or benefits. Just a smooth progression where each additional dollar earned is taxed slightly more than the previous dollar. This would also eliminate so much confusion about how tax brackets work - I still meet people who think getting a raise can make them take home less money because they "jump to a higher bracket.

I wish they would just eliminate having to report dividends and capital gains from investments that are already reported to the IRS by financial institutions. I get 1099s from my brokers, the IRS gets copies too, yet I still have to manually enter all this info or pay extra for tax software imports. Such a waste of time. Let the IRS just pull that info directly into a tax form for review. If there's a problem or missing info, then I could correct it, but 99% of the time it's just copying numbers from one form to another that they already have.

Your CPA is definitely dropping the ball. I switched accountants last year after similar issues and it was the best decision I made. Few suggestions based on my experience: 1) Look for a CPA who specializes in your specific industry. My new accountant works primarily with other software consultants like me and understands the unique issues we face. 2) Ask about their communication system and client load. My previous CPA was handling 300+ clients. My current one caps at 75 and has a dedicated client portal where everything is organized. 3) Request a written service agreement that specifies exactly what they're responsible for monitoring and what requires your notification. Don't settle for this level of service - there are excellent CPAs out there who would never let these issues slide!

Make sure ur looking at the whole picture before switching. Some CPAs are bad but sometimes we clients contribute to problems too. My first accountant seemed disorganized but looking back I was sending info all different ways (email, text, random portal uploads) and not always labeling things clearly. My new CPA gave me a structured checklist and specific deadlines for everything. Way easier for both of us! They also do quarterly reviews not just year end so less surprises. Maybe try giving super clear feedback on exactly what you need and see if they improve before switching? Just a thought bc sometimes the devil u know is better than the one u dont.