Another option - check if your daycare is registered with your state's licensing agency for childcare providers. Many states have online databases where you can look up licensed daycares, and sometimes they include the EIN or at least a state tax ID you could use temporarily. Also, if you've paid them through any kind of app or payment system (like brightwheel, Venmo for Business, etc.), sometimes the tax info is available there in the payment details or receipts.

If none of the other suggestions work, could you maybe ask other parents who use the same daycare? One of them might have the EIN from doing their taxes already. I ended up getting my son's afterschool program's EIN from another mom in our Facebook parents group last year when I was in the same situation.

I just want to add that as someone who prepares taxes professionally, everything your tax preparer is asking for is completely standard. In fact, I request the EXACT same documentation from my clients with home-based businesses. The reason we ask for full bills rather than just "the business portion" is that we need to calculate that business portion correctly. For example, with square footage, we determine what percentage of your home is used exclusively for business, then apply that percentage to certain expenses. For vehicles, we need to know if the standard mileage deduction or actual expenses would be more beneficial. Without the full information, we can't make that determination. And yes, filing a final return for your father is absolutely required. The IRS doesn't waive this requirement upon death. Your mother will file as married filing jointly for the year of his passing.

Something important to add regarding the home office deduction - make sure the space you're claiming is used EXCLUSIVELY for business. This is a major audit trigger. If your "home office" doubles as a guest room or home gym, it doesn't qualify. Also, the vehicle deduction requires a mileage log. You can't just estimate at the end of the year. Your tax preparer is asking for the right documentation to keep you protected.

The big red flag I see is that your federal deductions dropped from $18,550 to $12,950 while your income went UP significantly. That doesn't make sense unless you lost some major deductions. Did you have mortgage interest, significant charitable contributions, or other itemized deductions last year that you didn't have this year? Also, your federal taxes seem reasonable with the refund, but something is definitely off with the state taxes. Which states did you move from/to? Some states have MUCH higher income tax rates than others.

Make sure you check if you paid taxes to both states on the same income. When you move mid-year, you become a part-year resident of both states. Some states are really aggressive about claiming as much of your income as possible. Also, if your $9k bonus was taxed at a flat 22% federal withholding rate (which is standard for bonuses), but your actual tax bracket is higher, that could explain part of the underpayment. You may want to fill out a new W-4 with your employer and possibly add an additional withholding amount per paycheck to avoid this happening again next year.

Don't forget you can deduct a percentage of your cell phone bill as a business expense for food delivery! Since you need your phone for the app, navigation, customer communication, etc. Just calculate what percent of your phone usage is for delivery work (be honest - the IRS isn't stupid). I claim about 60% of my phone bill since I use it a ton for deliveries. Also, those insulated bags, car phone mounts, and even a portion of car insurance can be deductible! Just make sure to keep all receipts.

I use TurboTax Self-Employed for my delivery gig taxes and it's pretty straightforward. It walks you through all the possible deductions for delivery drivers. Just make sure to keep good records all year - the IRS has been cracking down on gig workers lately with all the new reporting requirements. The apps are supposed to issue 1099s for anyone making over $600 now, so there's no flying under the radar anymore. I learned the hard way after a messy audit last year!

One thing to consider that hasn't been mentioned yet - if your LLC is taxed as a sole proprietorship (which is default for single-member LLCs), your mom would be considered a statutory employee rather than an independent contractor if you control not just what work she does but how she does it. I went through this exact situation with my dad helping in my consulting business. Initially had him as a contractor but my tax guy said that was risky given how integrated he was in daily operations. Switched to paying him as an employee with proper payroll. The key factors: Do you control when and how she works? Does she work exclusively for your business? Does she use your equipment? If yes to these, she might legally need to be classified as an employee regardless of what's more convenient. Also worth noting - misclassification penalties can be steep if audited! Better to get it right from the start.

Don't overcomplicate this! I pay several family members through my LLC and simply issue 1099s at the end of the year. Super easy. Just make sure payments come from your business account (not personal), have them fill out a W-9, keep basic records of what they're doing, and you're good to go. At tax time, these are just business expenses. The whole employee vs contractor thing is overblown for family helping with small businesses. As long as you're not trying to avoid taxes and the work is legitimate, you'll be fine issuing a 1099.