Can't reach IRS? Claimyr connects you to a live IRS agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the IRS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the IRS drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls ā which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Just wanted to add - if you're using TurboTax, make sure you get the right version. The basic/free version doesn't support Schedule C. You'll need Self-Employed or possibly Home & Business. FreeTaxUSA handles Schedule C in their Deluxe version which is WAY cheaper than TurboTax tho. Also, make sure you're tracking all your business miles if you drive to different job sites for your renovation work! That adds up to a big deduction.
NebulaNomad
ā¢Is there a good app you recommend for tracking business miles? I always forget to log them and probably lost out on hundreds in deductions last year.
I use MileIQ and it's been super helpful. It automatically tracks when you're driving and then you just swipe right for business trips and left for personal. Takes like 2 seconds per trip. Stride is another good one that's free, but I find it misses some trips since you have to manually start tracking. Either way, the standard mileage deduction is 65.5 cents per mile for 2023, so it adds up crazy fast especially for renovation work where you're going to different job sites!
Anyone else notice their tax software always suggests amending previous years' returns? I used H&R Block last year for my cleaning business and it kept suggesting I amend 2022 to claim missed deductions. Is this just a way to charge more fees or actually worth looking into?
Emma Taylor
ā¢In my experience it's worth checking! I amended my 2022 return after ignoring that message for months and got an additional $1200 refund. I had missed some legit business expenses my first year. Different software sometimes finds different deductions.
Join the conversation
11 Just a heads up for anyone reading this thread - make VERY sure you're handling this correctly because 1099 reporting has gotten much stricter. If you're issuing 1099s, the amounts you report need to match what you put on your Schedule C. If there's a mismatch, it can trigger an automatic review.
3 What's the threshold for needing to issue a 1099 to a contractor now? I thought it was $600 but someone told me it changed recently?
11 The threshold is still $600 for payments made in the course of your trade or business. So if you paid a contractor $600 or more during the tax year, you need to issue them a 1099-NEC. This hasn't changed despite some rumors floating around.
16 Stupid question maybe but do I need to include the payment processor fees when determining if I've hit the $600 threshold for issuing a 1099? Like if I paid someone $590 but with fees it was $608 total cost to me, do I need to issue a 1099?
8 Not a stupid question at all! You would use the amount paid to the contractor ($590 in your example), not including the fees. Since $590 is below the $600 threshold, you wouldn't need to issue a 1099-NEC in this case.
Join the conversation
NightOwl42
One thing nobody's mentioned yet - your coworker needs to be careful about state residency too, not just federal. New York is particularly aggressive about claiming tax residency. Since they were in NY for 6 months, NY will almost certainly consider them a statutory resident and try to tax their worldwide income. I learned this the hard way after working in Singapore for 7 months but maintaining my NY apartment. Even though I qualified for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion federally, NY state still wanted taxes on my Singapore income!
Oh wow, I hadn't even thought about the state tax implications. Do you know if there's any way around this? Would it help if they established residency in another state before going to Pakistan next time?
NightOwl42
ā¢Yes, establishing residency in a no-income-tax state before leaving for an international assignment can help. States like Florida, Texas, Nevada, etc. would be options. They would need to genuinely establish residency though - driver's license, voter registration, bank accounts, etc. For the current situation, they should look closely at NY's 183-day rule. If they were physically present in NY for fewer than 183 days and don't maintain a permanent abode there, they might have an argument against NY residency. However, with 6 months (approximately 180-183 days), they're right on the edge. Documentation of exact days in and out of NY will be critical.
Has anyone mentioned Form 8833? For treaty positions like this, you might need to disclose the specific tax treaty provisions you're relying on using this form. I got hit with a penalty last year because I claimed a treaty benefit but didn't file the proper disclosure form.
I've used Form 8833 before and it's actually not that bad. Just make sure your friend documents which specific article of the US-Pakistan tax treaty they're relying on. The form is pretty straightforward - just explains what treaty benefit you're claiming and why you qualify.
Join the conversation
Is filing state returns actually required for F1 students? I've heard mixed things. Some of my friends only file federal and Form 8843.
Aaliyah Reed
ā¢It depends entirely on your state and your income situation. If you earned income in the state, then yes, you generally need to file a state return. If you received only fellowship/scholarship money and none of it was for services (like teaching or research), then some states don't require a return. I learned this the hard way when I skipped filing a state return my first year, and got a letter from the state tax department the next year. Not worth the stress!
Thanks for clearing that up! So if I worked on-campus in the university bookstore last year, I definitely need to file a state return, right? My W-2 shows state taxes were already withheld.
Ella Russell
Has anyone tried using Glacier Tax Prep instead of Sprintax? My university offers it for free for federal returns but still charges for state returns. Wondering if it's any better or easier to use?
I used Glacier last year and it was pretty straightforward for the federal return. The interface isn't as fancy as Sprintax but it gets the job done. For state returns, I ended up just filing directly through my state's department of revenue website since my situation was simple. Saved about $35 that way.
Molly Chambers
My accountant told me that this is actually pretty straightforward. It IS income in the year you receive it, despite your intentions. What you do with the money afterward (saving it, spending it, giving it back) doesn't change the fact that it's income when received. But if you're planning to give it back as a gift later, just make sure you stay under the annual gift tax exclusion amount (currently $17,000) when you do give it to her, and you won't have any additional tax implications on that end.
0 coins
Ian Armstrong
ā¢Does it matter if they're tracking it separately in a dedicated account? I've heard that can sometimes make a difference with the IRS if the money is clearly segregated.
0 coins
Molly Chambers
ā¢Keeping the money in a separate account is good practice and helps demonstrate your intent, but unfortunately it doesn't change the fundamental tax treatment. The IRS generally looks at the nature of the transaction when it occurs, not what you intend to do with the proceeds later. Having a separate account does provide a clear paper trail though, which is always helpful if questions ever arise. It shows you weren't trying to hide anything and had a specific purpose for the funds.
0 coins
Eli Butler
Has anyone considered setting up a 529 college savings plan with this money instead? If your daughter might use it for education in the future, you'd still need to report the rental income BUT the money could grow tax-free if used for education expenses later. Might be a win-win?
0 coins
Marcus Patterson
ā¢This is actually brilliant! My sister did something similar with her kids' "chore money" - she reported it properly as rental income but then put it in 529s for them. The growth being tax-free for education expenses made it really worthwhile.
0 coins