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Excel worked fine for me for years with my single-member LLC. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I just created a simple template with income and expense categories based on Schedule C, and I update it monthly. Takes maybe 30 minutes. I tried all the fancy apps but found them overpriced for my simple business. Plus I didn't like giving access to my bank accounts to third parties. Just my two cents!
Do you have a template you could share? I'm just starting out and don't want to overcomplicate things.
I don't have it handy to share right now, but it's really simple. I just made columns for Date, Description, Category (based on Schedule C lines), and Amount. Then I have separate sheets for Income, Expenses, and Mileage. I also keep a sheet with my quarterly estimated tax calculations. Honestly, you could create something similar in about 30 minutes. The key is being disciplined about entering everything when it happens rather than trying to remember at tax time. I take 5 minutes every Friday to update it with that week's transactions.
Has anyone compared TurboTax Self-Employed vs. Keeper Tax for actually filing? I've been using TurboTax for years but wondering if I should switch.
I've used both. TurboTax is more comprehensive for your whole tax situation (investments, property, etc.) but Keeper is more focused on self-employment and finding those specific deductions. Depends on how complicated your taxes are beyond just your business.
I'm using Credit Karma Tax (now called Cash App Taxes) this year. Completely free for federal AND state returns, which is what initially drew me to it. Been using it for 3 years and it handles my moderately complex situation well (W-2 income, some stock sales, mortgage interest, etc). The interface is clean and they don't try to upsell you since it's completely free. Only downside is they don't support some more complex situations like multi-state filing or foreign income. But for most people, it's a great option that costs literally nothing.
Does Cash App Taxes handle self-employment income well? I have a small side business and have been using TurboTax Self-Employed, but it's so expensive.
Yes, Cash App Taxes handles self-employment income quite well for straightforward situations. It has all the Schedule C forms and walks you through business deductions, home office calculations, and quarterly estimated payments. Where it might fall short is if you have very complex business situations like inventory management, multiple businesses, or specialized industry deductions. For a side gig bringing in $4k like the original poster mentioned, it would be perfectly fine. I have a photography side business that makes about $12k annually and it works great for me.
Am I the only one still using a local CPA? I tried software for years but kept missing deductions. Started using a local accountant 3 years ago and she finds way more savings than I ever did on my own. I pay $350 for my return which includes a rental property and some self-employment income, but she saves me at least $1500 in taxes compared to when I did it myself. Plus when I got a letter from the IRS questioning something on my 2021 return, she handled everything for no additional fee. The peace of mind alone is worth it to me.
Do you think a CPA is worth it for simpler returns? I just have a W-2 job and a mortgage, no complicated stuff.
I used a CPA last year and she missed a huge education credit I was eligible for. When I pointed it out she acted like I was being difficult. Going back to doing it myself this year.
7 One important consideration - make sure you're keeping separate books for each LLC even if they're disregarded entities! I made this mistake and it caused a nightmare during an audit. The IRS still expects you to maintain separate accounting records for each entity to show proper business purpose, even if they're all reported on a single return.
16 Do you use a specific software for keeping separate books for multiple LLCs? I've been using QuickBooks but it gets expensive with multiple companies.
7 I use Stessa for my rental properties - it's specifically designed for real estate and allows you to track multiple properties and entities. It's much more affordable than having separate QuickBooks accounts for each LLC. For non-real estate businesses, I've heard good things about Xero which has better multi-entity functionality at a lower price point than QuickBooks. The key is making sure you have clean, separate financial statements for each LLC that clearly show income, expenses, assets and liabilities, regardless of which software you use.
9 Just a heads up - check your state requirements too! While the federal government might treat your property LLCs as disregarded entities, some states require separate filing fees or franchise taxes for each LLC regardless of tax status. California, for example, charges an $800 annual fee per LLC, which can add up quickly with your structure.
5 Don't forget that this all assumes you're itemizing deductions rather than taking the standard deduction! With the standard deduction at $13,850 for single filers and $27,700 for married filing jointly in 2023, many people don't benefit from itemizing anymore unless they have very high mortgage interest, state taxes, or charitable contributions. Make sure your total itemized deductions (including this margin interest) exceed your standard deduction amount, otherwise all this calculation work won't actually save you anything on your taxes.
11 Great point! I actually messed this up last year. Spent hours tracking investment interest and other itemized deductions only to have my tax software automatically take the standard deduction because it was higher. Felt like such a waste of time.
5 Excellent reminder! To add a bit more detail - even if you can't benefit from the deduction this year because you're taking the standard deduction, you should still complete Form 4952 to establish your carryforward amount for future years when you might itemize. Also worth noting that if you're in a high-tax state like California, New York, or New Jersey, you're more likely to benefit from itemizing since state and local tax payments (though capped at $10,000) plus your margin interest might push you over the standard deduction threshold.
15 Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you're not running afoul of the "investment purpose" requirement. The IRS requires that margin loans be used specifically for investment purposes to be deductible. If you're using margin for personal expenses (like buying a car or paying for a vacation), that portion of the interest isn't deductible as investment interest. I learned this the hard way after an audit where I had to prove my margin loans were used to purchase securities.
2 Is there a specific way to document this? My brokerage account is kind of a mess with deposits, withdrawals, and margin usage all mixed together throughout the year.
Chris King
3 Worth mentioning - if you had a lot of medical expenses this year but they don't quite push you over the standard deduction threshold, consider "bunching" your deductions. This means trying to concentrate deductible expenses in a single tax year. For example, if you know you'll have medical procedures early next year, see if you can prepay them in December of this year. Same with charitable donations - make next year's donations in December of this year. That way, you might have enough to itemize one year, and then take the standard deduction the next year.
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Chris King
ā¢18 Question about bunching - does this actually save money in the long run? Or does it just shift when you get the deduction?
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Chris King
ā¢3 Bunching can definitely save money in the long run! Let me explain with an example. Say you have $10,000 in medical expenses each year for two years, and the standard deduction is $12,900. If you take those expenses in separate years, you'd take the standard deduction both years ($12,900 Ć 2 = $25,800 total deductions). But if you could bunch $20,000 of expenses into one year, you'd itemize that year ($20,000) and take the standard deduction ($12,900) the next year, for a total of $32,900 in deductions across two years. That's an extra $7,100 in deductions!
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Chris King
7 Have you looked into an HSA (Health Savings Account)? It won't help with expenses you've already paid, but for future medical costs, it's WAY better than itemizing deductions. Contributions are pre-tax, grow tax-free, and withdrawals for medical expenses are tax-free too. Triple tax advantage!
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Chris King
ā¢1 I've been considering an HSA but I'm not sure if I qualify. Don't you need a high-deductible health plan for that? I have insurance through my employer but not sure what type of plan it counts as.
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