I've spent the last several hours doing my taxes and....is this possible? I'm getting a refund from both federal and state?! Plus the $600 credit this summer? PLUS the money that I set aside to pay taxes I was sure I was going to owe?! REALLY?!
Well, I'm not holding my breath just yet. I'm going to stop for a while and come back to it, review to make sure all the information is correct before I file. However, it's conceivable. I made quite a bit less mystery shopping in 2007 than in 2006, and while I showed a profit from the dance company, it's a very small profit--and I had unreimbursed day-job related expenses as well as a few education expenses that I did end up paying in 2007. Hmm.
Maybe you can get an even bigger refund if you claim all the deductions possible from your mystery shopping jobs. if you need info on possible deductions, visit http://become-a-secret-shopper.com/tax-deductions.html
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of free ebooks available there as well - they will help you maximize the deductions you can take as an independent contractor - which is what you are when you mystery shop1
Oh, yes, Karen--I take all the deductions available to me. Transportation, cell phone charges, postage, fax costs, etc.
ReplyDeleteI set my withholding from my day job right to the edge so that I won't get a refund, or if I do, it will be less than $50. So when I add mystery shopping and other freelance income, there's no way I qualify for a federal refund, which is why I was so shocked when I wrote this post. I typically have to pay a few hundred dollars because of that income, but believe me--I take every legal deduction I can!
Thanks for the links to the ebooks--I frequently instruct people how to begin mystery shopping, and I bet there's information there I won't have to repeat anymore.