# When do I need to begin filing?



## journdriver (Feb 24, 2018)

I started driving Feb. 2018, so when would I need to file my first taxes? In 2019? Or this month? 

Thanks!


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

journdriver said:


> I started driving Feb. 2018, so when would I need to file my first taxes? In 2019? Or this month?
> 
> Thanks!


You will file tax return(s) for 2018 by April 15, 2019. The filing deadline for 2017 was yesterday.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

journdriver said:


> I started driving Feb. 2018, so when would I need to file my first taxes? In 2019? Or this month?
> 
> Thanks!


You DO need to pay into quarterly tax payments thou. (there are no withholding for 1099 contractors)

If you have any taxable profit that is...


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## beezlewaxin (Feb 10, 2015)

Deadline was extended by 1 day. Today is the new deadline. 

The IRS website for making electronic payments via ACH experienced some downtime yesterday so everyone gets another day.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Older Chauffeur said:


> You will file tax return(s) for 2018 by April 15, 2019. The filing deadline for 2017 was yesterday.


The filing deadline for 2017 is today.

They extended it.

That said, that's only if you worked in 2017


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## journdriver (Feb 24, 2018)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> You DO need to pay into quarterly tax payments thou. (there are no withholding for 1099 contractors)
> 
> If you have any taxable profit that is...


How much is taxable profit? And when are quarterly taxes due?


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

journdriver said:


> How much is taxable profit? And when are quarterly taxes due?


Have you never filed tax returns? Did you file and pay taxes recently for income received in 2017? Do you have other income sources other than TNC driving? Independent contracting means you are essentially in business for yourself. You get paid (gross income) and subtract your costs of doing business, (expenses) like mileage (keep a log; the SMR is $0.545 per mile for 2018) and cell phone business use. The remaining money is your net profit. That's what you pay tax on.

No one can tell you how much your taxable profit will be, or how much the tax will be. There are too many variables, such as your filing status, number of exemptions, total income, deductions, etc that we don't know.

If you expect to owe more than $1000 at tax time, which is doubtful on Uber/Lyft income alone, you are supposed to pay quarterly estimated payments. There are exceptions, such as if you have 90% of your tax liability paid in or an amount equal to what you owed the prior year. If you have a regular job with payroll witholding, you can ask your employer to increase the amount withheld to help cover taxes on your business income.

For many drivers, the mileage deduction leaves very little profit, or even a loss, with nominal or no tax due. If you have a net profit of at least $400 you will owe 15.3% of your profit in contributions to Social Security and Medicare, in addition to any income tax.

You might want to talk with a tax professional or accountant before you get too far into the year to make sure your doing everything properly with regard to taxes and record keeping. Good luck.

Disclosure: I'm not a tax professional.


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