RLA TAX Solutions

🚨 Tax Tip: Don’t File Without Your W-2!

1. Pay Stubs Often Miss Important Tax Details

Your W-2 includes information that pay stubs may not fully reflect, such as:

• Employer-paid benefits

• Retirement contributions

• Pre-tax deductions

• Accurate federal, state, and local withholding

Missing or incorrect data can cause refund errors or tax bills later.

2. Accuracy Protects You From IRS Notices & Penalties

Using your W-2 helps ensure:

• Correct income reporting

• Proper credits and deductions

• Compliance with IRS matching systems

Filing accurately the first time protects you from audits, letters, penalties, and refund reversals.

3. You Risk Having to File an Amended Return

If your W-2 shows different numbers than your pay stub, you’ll have to file an amended return (Form 1040-X). This can:

• Delay refunds by weeks or months

• Trigger additional IRS scrutiny

• Create unnecessary stress

4. Filing Without a W-2 Can Delay Your Refund

The IRS matches your tax return with the W-2 your employer sends them. If your numbers don’t match, your return can be flagged, delayed, or pulled for review, meaning no fast refund.

5. Your Last Pay Stub Is NOT Final or Official

Your last pay stub is only an estimate of your year-to-date earnings. Employers can still make adjustments after year-end for bonuses, corrections, benefits, or payroll errors. Your W-2 is the official document reported to the IRS, not your pay stub.

🚨 1099 information you can absolutely use

You know them lil’ 1099s y’all love to ignore?
Yeah… the IRS didn’t ignore it. They saw ALL that side hustle income. 👀

Don’t know what a 1099 is? Lemme break it down real quick:

🛻 You out here DoorDashing?
🚗 Driving Uber or Lyft?
📦 Doing Instacart, Amazon Flex, or even braiding hair and collecting Zelle/CashApp with business accounts?
🎨 Freelance work, OnlyFans, babysitting, selling plates, lashes, wigs, whatever…

👉🏽 If you got paid as a contractor — with no taxes taken out —
and earned over $600 from ANYONE?

🧾 They sent the IRS a 1099 with your name on it.
Whether YOU got it or not, the IRS did. 😬

So when you don’t report it on your tax return?
The IRS be like:
“Surprise! You owe more taxes. And here’s a lovely penalty too.” 🎁

💡 But here’s the GOOD news:
If you’re self‑employed or an independent contractor, there are tons of deductions you can take:
✔️ Mileage
✔️ Supplies
✔️ Phone bills
✔️ Business expenses
✔️ And more!

📌 The key is: Tell me about it.
Don’t skip reporting income out of fear — that’s how you end up with a tax bill and stress.
Let me help you report it the right way AND lower that taxable income with legit deductions.

We gon get it done. The IRS ain't playing and Im not either!

by way of my mentor 💕