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With a few days remaining in July, it doesn’t seem like the right time to talk about taxes. But the accountant I am interviewing today assures me that now is the best time to think about taxes to avoid end-of-year surprises.
Heather Ryan is an RVer from Colorado who specializes in helping Workampers and people who operate small businesses. Although she offers bookkeeping services, Heather excels in tax preparation. In fact, she calls herself the Tax Queen.
Heather is what the IRS calls an enrolled agent. It is the highest credential a tax professional can attain from the IRS because it allows the tax preparer to represent taxpayers before the IRS in any official proceedings.
Consequently, Heather can work with clients across the country, and last year she helped people file taxes in 33 states.
Heather and her husband are part-time RVers at the moment, but they were actually full-time RVers for five years. She supported their travel lifestyle with her tax-preparation business. Heather understands the RVing and Workamping lifestyle, which gives her unique insight into special deductions and tax challenges RVers face.
She addresses some of the more common tax challenges that Workampers face as well as issues around operating a business, like RV maintenance, in multiple states. She also addresses a very common question regarding expenses RVers can deduct from their taxes, like mileage and RV maintenance costs.
Heather even identifies some red flags that could draw the attention of various taxing jurisdictions, and she offers advice about the best ways to keep tax records.
I’m glad there are professionals like Heather who enjoy doing tax preparation as well as tax planning to advise people on ways they can keep more of their money.
One thing Heather highly recommends is that Workampers become W-2 employees rather than 1099 contractors. In fact, she says most employers must, by law, make Workampers employees instead of contractors. That’s especially true when Workampers live and work on site.
Tax code changes a few years ago to raise the amount of the standard deduction actually makes it easier for Workampers to file taxes because they don’t have to worry about tracking all their expenses to deduct them on their taxes.
It can be a challenge for Workampers to file taxes in each state where they earned income the previous year, but doing so keeps them out of hot water. Yet, Heather said most Workampers don’t make enough income in those states to justify paying taxes, so they usually get their money refunded.
Heather is working with new clients, and she’s happy to have a discovery call to talk about ways she can help you with taxes and properly planning a tax strategy so you can keep more of your money.
To connect with Heather, visit www.tax-queen.com, and fill out the form on the contact page. You can also schedule a time for a discovery call on that page. Heather charges $49 for a 15-minute consultation, which is deducted from any fees incurred should a Workamper opt to become a client.
If you were surprised with a big tax bill last year, I’d encourage you to reach out to Heather as soon as possible to ensure it doesn’t happen again in 2024.
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If you’re serious about leading a successful and enjoyable Workamping lifestyle, then a Diamond or Platinum membership is for you. You can even get started with a free 30-day trial by visiting workamper.com/trial. Embark on new adventures today with the support of Workamper News behind you!
That’s all I have for this week’s episode. Next time I will be speaking with an employer who has an opportunity to learn about dogs and bees while doing work on a farm. I’ll have that interview on the next episode of The Workamper Show. Thank you for listening!
