My profession is IRS Code#711510 (ind. artist, writer, performer). TT wants to separate into 3 diff. professions when it comes to deductions. How to prevent this?

[IsabellaG]

When I enter my profession as "Artist/Performer" in the Business Info section I am asked to confirm that I worked in "Art" and if I say yes, Code 711510 is listed as my industry code, and I am not prompted to enter expenses for this business separately.  Is it possible that you inadvertently created 3 separate businesses, one for each category, when your work is really one activity involving several facets? Please describe the details of what you are experiencing, because I do not see this happening for me.

Note: When TurboTax asks me if I worked in Art, and I say no, because there's more to my profession, I am assigned category 999999, which is for any miscellaneous work.

[edhooks600]

Thank you for your guidance!  The problem is that I screwed up when I started filling out the Turbo Tax Fed. Return.  It asked for my profession, and I put down "teacher", which is true, but I am not a public school teacher.  It then asked if I had any other professions, and I put down "writer" because I have written several trade books.  Then it asked if I had any other professions, and I put down "actor" because I was an actor for 30 years and still receive residuals from TV shows and movies.  Then, when TT started asking for itemized expenses, it wanted to allocate expenses to one of three "professions".  I knew I was in trouble, so I went back and studied my 2016 return, which was prepared by an accountant in Florida who passed away last September.  I saw that he put down my Business Code as #711510, which encompasses everything that I do under one heading.  Clearly, that is what I should have put on the TT form.  So...I went back to the in-progress form and tried to "reset" my profession to eliminate the three separate professions and replace that with #711510.  The form seemed to accept the change, but when I got to Itemized Expenses, TT once again started with "Which profession?"  Sigh...  In other words, I am having trouble getting the in-progress Turbo Tax Federal Return to totally reset.  Do you think I should simply start all over again, with a brand new form?  Thanks again for the help.  I am beside myself.

[IsabellaG]

I can understand your frustration. Just to make sure: are you self-employed? It sounds like you have created Employment expenses, which are not as a business, but as an employee. That's when you see TurboTax asking which profession to use to claim deductions. Are you receiving the residuals on a W-2? That would be as an employee, but you probably wouldn't have had expenses in 2017 related to that income.

Otherwise, you create one business as an artist/performer/etc, and report all your income and expenses under that one umbrella, if they are all interrelated.

But if they aren't related, and you don't have W-2 income from these activities, you might actually have more than one Schedule C.

At this point, I WOULD recommend that you "Clear and Start Over" because I might not be able to direct you on how to untangle the professions/deductions.

[edhooks600]

Thank you again!  Yes, I am self-employed.  But I also receive W-2's from movie companies that are paying me residuals on old TV shows.  My income is a real Frankenstein's monster.  Not wealthy, but I make a bit here and a bit there.  I teach acting in animation studios and to individual performers, and I write books that pay a few thousand dollars in Royalties.  I also get pensions from Screen Actors Guild, and my wife and I have Social Security.  I even have some income from Foreign companies that do not issue 1099's.  My wife and I had a really good tax man for years and years.  We gave him totals of expenses and income, and he worked it all out.  It was not until I started with Turbo Tax that I actually closely studied what he had done.  Now I see that #711510 if a lovely "catch-all" for me.  100% of the income-producing things I do all spring from the fact that I was a working actor for so many years.  I am truly self-employed.  It is inaccurate to say that, for example, my home office expenses are only a factor for "writing".  I use the home office for everything!  I even do some teaching over Skype, right from my home office.  
I will search for the "Clear and Start Over" option, which I have not yet seen.  That sounds like the best option.  Thank you again!

[IsabellaG]

Glad I could help! This often happens when you have a career in the arts. Yes, report your income and expenses under one activity, except for those W-2 residuals. Good luck!