My wife registered a sole proprietorship in the state of Nevada to drive for Lyft on August 1st 2024 and began driving with Lyft on August 8, does she need to pay quarterly taxes?

[Jmunger10]

1. If yes, how much does she need to pay and what forms does she need to fill out?

2. For the end of the year, what forms will she need to fill out?

3. Can her expenses also deduct from my income as a W-2 employee when filing jointly?

4. Would it be more beneficial to file taxes jointly or separately?

[xmasbaby0]

Filing a joint return is almost always better if you are a married couple.   You can continue to file jointly and add your spouse's self-employment income to the same tax return with your own W-2 income, etc.   It all goes on the same return.  She does not file a separate return for the rideshare income.

Tax Tips for Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and other Car Sharing Drivers FAQ

 https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Self-Employment-Taxes/Tax-Tips-for-Uber--Lyft--Sideca... 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/charges-and-fees/help/how-can-i-apply-my-uber-discount-to-my-turbo...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/account-management/help/why-isn-t-my-lyft-discount-being-applied-t...

If you have self-employment income for which you will pay self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare,  you will need to use online Premium software or any version of the CD/download so that you can prepare a Schedule C for your business expenses.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2926899-how-does-my-side-job-affect-my-taxes

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/form-1099-nec/1099-nec/L5qTsBiSe_US_en_U...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/self-employed/help/how-do-i-report-income-from-self-employment/00/...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/self-employed/help/what-is-the-self-employment-tax/00/25922

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2902389-why-am-i-paying-self-employment-tax

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901340-where-do-i-enter-schedule-c

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3398950-what-self-employed-expenses-can-i-deduct

https://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/self-employed/self-employed-tax-deductions-

calculator-2021-2022-50907/

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901110-do-i-need-to-make-estimated-tax-payments-to-the-irs

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/calculators/self-employed/

[xmasbaby0]

Since you had questions about filing jointly or separately---some more information about that:

If you were legally married at the end of 2024 your filing choices are married filing jointly or married filing separately.

Married Filing Jointly is usually better, even if one spouse had little or no income. When you file a joint return, you and your spouse will get the married filing jointly standard deduction of $29,200 (+$1500 for each spouse 65 or older)  for 2024. You are eligible for more credits including education credits, earned income credit, child and dependent care credit, and a larger income limit to receive the child tax credit. 

If you choose to file married filing separately, both spouses have to file the same way—either you both itemize or you both use standard deduction. Your tax rate will be higher than on a joint return.

 Some of the special rules for filing separately include: you cannot get earned income credit, education credits, adoption credits, or deductions for student loan interest. A higher percent of your Social Security benefits may be taxable. Your limit for SALT (state and local taxes and sales tax) will be only $5000 per spouse. In many cases you will not be able to take the child and dependent care credit. The amount you can contribute to a retirement account will be affected. If you live in a community property state, you will be required to provide additional information regarding your spouse’s income. ( Community property states:  AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI)

 If  you are using online TurboTax to prepare your returns, you will need to prepare two separate returns and pay twice since with online, you get one return per fee.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901162-married-filing-separately-in-community-property-states

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-is-it-better-for-a-married-couple-to-file-jointly-or-separ...