Are You Ready? Personal Prep for Season
 

Like all officials my preparation of the upcoming season includes registrations, exams, clinics, and updating/blocking my arbiter; however, there are a host of other things that I must do in order to be thoroughly prepared. Here is a list of additional things I do, do any of you'all do the same or different or additional preparatory actions?

1. notify/remind my daytime job Employer that the hoop season is starting soon and I have afternoon games scheduled---so I notify them that I must leave work 1.5 hours earlier on those days--and that I will be coming in 1.5 hrs earlier to comp out my 40 hr work week.

2. vehicle prep--get my oil changed, maybe a tune up, vacuum clean my car, and tires all checked becasue I'll be doing lots of driving around to various game sites.

3. collect lots of coupons from the Sunday newspaper for discounts on various fast food (the usual places)--so I can get proper discounts on all the pre-game meals that I eat while driving to the game site.

4. get a folder for all the reciepts from gas, food, uniform items so that my deductions for taxes are organized and documented.

This is just me...

Do you not just take the mileage deduction? Or do you use that car strictly for officiating and document all expenses related to the car?

Note that you can't legally deduct the gas AND take the mileage deduction.

*well mostly I use the standard deduction for mileage; but i like to keep track of my expenditure for gas when I'm on reffing missions--mainly to track my personal efficiency.
I must say that it was surprising to find that none of you guys /gals take advantage of the pre-game meals discounts available?! Or maybe someone just has not posted on it yet.

I don't believe food is a deductible expense unless it is "necessary for you to stop for substantial sleep or rest to properly perform your duties" or it is business-related entertainment.

Does going to the "business-related entertainment" club after the game count?? ;)

We arrive about 6:15PM for varsity games. I eat a late lunch and light dinner after the game. I don't ref after eating a meal.

Kansas Ref is about to get audited. :)

I was told it OK if it was on the way or part of what you normally do as apart of that job. Again, this might be something you really need to check with your CPA or Tax professional. They usually can clarify how you do many of these deductions.

Peace

I'm amazed at how many officials in my area are bothered when they are asked to fill out a W9....or worse, when they are paid by Direct Deposit.

My response is always of the nature of....."Why does it matter since all offciiating income is taxable?" I smile when I say this, since I know the only reason people care is cause they feel that this alone means they have to pay taxes.

I think you're generally correct, but I know of a few people that are uncomfortable putting their social security number on multiple forms and leaving them in pile in a coaches office...

Are there still rules about a "business" having to show a profit once every few years or the activity being considered a hobby? I am not a CPA...my son is...but have not asked.

Most of the officials I know only declare income reported to them on a 1099. Around here, schools and/or districts pay directly to the individual and with the high number of school districts and private schools in the area (a large metropolitan area) virtually nobody is paid enough by a single entity to reach the 1099 mark.

Years ago I got a tax ID and tracked all the income and expenses for two years. The first year I finished in the red by about $100...the second year I finished in the black by less than that. That is when I stopped tracking everything.

Years ago, I tracked every automotive expense that would be taxable under the actual expenses deduction for both of our cars because there were times I used my car and times when I used my "better half's" car. Unless you are replacing the transmission in every month that has 30 days; replacing the engine in every month that has 31 days; and replacing the tie-rods and brakes in the month that has 28 or 29 days, one's actual expenses cannot come close to the Federal mileage deduction.

For the year that I traced my expenses, my actual expenses came out to be only 55% of the Federal mileage deduction. You cannot beat the mileage deduction.

MTD, Sr.

I have an issue with some of this because it delays the process to get paid. I do not care that I have to fill out paperwork, but we us Arbiter which already has all that information they basically need but a signature. I really do not care about filling out paperwork, but it seems that many schools do not review it.

I have had schools not only not pay attention to the information I filled out on a voucher, they sent to the wrong address or call me to find out what was the right address. Again, everything we have is on Arbiter. And in the case of an IHSA official, all our address information is also on their website.

Last year just to get paid at one of the schools, we had to fill out an online voucher that did not get processed properly. And mostly, who is reviewing this information? I am giving you my social security number and I have no idea who sees or can review the information. Because when we sign this information, we are not giving it to the people in the business office. We are giving the information to some "host" who may or may not be a teacher or even administrator and they could do a lot with that information and we would not know.

Peace

I have a very good friend who is a lawyer that deals in these kinds of things and he says you can lose money and still be OK. Again, that might apply to my state and surrounding states, your state might be different.

Peace