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Everything you need to get the most from WriteOff. Search guides, FAQs, and platform walkthroughs below.

Quick Start

Pick a path to jump right in.

New to WriteOff?
Connect your bank, let the AI find deductions, review transactions, and export filing-ready forms. Most users finish setup in under 15 minutes.
  • Connect your bank account via Plaid
  • AI automatically categorizes transactions
  • Review and confirm deductions
  • Export IRS forms or send to your CPA
Filing Your Taxes
Export Schedule C, TurboTax .txf files, or a complete CPA package. WriteOff generates all the forms you need.
  • Fill in your Tax Profile with business info
  • Check readiness badges on the Filing Hub
  • Choose your export format (PDF, TXF, CPA Zip)
  • File via TurboTax, mail to the IRS, or hand to your CPA
Free Tax Tools
Use our free calculators to estimate self-employment tax, quarterly payments, tax brackets, refunds, and more.
  • SE Tax Calculator
  • Quarterly Estimate Calculator
  • Tax Bracket Calculator
  • W-4 Calculator & more

Platform Guide

Learn what each section of the app does and how to use it.

What do the numbers on the dashboard mean?

Total Deductions shows the sum of all confirmed business expenses. Estimated Tax Savings shows how much less you'll owe the IRS based on your tax bracket. Transactions to Review shows items the AI flagged that need your confirmation.

What are the action items / checklist?

The dashboard shows a checklist of things to complete before filing: connecting a bank, reviewing transactions, entering income, filling in your business profile, and exporting forms. Green checkmarks mean done; orange means in progress.

How does the AI decide what's deductible?

The AI analyzes the merchant name, bank category, amount, and your profession. It assigns a confidence score (0-100%). High-confidence items are flagged automatically; uncertain ones are queued for your review.

What's the Review Transactions screen?

It groups transactions into three buckets: Likely Business (green, high confidence), Needs Review (amber, uncertain), and Likely Personal (red). Only confirmed transactions appear on your tax forms.

What if the AI gets something wrong?

Reject it during review by clicking the red X. The AI learns from your corrections -- if you reject gym charges as personal, future gym transactions will be marked personal automatically. You can also change any transaction's category.

What goes in the Income section?

All money you earned: gross receipts (freelance pay, client payments), 1099-NEC/1099-K forms from clients or platforms, and W-2 income if you also have a regular job (affects your SE tax calculation).

Why does income matter for exports?

Schedule C Line 1 is your gross receipts. Without it, your forms can't calculate net profit (income minus expenses). If income is missing, exports will show $0 profit regardless of expenses.

What if I have multiple income sources?

Add each 1099 separately -- the app sums them for your total gross receipts. The app currently supports one Schedule C per account.

What counts as a business expense?

Anything 'ordinary and necessary' for your business: software/subscriptions, office supplies, business travel, business meals (50% deductible), professional services, advertising, business portion of phone/internet/car, and home office space. Personal expenses are NOT deductible.

What are above-the-line deductions?

These reduce your Adjusted Gross Income regardless of itemizing: self-employed health insurance, SEP-IRA or Solo 401(k) contributions, HSA contributions, and half of your self-employment tax (calculated automatically).

What are Schedule C line numbers?

Every business expense maps to a specific line on IRS Schedule C. For example: Line 8 = Advertising, Line 17 = Legal/professional, Line 18 = Office expenses, Line 24a = Travel, Line 24b = Meals, Line 25 = Utilities. The app assigns these automatically.

What is the Tax Profile?

A single page with everything needed for your IRS forms: Business Information (name, profession, NAICS code, EIN), Income Summary, Home Office details, Business Assets for depreciation, and Above-the-Line Deductions.

What's the home office section for?

If you use part of your home exclusively for business, you can deduct a portion of rent/mortgage, utilities, and insurance. Simplified method: $5/sq ft up to 300 sq ft ($1,500 max). Regular method: actual expenses times business-use percentage. Generates Form 8829.

What are business assets?

Equipment bought for your business -- laptops, cameras, furniture, vehicles. You can deduct the cost through depreciation or Section 179 (full cost in year one). Generates Form 4562 and feeds into Schedule C Line 13.

What forms can I export?

Schedule C (Profit or Loss), Schedule SE (Self-Employment Tax), Form 8829 (Home Office), Form 4562 (Depreciation), Form 1040-ES (Quarterly Vouchers), and a Form 1040 summary/preview.

What export formats are available?

IRS Form PDF (print, sign, mail), TurboTax .txf file (import into TurboTax Desktop), CPA Package .zip (cover letter, all forms, transaction CSV), plain Transaction CSV, Audit Trail documentation, and State Tax Summary.

What are readiness badges?

Each form card shows a completion percentage: Green (100%) means ready to export, Amber (50-99%) means almost ready, Red (below 50%) means important fields are empty. Click any card to see exactly what's missing.

How do I file with TurboTax?

Download the .txf file from the Filing Hub, open TurboTax Desktop, go to File > Import > From TXF Files, select the file, and TurboTax auto-fills your Schedule C. Note: works with TurboTax Desktop only, not the online version.

What are quarterly estimated payments?

If you expect to owe $1,000+ in taxes, the IRS requires you to pay estimated taxes four times a year: April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year.

How does WriteOff help with quarterly taxes?

The app calculates how much each payment should be based on your income and deductions, and generates Form 1040-ES vouchers you can print and mail with your check or use as reference for IRS Direct Pay.

What happens if I don't pay quarterly?

You may face an underpayment penalty when you file your annual return. The penalty is essentially interest on the amount you should have paid. Paying quarterly avoids surprises and spreads the burden across the year.

What reports are available?

Profit & Loss Statement (income vs. expenses by month), Expense Summary (spending by category), Tax Summary (overview of all tax-relevant numbers), and Year-over-Year Comparison.

How do I use reports?

Reports help you understand your business finances beyond just filing. Use P&L to see monthly trends, the Expense Summary to spot overspending, and the Tax Summary to preview your overall tax picture before exporting forms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the most common questions.

Yes. Bank connections use Plaid -- the same service used by Venmo, Cash App, and most major banking apps. Your SSN is only used at the moment you export a form and is never stored. All data is encrypted with enterprise-grade security.

Yes, if you're a single-member LLC taxed as a sole proprietorship (the default). WriteOff generates Schedule C, which is the form single-member LLCs file. Multi-member LLCs and S-corps have different filing requirements.

Go to Dashboard > Connect Bank. This opens Plaid's secure flow. Search for your bank, log in, and select the accounts you want to import. Plaid supports 12,000+ banks, credit unions, and credit cards.

The 30-day free trial gives you full access to every feature. After that, Basic is $7.99/month ($79.99/year) and Premium is $14.99/month ($149.99/year). You can cancel anytime during the trial with no charge.

The AI achieves over 90% accuracy and improves over time as it learns from your corrections. You always have the final say -- review and adjust any categorization before exporting.

Yes. The Filing Hub generates a .txf file you can import into TurboTax Desktop (File > Import > From TXF Files). This auto-fills your Schedule C expense lines. Note: this works with TurboTax Desktop, not the online version.

Schedule C (Profit or Loss), Schedule SE (Self-Employment Tax), Form 8829 (Home Office), Form 4562 (Depreciation/Amortization), Form 1040-ES (Quarterly Vouchers), and a Form 1040 summary preview.

Not necessarily. WriteOff can get you 90% of the way there. Consider a CPA if your business earns over $100K, you have complex situations (partnerships, S-corps, rental income), or you want extra peace of mind. Even with a CPA, the CPA Package export saves them hours.

Just reject it during review or change its category by clicking on it. The AI learns from your corrections, so the same type of transaction will be categorized correctly in the future.

If you expect to owe $1,000+ in taxes, the IRS requires quarterly payments (April 15, June 15, Sept 15, Jan 15). WriteOff calculates your estimated amount and generates 1040-ES vouchers.

WriteOff supports vehicle deductions through the Tax Profile. Enter your business use percentage and choose between the standard mileage rate or actual expense method. Mileage tracking integration is on our roadmap.

Not directly -- e-filing requires authorized IRS e-file provider status. Your options: import into TurboTax and e-file, send the CPA Package to your accountant, or print the IRS PDFs and mail them.

WriteOff is built for freelancers, sole proprietors, independent contractors, gig workers, and single-member LLCs. It generates Schedule C, which is the standard form for these business types.

Go to Settings > Account tab. You can cancel anytime with one click. If you cancel during the free trial, you won't be charged. Your data is retained for 30 days after cancellation.

Email us at support@writeoffapp.com or use the contact form at the bottom of this page. We typically respond within 24 hours on business days.

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