Melinda Tolbert EA - Tax Relief Expert

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Melinda Tolbert EA - Tax Relief Expert Melinda Tolbert is a Tax Relief Expert committed to helping business owners who owe the IRS over $25

10/09/2026

Had 2 employees during COVID, but your 941 returns say you had 20? Or 100?

That's exactly how a lot of fake Employee Retention Tax Credit claims were built. Promoters inflated employee counts on 941 returns for businesses that probably never qualified, and the government paid out a lot of money because of it. Now there are a lot of current investigations into businesses that received this credit. The IRS already gave business owners more than enough opportunities to pay the money back, redo it, or amend it.

Melinda Tolbert breaks down this and the rest of the IRS Dirty Dozen in this episode of IRS War Room.

Tag a business owner who got pitched an ERTC deal that sounded too good to be true.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how fake ERTC claims are putting business owners under investigation. Link in the comments!

10/08/2026

The IRS is very, very clear about who qualifies for the earned income tax credit, who doesn't, and how much you're entitled to.

For the 2023 tax year, someone with one qualifying child could claim a maximum of $3,995, with a maximum adjusted gross income of $46,560. If you fall outside the bracket the IRS defines, you don't qualify. And claiming it anyway puts you at risk of tax fraud.

Melinda Tolbert explains why tax credits are one of the first places the IRS looks in this episode of IRS War Room.

Share this with someone who's planning to claim credits this tax season.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how claiming credits you don't qualify for can turn into a tax fraud case. Link in the comments!

10/07/2026

Still wondering whether your crypto counts as income? The IRS already answered that question. It does.

There's been plenty of debate about whether virtual currency should be treated as income at all. But the IRS makes the rules, and the IRS has decided it's income, which means you have to report it. If you don't report your crypto transactions and you get hit with an audit, you're looking at interest on what you owe, penalties, and in some cases, potential criminal charges.

Melinda Tolbert explains why unreported crypto has become a major issue with the IRS in the latest episode of IRS War Room.

Tag the friend who's been trading Bitcoin and hasn't said a word about it at tax time.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how unreported cryptocurrency transactions can lead to an IRS audit. Link in the comments!

10/06/2026

Is your home office really a home office? Or is it also the guest room, the homework room, and the place everybody goes to watch TV?

The home office deduction is one of the most popular deductions out there, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Some people measure the space incorrectly and end up with a bigger deduction than they're entitled to. Others claim a room is used exclusively for business when the whole family is in there doing everything. That second one isn't a mistake. It's an intentional deception, and it falls under tax fraud.

Melinda Tolbert keeps it simple: if the space isn't used exclusively for business, stay away from the deduction.

Tag a fellow work from home business owner who needs this reminder.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how an improper home office deduction can become a tax fraud issue. Link in the comments!

10/05/2026

You reported every dollar from your 9 to 5. But what about the Uber rides, the Instacart runs, or that eBay store that's been quietly making real money?

Failing to report all your income is one of the most common ways people end up on the IRS radar, and it's become even more common with the rise of the gig economy. A lot of people assume that if they never got a 1099, they don't have to report it. That's not how it works. You still have to report that income, and if you don't, the IRS is going to find out.

Melinda Tolbert walks through this and other mistakes that trigger audits in the latest episode of IRS War Room.

Share this with a friend who has a side hustle.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how unreported gig and side income can lead to an IRS audit. Link in the comments!

10/02/2026

Claiming exempt on your W-4 every year so no federal taxes come out of your paycheck? That's not a tax strategy. That's fraud.

A tax mistake is one thing. Knowingly filling out your forms wrong to keep more money is a deliberate deception, and the IRS treats it that way. Depending on how serious it is, tax fraud can mean a penalty of up to 75% of the tax you failed to pay, fines of up to $100,000, and up to three years in federal prison.

Melinda Tolbert breaks down this and 5 other tax mistakes that will get you audited in this episode of IRS War Room.

Tag someone who files exempt every single year and thinks nobody notices.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how filing exempt without qualifying can turn into a tax fraud case. Link in the comments!

09/28/2026

Reality TV star Maurice Fayne, known as Arkansas Mo from Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, requested $3.7 million in PPP funds by claiming his trucking company had 107 employees and a monthly payroll of more than $1.4 million.

He ultimately received approximately $2 million. According to federal investigators, within days he wasn't using that money the way he certified on his loan application.

The money was supposed to help employees keep their jobs. Instead, federal prosecutors alleged it funded a luxury lifestyle. Fayne pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison.

Melinda Tolbert breaks down this case and 4 other real PPP fraud prosecutions in the newest episode of IRS War Room.

Tag someone who still thinks PPP fraud cases stopped getting prosecuted years ago.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how spending PPP funds on luxury items can become evidence in PPP fraud cases. Link in the comments!

09/26/2026

Thought you could spend your PPP loan now and just pay it back later if anyone asked questions? That's not how fraud investigations work.

Some business owners assumed they could use PPP funds to invest, make a little profit, and quietly pay the loan back later. Repaying the money afterward does not erase false statements or misuse if investigators determine fraud occurred.

Here's why. The jewelry stores keep records. The wire transfers leave records. Even cash withdrawals appear on your bank statements. The paper trail doesn't disappear just because time passes.

PPP money was intended to keep businesses operating and employees working. It was never designed to finance a luxury lifestyle. If you used government funds for personal purchases, don't be surprised when those purchases become exhibits in the courtroom.

Melinda Tolbert unpacks this mistake and 4 other real PPP fraud cases in the full episode of IRS War Room.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how luxury purchases and cash withdrawals can become evidence in PPP fraud cases. Link in the comments!

09/25/2026

Could you use the payroll you planned to pay in the future to calculate your PPP loan amount? No. And this is one of the PPP fraud mistakes most business owners never even realized was a mistake.

The PPP loan calculation was based on historical payroll information, the payroll you had already paid, not projected or future payroll. You couldn't estimate a higher number because you wanted a larger loan.

Melinda Tolbert explains why this distinction mattered so much, and why business owners who used projected numbers instead of historical ones are still being investigated years later.

Comment below if this is the first time you're hearing this distinction.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how using projected payroll instead of historical payroll can become evidence in PPP fraud cases. Link in the comments!

09/24/2026

Today we broke down 5 of the biggest PPP fraud mistakes still sending business owners to federal prison, years after the pandemic ended: fake Schedule C's, fake employees, inflated payroll, multiple PPP loans, and spending on luxury items.

Here's the one lesson to take from all of it. The Department of Justice is not relying on guesses. They're relying on documents. Every document you filed, your tax return, your payroll records, your bank statements, tells a story. The only question investigators ask is whether they all tell the same story.

If they don't, the government wants to know why.

Share this with a business owner who filed for PPP during the pandemic.

Watch the full episode of IRS War Room to understand how mismatched tax returns, payroll filings, and bank records can become evidence in PPP fraud cases. Link in the comments!

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