Hi there :)  I'm a self employed person of many professions;
Architectural Draftsman from home where I work off my laptop as I
create full sets of construction plans, then email them to the company
I freelance for when I'm finished.  I am also a freelance Personal
Trainer, a Model, and an Aspiring Writer.  My main income is the
drafting work though.  I have been modeling for about 6 years, but off
and on... same for the Personal Training.  In the past I've gotten
paid cash for modeling jobs, all under the amounts for filing a claim,
and some personal training jobs have been cash and some by check where
they filed to the IRS (only one client did this for one year - $2,250
worth).
 
I am an aspiring Writer as well, but haven't been paid for anything
towards that career yet.  I have plenty of things that I have paid out
for towards modeling, personal training, and writing, and I have never
filed a Schedule C before on any of them so I have never used them for
deductions.  I believe I recall that after 3 years of filing something
as a loss for deductions, you can no longer claim losses on that
particular career choice again if it hasn't made you more income than
your losses, and is then considered a "hobby".
 
If I want to claim deductions for my at-home work of drafting (% of
rent, utilities, internet, computer purchase, etc.), can I also claim
for modeling and personal training losses too?  If so, do they have to
be on a separate Schedule C & SE?
 
I need to know what things can I claim deductions for since I know I owe a lot!:
 
100% of my health insurance from the gross income earned.
% of rent?
% of utilities?
internet (which I use for all my careers)?
purchase of my computer (which I use for all my careers)?
stationary supplies?
stamps (mailing comp cards for modeling)?
bottled water during work?
plane flights for modeling events and TV shows I was in/on?
hotel stays?
rental car?
airport parking fees?
airport shuttle fees?
currency exchange rate commission fees?
meals out during meetings?
dental bills not covered by insurance?
personal training equipment?
% of vehicle repairs?
% of vehicle maintenance costs?
% of cell phone?
% of home phone?
gas?
mileage (to train clients and getting office/computer/modeling supplies)?
 
These are just things that I can come up with off the top of my head
that I know I have receipts for.  Can I claim them all?  What else can
I claim?  How much %'s can I claim on each item?
 
Here's the kicker... I owe for the past 6 years, and I haven't filed
my taxes for the past 5 years.  I have called the IRS though to
discuss making a payment arrangement after filing, and they already
sent me a package of how much I made each year, along with the form
for each year to fill out, including a Schedule C & SE for each year. 
Although I still need to file for this year too, and no I didn't file
for an extension in time.  So I need to file for 2000, 2001, 2002,
2003 & 2004.  Then once I know what I owe, I will make payment
arrangements for years 1999-2005.
 
Each year I drafted for a company that didn't deduct taxes from me,
but did file on my income.  How do I figure out how much FICA and
Federal Tax to deduct?  Also, I reside in California (L.A.), but my
driver's license is still from Florida, as so is my license plate,
registration, and voter's registration.  So would I still have to pay
a CA state tax?  My careers are all "mobile" careers.
 
I'm also pretty lost on the Schedules to fill out.  I'm a smart guy,
just don't understand some of the fields to fill out.  How much would
this cost me to have an Accountant do it all for me?  I have all the
paperwork in order, including receipts and figures.  I just need the
1040 & Schedule forms filled out and as many things deducted as
possible.
 
Thank you!
Sincerely,
"I owe a lot!"