How do you decide how much REAL personal information to provide? Especially circumstances when filling out a contact form.

Some things are obvious - for example, if I'm making an appointment and need a call back, obviously the phone number needs to work. But others?

• Do you keep a separate email address just for this work?
• If you are visiting business that you never plan to use - do you still provide real information?
• If you do mystery shops at multiple locations of the same company, do you provide the same information each time?
• Do you experience an increase in junk mail/sales calls when real information provided?
• If being a local makes sense (and you are not), do you make up a local address?

Again, I'm interested in situation when it's part of the deal to fill out a contact form.

I'm thinking the separate email is a no brainer.

I'd really like to know more about how others do this as I've heard both (yes and no). I used to prepare taxes LONG, LONG ago and the IRS has lots of rules but often has room for common sense.

My concern is if I make enough to get a 1099 and compensation fees and reimbursement amounts get reported as one figure. Then I obviously want to whittle out those reimbursements that were not of any use to me and truly only incurred as part of the business objective.

There are services where I definitely benefited, say a $30 car wash. Yeah, I needed that so probably fair to consider it compensation. But there are others where I purchased (minimal) fast food and dumped it right in the trash or paid for an eye exam that I didn't need (and wouldn't trust). Those are up front expenses that only exist as a business necessity, not a benefit to me personally.

Also, no one has mentioned mileage. Do you track and claim business mileage?

Right now I'm keeping a spreadsheet of my shops with quite a bit of detail. I guess I'll figure it out when tax time comes!

I saw a notice with that offer. It wasn't clear how to access the course, but there was a phone number: 888-300-8292

Here's an excerpt:

To get started, we offer a free, one-hour, "New Auditor Certification Session" every Tuesday at 3:30 pm Pacific/4:30 Mountain/5:30 Central/6:30 Eastern. During the session, we will go over what is expected during these shops. We also offer a self-guided process if you cannot attend the live presentation. Once you have completed the free course and passed the test, you will become certified, which will allow you to request these shops.

In order to take part in this opportunity, you must be registered at [isecretshop.com] (It’s free to register)

This opportunity entails scanning around 1900 SKUs/products at a designated store using a complimentary app on your smartphone, as per the client's requirements.

[Listed a bunch of cities]

If this prospect intrigues you, kindly sign up on the iSecretShop website, request the shop, and click on the link provided to begin.

Should you have any inquiries or wish to speak with us, please don't hesitate to call us at 888-300-8292.

My big question is how it's reported on the 1099 (assuming dollar threshold is met). If I have $1000 in fees and $500 in reimbursements, what amount does the 1099 show?

In most business situations, I'd expect reimbursements NOT to be reported as income. But if it were, then I'd want to report the related expenses on my taxes.

It's easy to get stuck in a certain mentality. Years ago I worked on a software development team and we were on a tough project, working 18 hour days and at the testing phase - where you try every possible combination to "break the software". Leaving late at night with a colleague in my car, he turned on the radio, but then absently starting pushing ALL the buttons in random patterns. He was unconsciously TESTING every possible sequence.