u/Agile_Pangolin3085

2026 was my first tax year. I am hoping to get to at least level 4, if not 5, for next tax season. I just did the level 3 exam. Through the new learning block, level 3 had a path with several classes to take to prepare for the exam. Level 4 just shows the option to take the test. I had to study a lot to pass the level 3 (had had 0 experience with clergy). Does anyone know what topics I should study for the level 4 exam? My manager had said to take the exam one time and then study what I missed, but learning block no longer shows what you missed, so that no longer works. Thanks in advance for any advice!

So my year round job is self employment. Some government policies made my main job take a big hit this year. So I worked at H&R block this winter. I was full time January through April. They have kept me on for the summer, but I just got my next week's schedule and only have 8 hours.

My self employment is 100% commission and this time of year I pretty much am only getting commissions. I do health insurance and had to move the vast majority of my business this fall, so my renewals are minimal. I know self employment does not get unemployment, but am basically getting at, I will have one or two weeks a month with some income (from renewals) and the other two to three weeks won't have any pay from self employment. I have not used unemployment since covid, but then I also did the underemployment thing, so got nothing on weeks renewals came through and got some unemployment on weeks I didn't have renewals.

Since January 2026 through now is the only time I've had an employer (H&R Block) in the last several years, and unemployment looks at the last 6 quarters, when should I file? I'm not expecting to get any large amounts, but even a couple hundred a month would be nice. Should I file now when my hours just dropped (two weeks ago I had 29 hours, but now that a lot of holds and extensions have been taken care of, I'm thinking this only 8 hours a week thing might be the rest of the summer)? My boss at H&R Block has said everyone should file for unemployment, but since my other employment is self employment, my situation is a little different. Should I wait until July so that this 2nd quarter is complete? I thought I read somewhere that you needed to have worked for 2 quarters to get any unemployment. January to March isn't an issue, but for 2nd quarter, do I need to wait for the quarter to complete, or would they count April to now as the 2nd quarter even if I file within this quarter?

(I will probably check out a temp agency for some additional work, so unemployment probably won't even be an issue for very long. But whatever I grab, I need to quit mid September in preparation for my busy season with self employment, so I feel wierd applying to any regular jobs).

Thank you to everyone that read this far and has any insights!

Edit: I am located in Wisconsin.