If I did self employment for 8 months will the IRS pay me back for bills paid for during that?

Well, the IRS doesn't pay you back for anything. If you earned income from self-employment, you must file a Schedule C as sole proprietor. You can deduct all legitimate business expenses and you must enter all income, which is usually provided to you on a 1099-MISC or 1099-NEC. Personally, I try to keep my expenses under 50% of my business income, since I was once audited when I actually lost money due to high travel expenses. (My deductions were approved, but that was in 1965 when IRS agents were friendlier.)

Since I have been dealing with paper forms since the 1950s, I opt for Forms in TurboTax, but you may find it easier when using Step-by-Step.

You will probably have other questions, so ask away. You may be surprised to learn that if you have a Schedule C profit of $400 or more, you must pay FICA (Social Security etc) tax as well.