#freelance
Freelance
Financial management and tax guidance for freelancers
Bookkeeping and Taxes for Voiceover Artists: A Complete Guide
Independent voice actors owe 15.3% self-employment tax on net Schedule C profit, can deduct a home studio under the exclusive-use test, and may owe nonresident state tax returns on residual income sourced to states they never visited.
EU VAT One Stop Shop: How US Freelancers and SaaS Founders Sell Into Europe Without 27 Tax Registrations
The EU's Non-Union OSS scheme lets US freelancers and SaaS founders selling digital products to EU consumers file one quarterly VAT return instead of registering separately in all 27 member states.
Bookkeeping for Private Music Teachers: Deferred Revenue, Home Studios, and Quarterly Taxes
Independent music teachers who collect payment directly from students run a Schedule C business subject to 15.3% self-employment tax, must book prepaid lesson packages as deferred revenue rather than income, and face a new $2,000 1099-NEC threshold starting in 2026.
GitHub Sponsors, Patreon, and Open Collective: A Tax Guide for Open Source Maintainers
GitHub Sponsors issues a 1099-NEC above $600, Patreon's 1099-K only triggers past the OBBBA-restored $20,000/200-transaction threshold, and Open Collective's fiscal host absorbs the paperwork entirely — a platform-by-platform breakdown of sponsorship tax reporting and the hobby-vs-business test that determines self-employment tax.
Self-Published Author Bookkeeping: KDP, ACX, Kickstarter, and the Full Indie Publishing Stack
How indie and hybrid authors should track royalties from KDP, ACX, IngramSpark, Patreon, and Kickstarter, classify editors and narrators as 1099-NEC contractors, capture foreign withholding tax under treaty terms, and apply ASC 606 to crowdfunded pre-orders.
Court Reporter Bookkeeping: Per-Page Revenue, ASC 606, and the KPIs of a Six-Figure Steno Practice
A practical bookkeeping guide for solo court reporters and stenographers — covering per-page transcript revenue, ASC 606 recognition of appearance fees and copy sales, Section 179 deductions for stenotype writers, multi-state tax nexus, and the KPIs (pages per workday, effective hourly rate, DSO) that separate six-figure practices from break-even ones.
Bookkeeping for Translators and Court Interpreters: CAT Discounts, ASC 830, and the ABC Test Trap
How freelance translators, court interpreters, and small LSPs should structure their books — entity choice, CAT-weighted revenue, ASC 830 FX accounting, ABC-test worker classification, multi-state nexus, and the KPIs that actually drive per-word yield.
Barter Transactions: How to Record Trades and Report Them to the IRS
Every barter trade creates taxable income equal to the fair market value of what you receive. Record it as a paired sale and expense through a barter clearing account, then report it on Schedule C—including 15.3% self-employment tax—and watch for Form 1099-B from barter exchanges.
Section 530 Safe Harbor: How to Avoid IRS Back Payroll Taxes on 1099 Workers
Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978 bars the IRS from collecting back employment taxes on misclassified contractors if a business met three tests—reporting consistency, substantive consistency, and a reasonable basis for treating the workers as 1099 contractors.
Solo 401(k) vs. SEP-IRA for the Self-Employed: 2026 Limits, the Roth Option, and the Pro-Rata Trap
For the self-employed, a Solo 401(k) often shelters more than double what a SEP-IRA does at the same income — a $90,000 earner can contribute $47,000 vs. $22,500 in 2026. This guide covers the limits, the Roth option, the pro-rata rule, and the December 31 deferral deadline.
Constructive Receipt and the December 31 Check: Why 'I Didn't Cash It' Won't Save You at Tax Time
A practical guide to the constructive receipt doctrine under Treasury Reg. 1.451-2 — what counts as income in the year you got the check, what doesn't, and which year-end deferral moves actually survive an audit.
The NYC Tax Most Freelancers Don't Know Exists Until They Owe It
New York City's 4 percent Unincorporated Business Tax applies to freelancers, consultants, and partnerships with NYC gross receipts above $95,000. A full credit eliminates the tax at $95,000 or less of taxable income, while an S-corp election can move higher earners out of the regime entirely.