#freelance
Freelance
Financial management and tax guidance for freelancers
California's Freelance Worker Protection Act: Written Contracts, Payment Timelines, and What Every Hiring Business Must Track in 2026
California's Freelance Worker Protection Act (SB 988) has been enforceable since January 1, 2025. Learn who is covered at the $250 aggregated threshold, the six required contract terms, the 30-day payment backstop, four-year retention, double-damages risk, and a bookkeeping playbook to keep your AP calendar and vendor files compliant in 2026.
PayPal and Venmo Are Finally Talking: What the End of Visa+ Means for Freelancers Before February 2026
Starting February 19, 2026, Visa+ stops working for PayPal and Venmo transfers and is replaced by direct phone-number payments rolling out November 2025. With the 1099-K threshold falling to $600 in 2026, freelancers must tag inter-app transfers correctly, reconcile gross versus net per platform, and separate business from personal flows to avoid double-counting income.
The DOL Wants to Scrap Its Six-Factor Contractor Test: What the 2026 Two-Factor Proposal Means for Your Business
The DOL's February 26, 2026 proposal (RIN 1235-AA46) would replace the 2024 six-factor contractor test with a two-factor economic-reality analysis weighing control and opportunity for profit or loss. Here is what changes, why the 2024 rule is in enforcement limbo, and what to document in your books now while the rescission is pending.
Provisional Tax in South Africa: The Freelancer's Complete Guide to IRP6 Deadlines, Estimates, and Avoiding SARS Penalties
South African freelancers pay provisional tax in two IRP6 installments — 31 August and 28/29 February — by estimating full-year taxable income themselves; missing a deadline or estimating below 90% of actual income triggers a 10% late-payment penalty, a 20% underestimation penalty, and interest from the effective date.
Maryland's New 3% Tech Tax on IT and Software Services: What Every SaaS Company and Freelance Developer Needs to Know
Maryland's new 3% sales tax on IT, data processing, software publishing, and computer systems design services (NAICS 518, 519, 5132, 5415) took effect July 1, 2025 with no revenue threshold, so SaaS founders, freelance developers, and IT consultants with even one Maryland customer may owe it — this guide covers what's taxable, how sourcing and MPU certificates work, and how to book the liability separately from your 6% sales tax.
The 'Mutual Election' Fix: What a Proposed Third Worker Category Would Mean for Your Freelancer Bookkeeping
The 21st Century Worker Act (S. 2159) would set one federal classification test and add a third "mutual election" category letting a business and worker jointly choose contractor or employee status, defaulting to contractor if they disagree. Here is what it would change for freelancer bookkeeping and how to keep contractor records defensible now.
The ACA Subsidy Cliff Returns in 2026: How Self-Employed Filers Near $63,840 Use a SEP IRA to Keep the Premium Tax Credit
The enhanced ACA subsidies expired December 31, 2025, so in 2026 a single filer one dollar above roughly $63,840 in MAGI loses the entire premium tax credit while Marketplace rates rise a median 18%. Deductible SEP IRA, solo 401(k), traditional IRA and HSA contributions are above-the-line, so they lower the MAGI the credit uses — and the repayment cap on excess advance credits is gone for tax years after 2025, making every dollar of the excess repayable.
Why Zelle Never Sends You a 1099-K (and Why That Doesn't Mean the Money Is Tax-Free)
Zelle is not a third-party settlement organization under Section 6050W, so it files no 1099-K at any amount — while Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, Stripe, and Square do once the federal threshold of more than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions is met, restored retroactively by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Income is taxable either way, and this guide shows the reconciliation system that keeps multi-rail freelance books accurate.
Ghostwriting Agency Bookkeeping: Pricing Per-Word, Retainer, and Flat-Fee Work Without Losing Your Margin
How ghostwriting agencies account for the three pricing models — per-word, monthly retainer, and flat-fee book projects — including deferred-revenue entries for retainers, milestone versus cost-to-cost recognition on a $36,000 book, a 150-to-275-hour cost sheet for a 60,000-word business book, and the 1099-NEC and W-9 rules that keep contractor writers correctly classified.
The IRA Contribution Limit Hits $7,500 for 2026: Your Freelancer and Small-Business Owner's Guide to the First Big Increase in Years
The IRA contribution limit rises to $7,500 for 2026 — the first base increase since 2023 — plus a new $1,100 catch-up at 50+. Learn who qualifies, how it stacks with Solo 401(k) and SEP, and how freelancers can capture the extra room before April 15, 2027.
The Real Cost of AI Coding Subscriptions in 2026: How Freelance Developers Can Track, Compare, and Deduct Copilot, Cursor, and Claude Code
AI coding stacks now cost freelance developers $150–$600 a month across Copilot, Cursor, and Claude Code — and every dollar is deductible, but only the portion you can document. A practical guide to tracking per-vendor spend, splitting business from personal use, allocating tool cost by client, and trimming the bill without losing the leverage.
The DOL Wants to Simplify Independent Contractor Classification: What the Proposed Two-Factor Test Means for Small Businesses That Hire Freelancers
The DOL's February 2026 proposal would replace the six-factor totality test with a weighted two-factor standard focused on control and opportunity for profit or loss — here is how it works, what still depends on state law, and a checklist to audit your freelancer relationships now.