#self-employment
Learn about self-employment taxes, LLC owner compensation, and freelancer financial management
On February 11, 2026, fourteen trade groups — including the American Trucking Associations and the National Retail Federation — petitioned the NLRB to lock in a stable independent contractor standard after three different tests in roughly a decade. Here's how the NLRB test differs from the IRS and DOL frameworks, and what contractor-reliant businesses should do while the petition plays out.
How to keep books for storage-unit auction flips — allocate one winning bid across dozens of items with the relative fair value method, deduct COGS only when items sell, use the Section 471(c) small-business exception, and report income even below the $20,000/200-transaction 1099-K threshold.
Vinted's zero-fee US launch changes reseller bookkeeping. Learn how to track Wallet holds, reconcile a 1099-K, and handle sales tax under marketplace rules.
Upwork's Future Workforce Index 2026 finds freelancers doing AI-related work earn 34% more per hour, with earnings on complex AI work up 45% year-over-year while per-contract pay for commodity generative-AI gigs fell 13% — here's what the "AI Orchestrator" split means for freelancers and indie developers, and how to land on the right side of it.
NIST's draft CSWP 50, released April 2026, is the first federal cybersecurity guidance written explicitly for non-employer firms — the 28+ million U.S. businesses with zero employees. Here's what changed from the 2009 guidance, how the CSF 2.0 six functions translate to a solo operation, and a 30-minute checklist to act on today.
North Carolina's HB 372, signed July 7, 2026 as Session Law 2026-51, bars cities from requiring permits, licenses, or rezoning for "no-impact" home-based businesses. Here's who qualifies, what cities can still regulate, and how the change affects your bookkeeping.
OBBBA raises the federal 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC filing threshold from $600 to $2,000 for payments made in 2026, with annual inflation indexing starting in 2027. The income stays taxable either way, some states still require reporting at $600, and per-contractor totals — not per-invoice amounts — determine whether you file.
West Virginia's Senate Bill 44, effective June 12, 2026, created a potentially hazardous cottage food vendor permit that lets home producers legally sell pickled and fermented vegetables, acidified salsas and hot sauces, kombucha, and refrigerated items like custards and cream pies. The permit requires a kitchen inspection, food safety training, a WVDA permit, and water testing for kitchens on private wells, while raw meat, poultry, seafood, and Grade A dairy remain prohibited under both cottage food tiers.
The Dutch zelfstandigenaftrek drops from €2,470 in 2025 to €1,200 in 2026 and €900 in 2027 — an 88% reduction since 2020's €7,280. For a ZZP freelancer with €50,000 profit, the 2026 cut alone adds roughly €400–€480 in tax, compounded by the MKB-winstvrijstelling falling to 12.70%. Here's the full phase-down schedule and five concrete budgeting steps.
Effective July 1, 2026, Washington raised the B&O tax filing threshold from $125,000 to $250,000 in annual gross income and increased the small business credit caps to $375/month for service businesses and $125/month for nonservice businesses — here's who can stop filing, who still owes nothing, and what obligations remain.
Spain's autónomo cuota is income-based across 15 tiers (roughly €205 to €1,606/month at a 31.5% rate), reconciled after your annual tax return via regularización. New freelancers can pay a flat €80/month for 12 months and withhold IRPF at a reduced 7% instead of 15% — but choosing 15% once forfeits the reduced rate. Here's how the 2026 rules fit together.
Effective July 1, 2026, the IRS raised the standard business mileage rate from 72.5 to 76 cents per mile — only its second mid-year change since 2011. Here's how the split-rate year affects your deduction, what your mileage log must show, and when the new rate applies to reimbursements.
