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#side-hustle

Side Hustle

Tax, accounting, and growth tips for side projects, freelancers, and part-time businesses

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Flea Market and Secondhand Vendor Bookkeeping: When Your Weekend Booth Becomes a Real Business

Flea market and secondhand vendors owe Schedule C income tax plus 15.3% self-employment tax once net earnings pass $400, and most states require a seller's permit or transient vendor license for regular booth sales. This guide covers the Section 183 hobby-vs-business test, per-item cost-basis records that survive an audit, the state sales tax permit patchwork, and the 2026 thresholds for Form 1099-K ($20,000 and 200 transactions) and Form 1099-NEC ($2,000).

mike

bookkeepingside-hustlesmall-business

Flipping Cars as a Side Hustle: Dealer License Limits, Curbstoning Laws, and the Books That Keep You Legal

How many used cars you can flip before your state calls you an unlicensed dealer (Illinois 4, Michigan 3, California no safe harbor, FTC Used Car Rule at 6), why title jumping is illegal everywhere, what curbstoning fines and dealer bonds cost, and how to keep per-VIN books that treat flips as Schedule C inventory subject to 15.3% self-employment tax.

mike

side-hustlelicensesbookkeeping

Why You Got a 1099-K for $650 When Your Friend Didn't: The $600 State Patchwork Behind the Federal $20,000

Congress restored the federal 1099-K threshold to $20,000 and 200 transactions in July 2025, but nine states still require a form at $600 and four more sit between $1,000 and $2,500 — so a $650 Etsy sale produces a 1099-K in Massachusetts and nothing in Texas. Includes the state-by-state threshold tiers and how to reconcile a gross form total down to actual taxable profit.

mike

tax-complianceirs-reportingmulti-state-tax

Does DAC7 Apply to US Sellers? What Etsy, eBay, and Amazon Report to the EU Every January 31

DAC7 (Council Directive 2021/514) makes marketplaces report seller data to EU tax authorities by January 31 each year. For goods, you stay exempt only if you are under both 30 transactions and €2,000 on that platform for the calendar year — miss either prong and you are reportable, and ignoring the verification request lets the platform withhold payouts after two reminders and 60 days.

mike

e-commerceetsyamazon

Are Gifted Products Taxable Income? Reporting Creator Freebies on Schedule C When No 1099-NEC Arrives

Product sent to a creator in exchange for promotion is taxable at fair market value under IRC Section 61 — a $400 PR box you review is $400 of Schedule C gross receipts, plus 15.3% self-employment tax on net profit. The 1099-NEC filing threshold rising from $600 to $2,000 changes only when a brand must issue a form, never whether you must report the income.

mike

tax-complianceself-employment-taxindependent-contractor

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.

mike

tax-compliancepaymentsfreelance

Cameo Creator Taxes: Why Your 1099 Won't Match Your Bank Deposits (and How to Book It Right)

Cameo's 1099-NEC reports your gross booking price, but the platform keeps 25% — and Apple takes another 30% on iOS orders — so booking only your net deposits creates an IRS mismatch and erases a deductible fee. Here's how to record gross revenue and platform fees separately, what the 15.3% self-employment tax costs once you clear $400, and the 2026 quarterly estimated-tax dates to calendar.

mike

side-hustleself-employment-taxindependent-contractor
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