#sole-proprietorship
Sole proprietorship accounting, tax filing, and financial management essentials
Mixing personal and business money in one account can void your LLC's liability shield, get legitimate deductions disallowed for lack of substantiation under IRC Section 162, and turn a routine audit into a full transaction pull. Here's what commingling looks like, why courts and the IRS punish it, and a five-step cleanup plan.
A 2026 bookkeeping guide for personal and private chefs covering ASC 606 principal-vs-agent grocery treatment, the 72.5¢ standard mileage rate, Section 179 equipment, cottage food law constraints, and quarterly estimated tax safe harbors for Schedule C filers.
Section 162(l) lets sole proprietors, partners, and more-than-2% S-corp shareholders deduct 100% of medical, dental, vision, and long-term care premiums above the line on Schedule 1, Line 17—if they clear the earned-income cap, the spouse-employer rule, and the W-2 reporting choreography on Form 7206.
Section 162(l) lets self-employed taxpayers deduct 100% of medical, dental, vision, Medicare, and long-term care premiums above the line via Form 7206.
A 2026 guide for family business owners on legally hiring their children: how a sole proprietorship can pay a child up to $16,100 federal-tax-free, when FICA and FUTA exemptions apply, the documentation the IRS expects, and how a Roth IRA stacks on top.
A step-by-step walkthrough of business tax filing by entity type — Schedule C for sole props, Form 1065 for partnerships, 1120-S for S-corps, and 1120 for C-corps — with 2026 deadlines, document checklists, audit triggers, and when DIY software stops being enough.
A practical 2026 walkthrough of how the IRS taxes sole proprietors — covering Schedule C, the 15.3% self-employment tax on 92.35% of net earnings, quarterly estimated payments, the QBI deduction, and the threshold where an S-Corp election starts paying off.
A single member LLC is taxed as a disregarded entity by default but creates the legal separation a sole proprietorship lacks. This guide covers formation steps, the three tax election paths (Schedule C, S-corp via Form 2553, C-corp via Form 8832), and the bookkeeping discipline needed to preserve the liability shield.
A sole proprietor netting $100,000 pays roughly $14,130 in self-employment tax that an S corp owner can legally avoid. This guide explains the break-even math, Form 2553 deadlines, reasonable compensation audit triggers, and the annual compliance costs that decide whether the switch actually saves money.
Compare EIN, SSN, and ITIN for your small business. Learn who needs which tax ID, how to apply free with the IRS, and avoid penalty-triggering mistakes.
Self-employed pros can deduct work-related education that maintains or improves current job skills. But classes for a new trade fail IRS Topic 513.
File Schedule C with Form 1040 if you earned $400+ from self-employment. Learn filing thresholds, deductions, record-keeping, and audit red flags for sole
