5 Things You Need To Know About Filing Taxes As A Freelancer

 

There are many advantages to being a freelance professional. However, filing your taxes can present a major challenge. If you are lucky enough to be a freelancer that works for a single company or client, then filing your taxes might be a breeze. But if you work for numerous companies and individuals throughout the year, then filing your taxes can potentially be a downright nightmare. In that instance, you might consider hiring a professional to do your taxes for you. Here are 5 things you should know about filing your taxes as a freelancer:

 

1. You Must Report All of Your Income (Even If You Don’t Get a 1099)

As a rule, employers are only required to send out 1099-MISC forms if they paid you more than $600. Just because they don’t send you a 1099, however, doesn’t mean they won’t claim those expenses on their taxes. It’s important to keep track of every dime you earn, even if you don’t get a 1099 from someone you worked for. If you don’t have detailed, accurate records, it will probably cost you far less in the long run to just claim a bit more than you actually earned and pay the tax on it than to under-report what you earned and open yourself up to a potential audit.

 

2. You Don’t Have to File If You Made Less Than $400

If you freelance as a “side-gig” and made less than $400, you don’t have to file taxes as being self-employed. In addition, you are allowed to claim certain business expenses for being self-employed. If you subtract your legitimate business expenses from what you earned and come out with less than a $400 net profit, then you also don’t have to file self-employment taxes.

 

3.) You Will Be Required to Pay “Extra” Tax On Your Income

A regular employee working for a regular employer automatically has certain taxes taken out of their paycheck, such as Social Security, Unemployment, and Medicare. In addition, employers also pay half of their employee’s Federal taxes. As a self-employed person, you are both an employee and employer, which means you are responsible for paying both portions of those taxes.

 

4. Home Office Expenses

If you have a dedicated area in your home designated as a home office, you can claim a portion of expenses like rent (or mortgage and property taxes if you are home owner). Cleaning supplies and other miscellaneous items may also be eligible. However, you can only claim these expenses if the area is solely used as an office. Also keep in mind that claiming home office expenses requires filing out a longer form, so if you are a full time freelance professional with a home office, you might consider hiring a tax professional like Donohoo Accounting Services to prepare your taxes for you.09

 

5. Tax Professionals Can Be Especially Helpful to Freelancers

Filing your taxes as a freelancer can be a major strain and take away significant time from doing what you do best. Donohoo Accounting Services can help you get a maximum return with a minimum of stress. Remember, a phone call is free, so consider giving us a call today at 513-528-3982 and let us tell you how we can help you!