It’s been said that only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. It may be necessary to add a third: procrastination. According to the Internal Revenue Service, roughly 25 percent of American taxpayers wait until the last two weeks of taxpaying season to prepare their returns.

But why? You don’t want to be bogged down with boring forms when you’re trying to make money and build your business. You also don’t want to find out you owe Uncle Sam more than you thought — and not be ready to make that payment.

Take a look at these tips on how to ease the burden at tax time and manage your finances better. You owe it to yourself.

Take Advantage of Common Deductions

One perk of being a freelancer, contractor or other self-employed worker is that there are many deductions — even ones you may not have considered — that can reduce the burden at tax time. Remember to keep all your records, set up a business bank account and to not go overboard with deductions (be honest with the government here!).

The most common deductions that will immediately benefit you include your home office, health insurance costs, contract labor expenses, and retirement fund savings (like a contribution to a traditional 401k). Other deductions that can help include:

• Advertising expenses
• Business travel costs
• Office supplies and rent
• Repairs and maintenance
• Legal and professional services

Think of any expenses that you had to make for your business. Many of these can be deducted from your income, and thus reduce how much you must pay in taxes.

Should You Pay Taxes Quarterly Or Annually?

The simple answer is both. If you carry on a profession or business as an independent contractor or sole proprietor, belong to a partnership or union that carries on a trade or business, or are working for yourself in some way, you are considered self-employed. That means you have to pay your taxes as stipulated by the IRS.

Hence, you must not only file an annual return, you must also pay estimated tax quarterly. Note that taxes include an income tax as well as a self-employment tax, which goes toward Social Security and Medicare.
If you paid less than $1000 in taxes last year, then you can still pay annually (quarterly payments aren’t required). However, if your self-employment income is going to rise significantly, it’s best to pay quarterly so that you’re not stuck with a hefty payment at the end of tax season.
So how do you make sure you’re making accurate payments each quarter? You can base a lot of what you pay this year off what you paid in taxes last year. If you paid a total of $3,600 in taxes last year and expect a similar income this year, it’s advised to pay $900 quarterly. Use Form 1040-ES to figure out a good estimate of how much you’ll owe at the end of each quarter and for the total year.

Software to Help You Stay on Track

When you’re running a business, keeping track of finances and taxes can be time-consuming. And if you want to hire someone, it can be unnecessarily costly. Lucky for you, mobile apps can make the process seamless — and save you money.
For instance, apps can help you track, understand and manage your business expenses throughout the year. There is also tax software available specifically for self-employed individuals that can help you maximize tax savings each quarter.
In the end, reducing the burden at tax time is a matter of you consistently managing your income and business expenses, and also making every effort to prepare yourself for payments. Understanding self-employment taxes and using advanced software certainly reduces the amount of time and stress involved. But the key is to stick to a plan. And don’t procrastinate.

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The first April 15 in any freelancer’s career can seem like setting a money management execution date. But even if you’re a newbie to the gigging game, in most cases handling your taxes as a freelancer is only slightly more complicated than handling your personal finances. As long as you mind these key areas, you’ll avoid the most common self-employed tax mistakes.

Keep Deductions On-Point

The key difference between filing taxes as an employee and filing as a self-employed freelancer is that your income isn’t subject to employer withholding, which would normally be automatically deducted from your paychecks to cover social security and Medicare taxes. Instead, what would have been your employment-related taxes are rolled together into a separate “self-employment tax.” The self-employment tax covers your social security and Medicaid taxes, and is assessed in addition to the regular income tax rate.

Most importantly, the self-employment tax applies to your net income after business expenses are deducted. That makes expense deductions the strongest tool for minimizing your tax obligations. Just the same, the IRS has a finely tuned radar when it comes to deduction hijinks from the self-employed, so make sure you’re following the IRS guidelines to the letter.

Documentation Is King

Every single cent you’ve earned and spent throughout the year should be accounted for, with clear documentation to support your case. While this is most important for your deductions, there’s no telling what aspects of your financial landscape might be explored during an audit, so it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Be sure to get a receipt for anything and everything under the sun, and when that isn’t possible, keep your own detailed records in a spreadsheet or budgeting program.

Avoid the Home Office Audit

Claiming expenses for a home office is a red flag for IRS auditors, so only do it when you’re sure you can support the claim. To qualify for deductions, a home office needs to be its own separate space (almost always its own room, or an external structure) that’s used exclusively for business. That means if you work on your laptop in the living room, you’re out of luck. Consult the IRS’ home office guidelines to be sure your setup qualifies.

1099s Don’t Issue Themselves

If you’ve ever held a regular job as an employee, get ready to feel nostalgic for the days when a W-2 magically appeared in your mailbox. Now that you’re self-employed, you need to be issued a 1099 form documenting your income from any client who paid you $600 or more that year. Businesses are required to issue 1099s to freelancers, so if you’re still missing the paperwork from a client come the New Year, don’t be afraid to remind them of their obligations.

Once you’ve carefully reviewed your deductions and organized all the necessary documentation, you’ll be well on your way to avoiding the most common freelancer tax mistakes, and can reap the benefits of your good tax habits in years to come.

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Sources:

https://www.freelancersunion.org/blog/2015/01/26/7-tax-tips-first-time-freelancers/

https://www.freelancersunion.org/blog/2014/03/11/quarterly-tax-guide-freelancers-and-self-employed/

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2015/11/11/4-tax-tips-for-freelancers-dog-sitters-and-airbnb-hosts

http://www.creativebloq.com/business/tax-tips-freelancers-31514571

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/taxes/2014/03/14/tax-audit/2.html

https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Home-Office-Deduction

https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Deducting-Business-Expenses

Tax season can be overwhelming for first-time freelancers filing self-employed taxes. By focusing your efforts on good financial habits to keep all year, and learning which deductions you may be eligible to receive, you’ll save yourself time, money and countless headaches.

Deductions to Consider

Deductions are your best friend. No matter what type of freelancer you are, almost everything you do for work can be deducted if your situation fits. Here is a short list of deductions a freelancer may be able to claim.

Office Space

This is the main deduction for most freelancers, especially those who work from home. This deduction allows you to claim a portion of your utilities, rent or mortgage, and homeowner’s insurance as part of your business, as long as your office space is used solely for that purpose.

For decades, this deduction was hard to claim. In 2013, the IRS made getting the home office deduction easier. With the “simplified method,” as described by Fast Company and The Freelancer’s Union, you can calculate your home office’s space by square foot to claim a deduction — $5 per square foot, up to $1,500 or 300 feet.

Business Travel Expenses

If you are a freelancer who travels for work or to meet with clients, you are eligible for travel deductions; this includes everything travel-related for your business — from airfare and hotel stays to car trips to meet with potential clients.

Keep in mind that special rules do apply for certain aspects, such as food and entertainment. The Money Crashers website reports that only 50 percent of expenses can be deducted.

Research Materials

Few freelancers realize that research materials needed to complete a project can be deducted. Wise Bread has created a long list of eligible materials, and the rule of thumb is that if you use a reference material, such as a book, a magazine or information culled from a conference or cultural event, you can deduct that cost from your overall expenses. This deduction is critical for freelance writers and artists, who frequently purchase expensive reference materials for their libraries.

Educational Expenses

With the advent of online learning, freelancers are heading to online classes and master workshops in droves to improve their skill set in their chosen field. Any class that helps improve your business counts as a deduction, as does a workshop or an educational conference. Books and materials you need for those classes can count, too, as long as you finish the course and receive a certificate of completion.

Financial Habits to Keep All Year

To be ready for tax time, you must be diligent about keeping good financial habits throughout the year.

Keep every receipt from every purchase, and scan it into a record-keeping software to track your expenses and help you discern what is a business expense and what is personal. It will also simplify totaling up your deductions at the end of the year.

Another tip is to figure out how much you will have to pay in taxes based on what you make a year. Since your income may change from month to month, calculate income tax and any other taxes you may have to pay ahead of time, and set that money aside.

Being a freelancer is a rewarding experience, but it comes with responsibility as well, especially during tax time. Take the time to prepare all year, and it will be a simple task when it’s time to file.

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If you’re a freelancer regularly scrambling for a new gig, you may consider taxes just one more hassle you have to wrestle. The good news? Uncle Sam understands that independent contractors and moderate-income workers have a distinct set of challenges from full-time employees, and wrote sections of the tax code to help lighten your financial burden. However, if you don’t know about these legitimate ways to cut your tax bill, you may wind up overpaying. Each American, on average, sends the government $400 too much in tax money. That’s nearly a billion dollars in total. As a freelancer who receives 1099s, learn how to reduce the amount you owe the government with these tax breaks.

1. Saver’s Credit

Depositing money into a Roth IRA is a great tax deduction. (If you don’t have an IRA, you should seriously consider opening one.) In addition to an IRA deduction, there’s a lesser-known credit that’s only used by 12 percent of eligible taxpayers: the saver’s credit. Created by the IRS to encourage low- and moderate-income workers to save for retirement, the credit can be taken for any contribution made to an IRA, 401K, 403B, 457B or other government-recognized retirement account. The saver’s credit is offered in addition to the deduction a taxpayer receives from an IRA credit, and can increase your refund or reduce the tax owed.

2. Health Savings Account

Used to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses, a Health Savings Account (HSA) can be tax-deductible or made with pre-tax dollars. In order to qualify for this tax break, you need to have a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). Typically, these plans won’t pay many benefits until the deductible amount has been covered. For 2015, the minimum deductibles needed to qualify as an HDHP were $1,300 for an individual and $2,600 for family coverage. These HSA funds can be used to pay for doctor visits, prescriptions, hospital visits and even over-the-counter medicine prescribed by a physician.

3. Simplified Employee Pension

It’s possible for a self-employed worker to get many of the same pension benefits as an employee of a large organization. Establishing a simplified employee pension (SEP) with the IRS can be as easy as filling out a form and utilizing a government-approved plan. A SEP allows the worker to contribute as much as 25 percent of net earnings from self-employment, up to $53,000 (in the years 2015 and 2016). These pensions have also been known as Keogh plans, although that term isn’t used as often these days.

4. Job-Hunting Expenses

Did hunting for a new job require you to pay for networking events, travel to an interview or business cards? These expenses can be itemized and deducted from your taxes. For freelancers, though, the expenses need to have exceeded 2 percent of your adjusted gross income in order to be deductible. Be sure to research what’s allowable before filing your taxes.

5. Education Credits

Still paying off student loans? Interest from those loans can be deducted, up to $2,500. A nice part about this credit is that it isn’t necessary to itemize in order to take it. The Lifetime Learning Credit makes it possible to deduct any classes taken for academic credit or professional development, up to $2,000. Did you need to take a class to learn how use software for your job? That can be tax-deductible.

Since every paycheck counts for a 1099 freelancer, you don’t want to wind up with a huge tax bill after a year of hard work. You can reduce your financial burden with breaks and credits already on the books. With the right adjustments, you may wind up being one of the 80 percent of taxpayers who receive a refund.

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