Working for yourself : law & taxes for independent contractors, freelancers & gig workers of all types / Stephen Fishman.
Whether you're starting a full-scale consulting business or booking gigs on the side, Working for Yourself provides all the legal and tax information you need in one place. This eleventh edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect all the changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act--changes that are largely beneficial to the self-employed.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781413329261
- ISBN: 1413329268
- Physical Description: 430 pages ; 23 cm.
- Edition: 12th edition.
- Publisher: Berkeley, California : Nolo, 2021.
Content descriptions
General Note: | "Covers the new tax law"--Cover. "With downloadable forms"--Cover. Includes index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Working for yourself : the good, the bad, and the ugly -- Choosing the legal form for your business -- Choosing and protecting your business name -- Home alone or outside office -- Obtaining licenses, permits, and identification numbers -- Insuring your business and yourself -- Pricing your services and getting paid -- Taxes and the self-employed -- Reducing your income taxes -- The bane of self-employment taxes -- Paying estimated taxes -- Rules for salespeople, drivers, and clothing producers -- Taxes for workers you hire -- Record keeping and accounting made easy -- Safeguarding your self-employed status -- Special concerns for gig workers -- Copyrights, patents, and trade secrets -- Using written client agreements -- Drafting your own client agreement -- Reviewing a client's agreement -- Appendix. Using the downloadable forms on the Nolo website. |
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Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
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Coldwater Branch | 343.73 FIS (Text) | 35401425229605 | Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Working for Yourself : Law and Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers and Gig Workers of All Types
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Table of Contents
Working for Yourself : Law and Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers and Gig Workers of All Types
Section | Section Description | Page Number |
---|---|---|
Welcome to the World of Self-Employment: Introduction to Working for Yourself | p. 1 | |
A Golden Age for the Self-Employed | p. 4 | |
Six Things You May Not Know About the Self-Employed | p. 5 | |
1 | Working for Yourself: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | p. 7 |
Working for Yourself: The Good | p. 8 | |
Working for Yourself: The Bad | p. 10 | |
Working for Yourself: The Ugly | p. 11 | |
How This Book Will Help You Succeed at Self-Employment | p. 13 | |
2 | Choosing the Legal Form for Your Business | p. 15 |
Sole Proprietorships | p. 16 | |
Corporations | p. 22 | |
Partnerships | p. 43 | |
Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) | p. 45 | |
3 | Choosing and Protecting Your Business Name | p. 51 |
Choosing a Legal Name | p. 52 | |
Choosing a Trade Name | p. 53 | |
Choosing a Trademark | p. 59 | |
Choosing an Internet Domain Name | p. 63 | |
Conducting a Name Search | p. 64 | |
4 | Home Alone or Outside Office | p. 67 |
Pros and Cons of Working at Home | p. 69 | |
Restrictions on Home-Based Businesses | p. 74 | |
Deducting Your Home Office Expenses | p. 80 | |
Pros and Cons of an Outside Office | p. 91 | |
Leasing a Workplace | p. 92 | |
Deducting Your Outside Office Expenses | p. 96 | |
5 | Obtaining Licenses, Permits, and Identification Numbers | p. 97 |
Business Licenses | p. 98 | |
Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) | p. 101 | |
Sales Tax Permits | p. 103 | |
6 | Insuring Your Business and Yourself | p. 107 |
The Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") | p. 109 | |
Disability insurance | p. 122 | |
Business Property Insurance | p. 125 | |
Liability Insurance | p. 128 | |
Car Insurance | p. 133 | |
Workers' Compensation Insurance | p. 133 | |
Other Types of Insurance | p. 137 | |
Ways to Save on Insurance | p. 138 | |
7 | Pricing Your Services and Getting Paid | p. 141 |
Pricing Your Services | p. 142 | |
Getting Paid | p. 153 | |
8 | Taxes and the Self-Employed | p. 177 |
Tax Basics for the Self-Employed | p. 178 | |
IRS Audits | p. 189 | |
Eight Tips to Avoid an Audit | p. 193 | |
9 | Reducing Your Income Taxes | p. 197 |
Reporting Your Income | p. 200 | |
Income Tax Deduction Basics | p. 206 | |
Business Use of Your Home | p. 219 | |
Cost of Business Assets | p. 220 | |
Car Expenses | p. 230 | |
Travel Expenses | p. 237 | |
Entertainment and Meals | p. 241 | |
Health Insurance | p. 245 | |
Sick and Family Leave Tax Credits for the Self-Employed | p. 249 | |
Retirement Accounts | p. 252 | |
Start-Up Costs | p. 252 | |
10 | The Bane of Self-Employment Taxes | p. 255 |
Who Must Pay | p. 256 | |
Self-Employment Taxes | p. 256 | |
Earnings Subject to SE Taxes | p. 258 | |
Paying and Reporting SE Taxes | p. 259 | |
Outside Employment | p. 260 | |
11 | Paying Estimated Taxes | p. 261 |
Who Must Pay Estimated Taxes | p. 262 | |
How Much You Must Pay | p. 264 | |
When to Pay | p. 270 | |
How to Pay | p. 272 | |
Paying the Wrong Amount | p. 274 | |
12 | Rules for Salespeople, Drivers, and Clothing Producers | p. 277 |
Statutory Employees | p. 278 | |
Statutory Independent Contractors | p. 284 | |
13 | Taxes for Workers You Hire | p. 285 |
Hiring People to Help You | p. 286 | |
Tax Concerns When Hiring Employees | p. 290 | |
Tax Concerns When Hiring Independent Contractors | p. 303 | |
14 | Record Keeping and Accounting Made Easy | p. 309 |
Simple Bookkeeping | p. 310 | |
How Long to Keep Records | p. 326 | |
If You Don't Have Proper Tax Records | p. 327 | |
Accounting Methods | p. 328 | |
Tax Year | p. 332 | |
15 | Safeguarding Your Self-Employed Status | p. 333 |
Who Decides Your Work Status? | p. 334 | |
What Happens if the Government Reclassifies You? | p. 335 | |
Determining Worker Status | p. 339 | |
The IRS Approach to Worker Status | p. 341 | |
Tips for Preserving Your IC 5tatus | p. 347 | |
16 | Special Concerns for Gig Workers | p. 357 |
Introduction to the Gig Economy | p. 358 | |
Your Contract With the Hiring Platform | p. 359 | |
Your Worker Status | p. 362 | |
Your Taxes | p. 364 | |
Your Insurance | p. 369 | |
Other Legal Requirements for Gig Workers | p. 370 | |
Where to Find Gigs | p. 370 | |
17 | Copyrights, Patents, and Trade Secrets | p. 373 |
Intellectual Property | p. 374 | |
Copyright Ownership | p. 378 | |
Patent Ownership | p. 388 | |
Trade Secret Ownership | p. 389 | |
Using Nondisclosure Agreements | p. 389 | |
18 | Using Written Client Agreements | p. 403 |
Reasons to Use Written Agreements | p. 405 | |
Reviewing a Client's Agreement | p. 408 | |
Creating Your Own Client Agreement | p. 409 | |
Putting Your Agreement Together | p. 412 | |
Changing the Agreement After It's Signed | p. 417 | |
19 | Drafting Your Own Client Agreement | p. 421 |
Essential Provisions | p. 424 | |
Optional Provisions | p. 444 | |
Sample Client Agreement | p. 457 | |
Using Letter Agreements | p. 457 | |
20 | Reviewing a Client's Agreement | p. 471 |
Make Sure the Agreement Is Consistent With the Client's Promises | p. 473 | |
Make Sure the Contract Covers at Least the Basics | p. 474 | |
Provisions to Avoid | p. 475 | |
Provisions to Consider Adding | p. 485 | |
Client Purchase Orders | p. 485 | |
Appendix | ||
Using the Downloadable Forms on the Nolo Website | p. 487 | |
Editing RTFs | p. 488 | |
List of Forms Available on the Nolo Website | p. 489 | |
Index | p. 491 |