#self-employment
Self-Employment
Learn about self-employment taxes, LLC owner compensation, and freelancer financial management
Standard Mileage Rate vs. Actual Expenses in 2026: How to Keep Every Business Mile Deductible at 76 Cents
The 2026 IRS business mileage rate is 72.5 cents January–June and 76 cents July–December. This guide compares the standard mileage and actual expense methods, explains the year-one lock-in rules and five-vehicle fleet restriction, and details the five-element log an audit requires.
OBBBA's $400 Minimum QBI Deduction: How Very Small Businesses With Under $2,000 in Profit Beat the 20% Rate in 2026
For tax years starting in 2026, OBBBA makes the 20% qualified business income deduction permanent, widens the married-joint phase-in range to $394,600–$544,600, and adds a $400 minimum for taxpayers with more than $1,000 of QBI — so a $1,500 profit yields $400 instead of $300.
Your Mileage Deduction Is Only as Good as Your Log: How to Keep an IRS-Proof Record Under Publication 463
Under IRS Publication 463 and Section 274(d), a business mileage deduction requires a contemporaneous log recording the date, destination, miles, and business purpose of every trip — the Cohan rule cannot rescue inadequate records. Here is how to build a log that survives an audit at the 2026 rate of 72.5 cents per mile.
Provisional Tax in South Africa: The Freelancer's Complete Guide to IRP6 Deadlines, Estimates, and Avoiding SARS Penalties
South African freelancers pay provisional tax in two IRP6 installments — 31 August and 28/29 February — by estimating full-year taxable income themselves; missing a deadline or estimating below 90% of actual income triggers a 10% late-payment penalty, a 20% underestimation penalty, and interest from the effective date.
Hair Salon Booth Rental Bookkeeping: Why the IRS Sees Your Chair as a Separate Business
A booth renter is a separate business, not a salon employee — rent is a Schedule C expense, client payments arrive with nothing withheld, and 15.3% self-employment tax plus quarterly 1040-ES estimates are the renter's alone. This guide covers the IRS control tests, which 1099s and W-9s each side owes, and the account structure that keeps a chair rental defensible in an audit.
Personal Chef and Private Catering Bookkeeping: Grocery COGS, the Home-Kitchen Deduction, and Per-Client Profitability
How personal chefs and private caterers separate client grocery COGS from household spending, claim the home-kitchen deduction under the exclusive-use test, and job-cost every booking — with target food-cost ranges of 28–38% for weekly meal prep and 25–35% for private dinners.
The ACA Subsidy Cliff Returns in 2026: How Self-Employed Filers Near $63,840 Use a SEP IRA to Keep the Premium Tax Credit
The enhanced ACA subsidies expired December 31, 2025, so in 2026 a single filer one dollar above roughly $63,840 in MAGI loses the entire premium tax credit while Marketplace rates rise a median 18%. Deductible SEP IRA, solo 401(k), traditional IRA and HSA contributions are above-the-line, so they lower the MAGI the credit uses — and the repayment cap on excess advance credits is gone for tax years after 2025, making every dollar of the excess repayable.
The Real Cost of AI Coding Subscriptions in 2026: How Freelance Developers Can Track, Compare, and Deduct Copilot, Cursor, and Claude Code
AI coding stacks now cost freelance developers $150–$600 a month across Copilot, Cursor, and Claude Code — and every dollar is deductible, but only the portion you can document. A practical guide to tracking per-vendor spend, splitting business from personal use, allocating tool cost by client, and trimming the bill without losing the leverage.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: Half of UK Sole Traders Missed the First Quarterly Update — What to Do Before 7 November 2026
Only about 437,000 of the 864,000 UK sole traders and landlords in scope filed their first Making Tax Digital quarterly update by 7 August 2026 — close to half missed it. No penalty points apply this tax year, but HMRC begins forced enrolment in September 2026 and the next quarterly update is due 7 November 2026.
The ACA Subsidy Cliff Is Back in 2026: How the Self-Employed Health Insurance Deduction Can Pull Your MAGI Back Under the 400% Threshold
The enhanced ACA subsidies expired after 2025 — the 400% FPL cliff is back. Learn why $1 over 400% FPL wipes the credit, and how the §162(l) self-employed health insurance deduction can lower MAGI back under the threshold.
Indonesia Just Kicked Freelancers Out of Its 0.5% UMKM Tax Scheme: What PP 20/2026 Means for Consultants, Creators, and Independent Professionals
PP 20/2026 took effect April 22, 2026. The 0.5% final tax on turnover remains for true MSMEs but is now explicitly denied to freelancers — consultants, influencers, lawyers, architects, doctors, accountants — plus anti-fragmentation rules.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Arrives April 2026: What UK Sole Traders and Landlords Earning Over £50,000 Must Do Now
MTD for Income Tax starts 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords over £50k. Learn the £30k/£20k thresholds, quarterly updates, and digital records requirements.