#self-employment
Self-Employment
Learn about self-employment taxes, LLC owner compensation, and freelancer financial management
UAE Small Business Relief Ends After 2026: What Freelancers Need to Do Now
The UAE's Small Business Relief — a 0% corporate tax election for resident businesses with revenue of AED 3 million or less — expires for tax periods ending after December 31, 2026. Here is what freelancers and small businesses should do before the standard 9% rate applies, from the AED 1 million registration threshold and its AED 10,000 late penalty to building profit-ready bookkeeping.
Are Health Care Sharing Ministry Payments Tax Deductible? What H.R. 2062 Would Change
Health care sharing ministry payments are not deductible under current IRS rules, but H.R. 2062 and a pending IRS HRA regulation could change that for taxable years after December 31, 2025. What the Tax Parity Act proposes, the after-tax math for self-employed members, and how to keep records ready.
The Mega Backdoor Roth for the Self-Employed: How a Solo 401(k) Reaches $72,000 in 2026
A Solo 401(k) with voluntary after-tax contributions lets self-employed owners shelter up to $72,000 in 2026 — or $83,250 with the age-60-to-63 catch-up — by converting after-tax dollars to Roth with no income limits. Here's how the three contribution buckets work, a worked example at $150,000 of net earnings, and what your plan document must allow.
Booth Rental vs. Commission: A Barbershop Bookkeeping Guide
Booth rental makes a barber a self-employed tenant filing Schedule C with quarterly estimates and 15.3% self-employment tax; commission makes them a W-2 employee. Weekly booth rent averages $220–$225, commission splits center on 60/40, and the 2026 1099-NEC threshold rises to $2,000 — here's how the bookkeeping differs and where misclassification penalties start.
Driving School Bookkeeping: Dual-Control Depreciation, Licensing Renewals, and Per-Lesson Revenue
A driving school's books hinge on three quirks most owners miss - a dual-control training car is two separate depreciable assets, instructor licensing adds $2,000+ in recurring annual compliance costs, and revenue must be tracked by lesson type to see profit per instructor-hour. Here's how to structure the chart of accounts, handle vehicle disposal correctly, and run a simple monthly close.
Independent Real Estate Appraiser Bookkeeping: Making Sense of AMC Fee Splits, USPAP Engagement Letters, and E&O Costs
AMCs commonly keep 30–50% of the borrower-paid appraisal fee — in documented cases an appraiser received $205 of an $834 fee. This guide shows independent appraisers how to reconcile AMC payouts against engagement letters, structure a chart of accounts around E&O insurance and mileage, accrue fees at report delivery to catch underpayment, and estimate quarterly taxes off net rather than gross 1099 income.
Wise vs. Payoneer for Freelancers: What Cross-Border Payments Really Cost in 2026
Wise converts at the mid-market rate for roughly 0.4%–0.6% on major pairs; Payoneer charges 1% to receive non-local currency plus up to 2% FX markup. A fee-by-fee comparison for freelancers, a use-both workflow that routes marketplace payouts through Payoneer and conversions through Wise, and how to book realized FX gains and losses.
France Raises Auto-Entrepreneur Revenue Ceilings for 2026–2028: New Limits, Same VAT Thresholds
France's micro-entrepreneur revenue ceilings rose on January 1, 2026 to €203,100 for goods and €83,600 for services, holding through 2028 — while VAT exemption thresholds stayed at €85,000/€37,500. Here's how the two separate ceilings work, the mixed-activity rules, and what actually happens when you exceed them.
The CRA Already Has Your Gig Income Data: Canada's Platform Reporting Rules, Explained
Since 2024, Part XX of Canada's Income Tax Act requires Uber, Airbnb, Etsy, and other platforms to report sellers with 30+ transactions or over $2,800 CAD directly to the CRA — including names, SINs, gross payouts, and fees. With two reporting cycles now on file and penalty relief expired, here's who gets reported, what data the CRA matches against your return, and how to reconcile before the next January 31 deadline.
Germany's Kleinunternehmerregelung in 2026: How the €25,000/€100,000 VAT Exemption Thresholds Work
Germany's Kleinunternehmerregelung (§19 UStG) exempts small businesses from charging VAT if prior-year net revenue stayed under €25,000 and current-year revenue stays under €100,000 — a hard, real-time ceiling since the 2024 reform. Here is how the thresholds, invoice wording rules, e-invoicing deadlines, and the five-year opt-out lock-in work in 2026.
Bookkeeping for Professional Puppet Makers: Pricing Commissions, Deposits, and Design Rights
Custom puppets sell for $500–$1,500 yet take 20–100 hours to build, so untracked labor quietly destroys margins. How professional puppet makers should price commissions with the materials + labor + overhead + profit formula, book 50% deposits as deferred revenue instead of income, separate design-licensing from fabrication revenue, and handle post-Wayfair sales tax on interstate theater clients.
2027 ACA Premium Tax Credit Percentages: What Rev. Proc. 2026-26 Means for the Self-Employed and Small Employers
IRS Revenue Procedure 2026-26 sets the 2027 ACA employer affordability threshold at 10.22% and updates the premium tax credit applicable percentage table (2.15%–10.22% of household income by federal poverty line bracket). Here is how the new numbers — and a quiet premium-growth methodology change — affect self-employed marketplace buyers and small employers.