#self-employment
Self-Employment
Learn about self-employment taxes, LLC owner compensation, and freelancer financial management
Do You Need an ABN? The Sole Trader Tax Basics Every Australian Freelancer Should Know
Australian sole traders who invoice without an ABN lose 47% of each payment to mandatory withholding. This guide covers free same-day ABN registration, the $75,000 rolling 12-month GST threshold, quarterly BAS due dates, individual marginal tax rates for 2026-27, deductible super contributions, and the ATO's five-year record-keeping rule.
The EU Entry/Exit System Is Live: What the 90/180 Schengen Rule Now Means for Digital Nomads
The EU's Entry/Exit System became mandatory at all 29 Schengen borders on April 10, 2026, replacing passport stamps with biometric tracking that automatically flags 90/180-day overstays. Here's how the rule actually works, the fines and entry bans for overstaying, 2026 digital nomad visa options from Croatia to Malta, and why ETIAS arrives in Q4 2026.
Freelancing in Switzerland: How Cantonal Taxes, AHV, and the CHF 100,000 VAT Line Actually Work
A Swiss freelancer's tax bill stacks federal (up to 11.5%), cantonal, and communal layers — roughly CHF 15,000–18,000 on CHF 100,000 of profit in Zug versus about CHF 28,000 in Geneva. This guide covers AHV self-employed status (three criteria, ~10% of net profit, CHF 2,300 registration threshold), the CHF 100,000 VAT and Commercial Register line, 8.1% standard VAT, Pillar 3a deductions up to CHF 36,288, and when a GmbH beats a sole proprietorship.
IRS Announces 2027 HSA and HDHP Limits: What Small Business Owners and the Self-Employed Should Plan For Now
Revenue Procedure 2026-24 raises 2027 HSA contribution limits to $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family, with HDHP minimum deductibles of $1,750/$3,500 and out-of-pocket maximums of $8,700/$17,400. Here's what the new numbers mean for self-employed owners — including why the HSA deduction doesn't reduce self-employment tax, the April 15 contribution deadline that extensions don't move, and the over-contribution traps around employer contributions and the Last-Month Rule.
NLRB Independent Contractor Rulemaking Petition: What the SuperShuttle Fight Means for Small Businesses
On February 11, 2026, fourteen trade groups — including the American Trucking Associations and the National Retail Federation — petitioned the NLRB to lock in a stable independent contractor standard after three different tests in roughly a decade. Here's how the NLRB test differs from the IRS and DOL frameworks, and what contractor-reliant businesses should do while the petition plays out.
Storage Unit Auction Reselling Bookkeeping: How to Price a Lot You've Never Opened
How to keep books for storage-unit auction flips — allocate one winning bid across dozens of items with the relative fair value method, deduct COGS only when items sell, use the Section 471(c) small-business exception, and report income even below the $20,000/200-transaction 1099-K threshold.
Vinted Just Came to America. Here's Why Your Bookkeeping Needs to Change, Not Just Your App.
Vinted's January 2026 US launch charges sellers zero fees — buyers pay a ~5% protection fee instead — but its Wallet holds funds 7–10 days before they reach your bank. Here's how to book Vinted sales with a dedicated wallet asset account, why the zero-fee model makes 1099-K reconciliation a one-step check, and what marketplace facilitator rules mean for sales tax.
The AI Orchestrator Premium: Why Some Freelancers Are Earning 34% More in 2026 (and Others Are Earning Less)
Upwork's Future Workforce Index 2026 finds freelancers doing AI-related work earn 34% more per hour, with earnings on complex AI work up 45% year-over-year while per-contract pay for commodity generative-AI gigs fell 13% — here's what the "AI Orchestrator" split means for freelancers and indie developers, and how to land on the right side of it.
NIST CSWP 50: The First Federal Cybersecurity Guide Written for Businesses of One
NIST's draft CSWP 50, released April 2026, is the first federal cybersecurity guidance written explicitly for non-employer firms — the 28+ million U.S. businesses with zero employees. Here's what changed from the 2009 guidance, how the CSF 2.0 six functions translate to a solo operation, and a 30-minute checklist to act on today.
North Carolina's HB 372 Home-Based Business Fairness Act: What Home Entrepreneurs Need to Know
North Carolina's HB 372, signed July 7, 2026 as Session Law 2026-51, bars cities from requiring permits, licenses, or rezoning for "no-impact" home-based businesses. Here's who qualifies, what cities can still regulate, and how the change affects your bookkeeping.
The 1099 Threshold Is Now $2,000: What OBBBA Changes for Small Businesses in 2026
OBBBA raises the federal 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC filing threshold from $600 to $2,000 for payments made in 2026, with annual inflation indexing starting in 2027. The income stays taxable either way, some states still require reporting at $600, and per-contractor totals — not per-invoice amounts — determine whether you file.
West Virginia's New Cottage Food Permit: How SB 44 Lets Home Producers Sell Pickled, Fermented, and Refrigerated Foods
West Virginia's Senate Bill 44, effective June 12, 2026, created a potentially hazardous cottage food vendor permit that lets home producers legally sell pickled and fermented vegetables, acidified salsas and hot sauces, kombucha, and refrigerated items like custards and cream pies. The permit requires a kitchen inspection, food safety training, a WVDA permit, and water testing for kitchens on private wells, while raw meat, poultry, seafood, and Grade A dairy remain prohibited under both cottage food tiers.