Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Gig Workers of All Types

Cover
Title Page
Table of Contents
Welcome to the World of Self-Employment: Introduction to Working for Yourself
	A Golden Age for the Self-Employed
	Six Things You May Not Know About the Self-Employed
1: Working for Yourself: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
	Working for Yourself: The Good
	Working for Yourself: The Bad
	Working for Yourself: The Ugly
	How This Book Will Help You Succeed at Self-Employment
2: Choosing the Legal Form for Your Business
	Sole Proprietorships
	Corporations
	Partnerships
	Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)
3: Choosing and Protecting Your Business Name
	Choosing a Legal Name
	Choosing a Trade Name
	Choosing a Trademark
	Choosing an Internet Domain Name
	Conducting a Name Search
4: Home Alone or Outside Office
	Pros and Cons of Working at Home
	Restrictions on Home-Based Businesses
	Deducting Your Home Office Expenses
	Pros and Cons of an Outside Office
	Leasing a Workplace
	Deducting Your Outside Office Expenses
5: Obtaining Licenses, Permits, and Identification Numbers
	Business Licenses
	Employer Identification Numbers (EINs)
	Sales Tax Permits
6: Insuring Your Business and Yourself
	The Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”)
	Disability Insurance
	Business Property Insurance
	Liability Insurance
	Car Insurance
	Workers’ Compensation Insurance
	Other Types of Insurance
	Ways to Save on Insurance
7: Pricing Your Services and Getting Paid
	Pricing Your Services
	Getting Paid
8: Taxes and the Self-Employed
	Tax Basics for the Self-Employed
	IRS Audits
	Eight Tips to Avoid an Audit
9: Reducing Your Income Taxes
	Reporting Your Income
	Income Tax Deduction Basics
	Business Use of Your Home
	Cost of Business Assets
	Car Expenses
	Travel Expenses
	Entertainment and Meals
	Health Insurance
	Retirement Accounts
	Start-Up Costs
10: The Bane of Self-Employment Taxes
	Who Must Pay
	Self-Employment Taxes
	Earnings Subject to SE Taxes
	Paying and Reporting SE Taxes
	Outside Employment
11: Paying Estimated Taxes
	Who Must Pay Estimated Taxes
	How Much You Must Pay
	When to Pay
	How to Pay
	Paying the Wrong Amount
12: Rules for Salespeople, Drivers, and Clothing Producers
	Statutory Employees
	Statutory Independent Contractors
13: Taxes for Workers You Hire
	Hiring People to Help You
	Tax Concerns When Hiring Employees
	Tax Concerns When Hiring Independent Contractors
14: Record Keeping and Accounting Made Easy
	Simple Bookkeeping
	How Long to Keep Records
	If You Don’t Have Proper Tax Records
	Accounting Methods
	Tax Year
15: Safeguarding Your Self-Employed Status
	Who Decides Your Work Status?
	What Happens If the Government Reclassifies You?
	Determining Worker Status
	The IRS Approach to Worker Status
	Tips for Preserving Your IC Status
16: Special Concerns for Gig Workers
	Introduction to the Gig Economy
	Your Contract With the Hiring Platform
	Your Worker Status
	Your Taxes
	Your Insurance
	Other Legal Requirements for Gig Workers
	Where to Find Gigs
17: Copyrights, Patents, and Trade Secrets
	Intellectual Property
	Copyright Ownership
	Patent Ownership
	Trade Secret Ownership
	Using Nondisclosure Agreements
18: Using Written Client Agreements
	Reasons to Use Written Agreements
	Reviewing a Client’s Agreement
	Creating Your Own Client Agreement
	Putting Your Agreement Together
	Changing the Agreement After It’s Signed
19: Drafting Your Own Client Agreement
	Essential Provisions
	Optional Provisions
	Sample Client Agreement
	Using Letter Agreements
20: Reviewing a Client’s Agreement
	Make Sure the Agreement Is Consistent With the Client’s Promises
	Make Sure the Contract Covers at Least the Basics
	Provisions to Avoid
	Provisions to Consider Adding
	Client Purchase Orders
Appendix A: Using the Downloadable Forms on the Nolo Website
	Editing RTFs
	List of Forms Available on the Nolo Website
Index
Book Registration and Updates