Daniel Brooks 
An EIN for freelancers is usually optional. If you work alone as a sole proprietor, with no employees, you can use your Social Security number for everything. Even so, most freelancers get one anyway, because it’s free, takes about 15 minutes online and keeps your SSN off client paperwork. You do need an EIN, however, … Read more
When to become an S corp depends on one number: your yearly profit. For most single freelancers in 2026, the S corp election starts to pay off at about $60,000 to $65,000 of profit. Below that, the extra costs usually eat the savings. Above it, the savings grow steadily, from about $1,000 a year at … Read more
LLC vs sole proprietor is the first big decision most freelancers face. The honest answer surprises many people: by default, both pay exactly the same taxes. The real differences are liability protection, cost and paperwork. In other words, you are mainly paying for a legal wall between your business and your personal assets. For most … Read more
DoorDash taxes work differently from a regular job. DoorDash doesn’t withhold anything from your pay, so you handle your own taxes as a self-employed contractor. In practice, that means three things: you set money aside from every payout, you send the IRS quarterly payments, and you deduct your business costs. The good news is that … Read more
Tax deductions for Uber drivers can cut your taxable profit by more than half. Mileage is the big one, but app fees, your phone, tolls and supplies count too. Lyft drivers follow exactly the same rules. In other words, everything on this page applies to both apps. As a rideshare driver, you are self-employed, not … Read more
Tax deductions for photographers cover almost everything your business needs: cameras, lenses, lighting, editing software, studio space, travel and marketing. If you shoot as a freelancer, you report these costs on Schedule C. As a result, every dollar you deduct lowers both your income tax and your 15.3% self-employment tax. The rule behind every deduction … Read more
Standard mileage vs actual expenses is the choice of how you deduct a car you use for work. In fact, it’s one of the biggest freelancer tax deductions for anyone who drives for business. So the right pick can be worth thousands of dollars a year. Also, parking and tolls for business trips are deductible … Read more
Design is a tool-heavy profession. A powerful computer, a color-accurate monitor, a drawing tablet, Adobe Creative Cloud, fonts and stock assets can easily cost several thousand dollars a year. Fortunately, almost all of these are tax deductions for graphic designers who work for themselves. However, many freelancers only claim the obvious ones, such as their … Read more
If you write for a living, the tools of your trade cost money: a laptop, software, books, a website and sometimes a trip to research a story. Fortunately, most of those costs are tax deductions for freelance writers, and claiming them can cut your tax bill by thousands of dollars. However, many writers miss them … Read more
Yes, freelancers can deduct their phone and internet, but only the part used for business. The phone and internet deduction is one of the easiest freelancer tax deductions to claim, and one of the most often missed. The key is a reasonable, documented percentage. Below you’ll see what counts, how to calculate your share, and … Read more