A Guide to Tax Settlement: Benefits and Eligibility Criteria

 

A tax settlement is a discounted arrangement regarding taxes owed that is acknowledged by the IRS or the state taxing authority. It is also known as an offer in compromise. Under this settlement, a taxpayer is allowed to extinguish an outstanding tax debt for less than the actual amount owed. Some extenuating circumstances that have prevented taxpayers from paying their taxes owed are accepted by the IRS. Taxsettlement services can be best carried out through proper guidance.

 

Not every kind of situation is considered for tax settlement. Tax settlement may be based on the current circumstances of the taxpayer and applicable tax regulations. Let’s discuss tax settlement in this blog.

 

How can an IRS settlement benefit you?

 

Negotiating a tax settlement can benefit you in these ways:

 

●     Pay less: The first obvious benefit is that you will be able to pay less to the tax authority than you actually owe. Given the situation of the taxpayer, a tax settlement can be determined and presented in a short time span. Once you pay the balance on the mutual agreement, the tax account is taken to be settled in full, leaving you with no late fees and other penalties.

 

●     No need for Liens and Garnishments: The other benefit offered by a tax settlement is that the taxpayer does not need to suffer from a tax lien on his/ her home or business.

Who is eligible for a tax settlement?

 

The IRS offers the settlement option to taxpayers who have a difficult time paying off their tax debts or have a valid reason for their penalties to be abated. Not everyone is eligible for such tax settlement.

 

The main factor considered is the financial hardship of the taxpayer. Their financial situation is analyzed, and if the tax authority comes to the conclusion that the financial situation is not favorable, then the taxpayer is taken to be eligible for tax settlement. Financial hardship is a good indicator of tax settlement.

 

For more clarity, you can take the help of Tax Services for Freelance Workers to check if you are eligible and how a tax settlement could benefit you.

Benefits of Hiring a Tax Consultant for Freelance Workers

Tax consultants are professional Certified Public Accountants who are experts in tax preparation. Many small businesses, freelancers, and independent artists hire specialized tax consultants for freelance workers to prepare and report taxes for them.

Hiring a professional accountant has a wide range of benefits that includes:

Reducing Taxable Income

Professional accountants know the intricacies of tax laws, allowing them to find business deductions that reduce your taxable income and save you money on taxes. Additionally, they also help in tax planning for freelance workers.

Flawless Tax Preparation and Reporting

Professionals have the right tools, skills, and knowledge, and apply attention to detail to accurately calculate, report, and file taxes. They know how to do taxes correctly the first time.

Audit Representation

Your professional accountant can also help you with audit representation in case your tax return is audited. This helps you to defend your rights when necessary.

Because of the reasons listed above, it would be a good idea to hire a tax consultant for preparing and planning your taxes.

Bookkeeping Suggestions from an Accountant for Freelancers

You have recently been introduced to the world of freelancing and you are bound to commit some silly mistakes at first. The faster you learn, you will see, the better chances you will have at gaining success in your line of business. When you finally come across a large and continuous inflow of cash, it is likely that you will have a tough time keeping track of it! You would then realize how essential it is for you to level up your bookkeeping skills to meet the challenge at par. The following is a short list of cornerstone suggestions from a seasoned accountant for freelancers, to help you streamline your bookkeeping effectively and easily. Read on, as we get into the details: 

• Always have backup 

There always is a risk of losing data in the event of a hardware failure. Make sure that you have a backup of all essential data. 

• Online ledgers 

Offline records can not only be clumsy, but inaccurate as well. It is essential that you make use of various online applications and platforms to help you track your finances in the most reliable and efficient manner. 

Hopefully, the two pointers mentioned in this article will make your professional life a bit easier, as a freelancer. If you ever feel a need for expert support in streamlining your finances and accounting, reach out to Agro Accounting CPA with no hesitation. This is because their online CPA platform has been serving freelancers for nearly a decade. Hence, it can offer you the leverage of working in a new ‘way of work-life’ that you are not quite familiar with. Use the skills of a highly experienced accountant for freelancers to help your business grow. Connect with the official website of Agro Accounting CPA in order to learn more.

How Much Income Tax Do Freelancers Have to Pay?

In 2019, 57 million people in the US indulged in freelancing work, and most of them reported earning handsome amounts. Everything is good as a freelancer: no boss, no timing restrictions, no extra expenses, no office, etc. The only thing that can trouble freelancers is income taxes for freelance workers, which sometimes seem unfair. If your net income during the year, as a freelancer, is more than just $400, you are liable to pay tax. So, it can be tough being a freelancer in the US! 

Recently, President Trump issued an executive order guiding the US Department of the Treasury to defer payroll taxes from September 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. The executive order announced a deferral on the 6.2% employee’s share of Social Security tax, but it does not clearly say anything about self-employed or freelance workers. 

Today, in this blog post, we will discuss how much income tax a freelancer has to pay, typical deduction categories for freelancers and, first of all, discuss, how US tax law sees a freelancer. 

Employed vs. Self-Employed 

There is no such term as “freelancer” existing in the eyes of the law. Workers are primarily divided into two categories: Employed and Self-Employed. 

Employed workers are regularly salaried people employed by an employer. The employer manages taxes for its employees. 

Self-employed workers are those people that are self-employed and work directly for clients. They are their own boss and manage their own taxes, usually by themselves or with the help of a specialized accountant for freelance workers. Freelancers and business owners fall into this category. 

Now, let's find out how much income tax freelancers have to pay. 

Taxes Paid by a Freelancer 

A freelancer has to pay two types of tax: regular income tax and self-employment tax. All workers pay (“regular”) income tax, but freelancers are also liable to pay self-employment tax. Freelancers have to pay 15.3% of self-employment tax, which includes Social Security tax and Medicare tax. To follow, a regularly salaried person who works for an employer is also liable to pay a payroll tax, which is usually shared by both employer and employee. An employee pays a 6.2% Social Security tax and 1.45% Medicare tax, and an equal share is paid by his or her employer. However, as a freelancer is considered both an employee and an employer, a freelancer has to pay both parts. 

Deduction Categories for Freelancers 

Tax laws may seem a little unfair toward freelancers, yet there are many deductions available for them as well, which a regular employee cannot avail. Here are four primary tax deduction categories for freelancers:

Home Office 

If you are working as a freelancer, most probably, you have a home office. The IRS allows you to write off the expenses related to your home office, such as rent and cost of utilities. Nonetheless, it is your responsibility to ensure you are not using home office space or utilities for personal use. Writing off personal expenses may incur penalties. For this reason, it is advisable to hire an accountant for freelance workers while filing your income taxes, to become familiar with specific IRS rules and to avoid making important mistakes. 

Equipment 

If you are purchasing equipment for work purposes, then it is eligible for tax deductions. Such tax benefits are not available to regular employees. 

Education 

The IRS also allows you to write off the education costs incurred in upskilling to meet your business’ requirements. Your continuing education and certification costs are tax-deductible! 

Travel and Meal Expenses 

Lastly for this blog, you can also include business-related food and travel expenses at a rate of 50% in your tax deductions. However, it is strictly advised to separate your personal and business expenses in order to avoid any potential conflict with the IRS. As it is actually quite easy to make mistakes while filing your taxes when freelancing, experts advocate hiring an accountant consultant for freelancers to avoid any surprises.

Tips to Help Business Continuity During a Pandemic

COVID—19 has successfully turned our lives upside down. No walk of life remains untouched by it, yet small businesses and freelance workers have been severely thrashed by the pandemic. Nonetheless, the government has made tremendous efforts to make it easier for small businesses and freelance workers to make it through the pandemic. It is up to entrepreneurs to make the best use of available assistance and resources at their disposal. The following is a list of tips by accountant consultants for freelance workers to help small scale businesses to continue as a going concern, as the pandemic pushes on. Read on, plunge into the details.

                                

Do a Business Impact Analysis

Before you can fix a problem, it is important to understand the intensity of the impact that, in this case, the COVID-19 has made on your business. Once you get the facts, you will be able to see the big picture more clearly and, after, you can start to deal with the concerns on hand.

Do Business Modeling

Business modeling is a great way to determine your plan of action in order to get yourself out of this mess. Create models of the various possible outcomes your business could consider.

                                   

Risk Analysis and Mapping

Once you are through with modeling your possible courses of action, move on to risk analysis in order to determine if your selected plan is good for your business or not.

The current times are extremely tough for freelance workers and small businesses, yet don’t have the misconception that this is “as bad as it gets.” If you do not get a hold of your business now, then things might catastrophically get out of hand sooner than later. That said, please make use of the abovementioned tips from accountant consultants for freelance workers in order to establish firm, steady ground for your business’ comeback.

Save Money and Pay Less Taxes

Most people envy a freelancer's life: it seems unrestricted, commute-free and business attire -free. Also, freelancers get plenty of time to do the things they love. We think there is nothing that bothers them, and that simply isn’t true. There is at least one thing that bothers them: taxes!

During the first year, taxes seem so effortless to the uninitiated freelancer. There is no pressure to make any payment as it’s all presumably done after year-end, in the next spring. It would behoove such freelancer to seek the assistance of a professional who offers tax preparation to entrepreneurs as soon as possible. Let us go through the ways in which a freelancer can save money on taxes.

• Work with a Tax Professional. Freelancers should always have an accountant by their side. Hire one that deals with freelancers and small business owners. Having an accountant that can perform tax preparation for entrepreneurs can seem expensive versus DIY software, but it is an investment that will save you money, time and headaches in the long run. Someone who is not good with numbers and doesn’t want to pay more in taxes than necessary should get the help of such a tax professional.

• Know what you need to Pay and how much. Know the type of taxes you are required to pay along with their amounts. A full-time salaried person would have taxes deducted automatically from their pay-check. On the other hand, if you own a home, are married and have children, and/or you have income-related expenses the way a freelancer does, then you will be able to maximize your deductions and reduce your tax bill greatly.

• Keep Track of your Receipts. Keep email and digital receipts, and make a spreadsheet for each of your expense categories. A freelancer can easily track and provide, when needed, deductions in this manner. If you don’t have time to look after these things, then hire a bookkeeper who will work with your accounting expert in tax preparation for entrepreneurs.

Follow these tips and save your hard-earned money from overpaying on taxes. It would be best to consult with someone who does tax preparation for entrepreneurs in order to make this happen flawlessly.