Tax preparation for freelancers
Quick answer: Designers, writers, photographers, and developers juggle multiple 1099s, software stacks, and clients who pay late or not at all. We turn the pile into a clean Schedule C, set quarterly estimates, and check the S corp math when income grows.
Software and subscriptions
Your tool stack, from editing suites to hosting to AI tools used for client work, is deductible.
Home studio or office
Exclusive-use workspace deducts by square footage or actual costs. We pick the better method.
Equipment and gear
Cameras, computers, instruments, and lighting can be expensed or depreciated to fit the year.
Multiple 1099s and missing ones
Clients under the reporting threshold still count as income. We reconcile against deposits so nothing surprises you later.
Health insurance premiums
Self-employed health and dental premiums deduct above the line, one of the biggest freelancer breaks.
QBI and entity timing
The qualified business income deduction applies to most freelancers, and we flag when S corp election starts saving real money.
Educational overview, not tax advice. Every deduction here has rules and limits, and a real preparer reviews your actual situation before anything is filed.
A client never sent a 1099. Do I still report it?
Yes. All income counts whether or not a form arrives, and bank-deposit matching is how the IRS finds gaps. The deductions that come with reporting usually soften it considerably.
Can I deduct part of my rent?
If a space is used regularly and exclusively for work, yes, proportionally. The simplified square-footage method avoids most of the recordkeeping.
What about unpaid invoices?
Cash-basis taxpayers cannot deduct income never received; it simply is not income. The fix is operational: deposits and contracts, which we are happy to nag you about.