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The Ultimate Guide to

Tax Forms for Freelancers and Self-employed People

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Self-employed

Freelancer, independent contractor, etc

Salaried employee

Full-time or part-time W-2 employee

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LLC, S corp or partnership

We all have to pay taxes

Tax forms. We've all seen them. At first glance, it looks like all you need to do is fill in the blanks, and you're done. But on closer inspection, they can start to look pretty complicated, like a mad scientist's to-do list or the manual to an interdimensional portal. But no matter how complicated they might be, we all have to file our taxes. They are, after all, the great equalizer: no matter who we are in America, we're all required to report to the IRS what we made each year. Or once every few months, in the case of freelancers.

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The IRS is the definitive resource on every self-employed tax form that each type of worker needs to fill out, but because there is so much information available at IRS.gov, it can be difficult to make sense of it all.

Image with text listing various tax forms including Schedule SE, Schedule C, Form 8829, 1040-ES, 1040 Forms, and 1099 series for self-employed, freelancers, and taxes.

This directory is all about simplicity. All the forms you need are in one place – with each one explained in language that's easy to understand. Here, freelancers and self-employed people can find straight-to-the-point information they can actually use. This is how we talk about tax forms with our friends and family. With a one-stop self-employed tax form shop, there's no wasting time searching or reading through guides filled with jargon. This essential directory guides freelancers and self-employed people through the most common tax return forms that are relevant to their work. Of the hundreds of federal tax forms to be found on the IRS' website, thankfully you'll only need to worry about a handful, and they're all right here.

The latest versions of IRS tax forms 2024

There aren't a whole lot of changes from the 2023 tax forms from IRS, but here you'll find the most up-to-date versions. So, when it's time to ask, "What tax papers do I need to file for 2024," you can find answers below. The forms for self-employed people and freelancers fall under two categories:

Image displaying the number 1040, possibly indicating tax form used for filing taxes by individuals or self-employed/freelancers.

1040 forms

There are two types of 1040 forms, one for filing annually and one for filing estimated taxes on a quarterly basis.

1040

This is the most common document in the US tax system. It's the master tax return that every American fills out.

1040-ES

This vital tax form for self-employed individuals and freelancers is how they pay quarterly taxes, which they need to estimate (ES means estimated taxes).

Schedule SE

SE stands for self-employment tax, and this is where people who make a living working for themselves or freelancing pay Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Form 8829

If you use your home for work, you can deduct things like utilities and supplies used for your home office or storage space used for inventory from your taxes. Use this form to figure out how much you can deduct.

Schedule C

Running a business by yourself? This is the tax return 2024 schedule where you report how much (knock on wood) profit you made or how much you (heaven forbid) lost over the course of the year.

1099 forms

Everyone who works for themselves is familiar with this form. It's for reporting income you receive as a self-employed person or a freelancer. Income from things like an investment you have or an interest payment you received from your bank are also reported on 1099 forms.

1099-Form

If you're self-employed, this is the form that the people who pay you use to report those payments to the IRS. Here's what you need to know about it.

1099-NEC

Entities that pay you for services as a freelancer or independent contractor report those payments to the IRS using this 1099 form.

1099-MISC

Entities that give you other forms of income as a freelancer or independent contractor, such as prize money or money for healthcare, report those payments to the IRS using this 1099 form.

1099-K

If you receive payments of $600 or more as a self-employed individual through credit card companies and payment services like PayPal, they report those payments to the IRS using this 1099 form.

Losing a 1099 form

If you've lost a 1099 that was sent to you, fear not. Here's what you can do if it happens.

How to lower your 1099 tax bill

There are ways to lower the amount of tax you pay as a 1099 self-employed individual. Here are five proven strategies.

1099-K for PayPal

Here's how to receive a 1099-K from PayPal and how to use it to file and pay your 1099 taxes.

1099-K for Shopify

Here's how to receive a 1099-K from Shopify and how to use it to file and pay your 1099 taxes.

1099-K for Venmo

Here's how to receive a 1099-K from Venmo and how to use it to file and pay your 1099 taxes.

Differences Between Form 1099-NEC and Form 1099-MISC

Understand what makes these 1099 forms different from each other and what they mean for you as a 1099 freelancer, independent contractor or self-employed individual.

What are tax returns for self-employed and freelancers?

Fair question, especially if you're new to freelancing, or you just started your own business. You might be completely switching gears when it comes to doing your taxes, and if so, you've come to the right place. You probably already know that a tax return is the complete set of forms every taxpayer has to file with the IRS on an annual basis. 1099 and 1040 forms for self-employed people and freelancers serve 3 functions:

They show the federal government how much income you earned, what your expenses were and any other information that could affect how much you pay in taxes
They also walk taxpayers through the math to calculate how much they owe in taxes
2024 Tax forms are the way the money is handled. They allow people to schedule their tax payments or ask the IRS for a refund if they ended up overpaying on taxes

When can I start doing my taxes for 2024?

Image with text about tax filing. Includes information on tax extension, preparation, deadline of April 15, and late January filing opening. No mention of self employed, 1099, or freelancer.

To start getting your tax return ready, you'll need to wait until the end of December 2024. Until then, you won't have all the information you need about your income or all the business expenses you'll have through the end of the year. Then you can figure out how much you need to pay in taxes and how much you'll be able to write off. Once you have everything you need, you can file your taxes as early as the end of January (check the IRS website closer to the end of December, 2024). You can usually file earlier if you do it online than if you file by mail. But don't file any later than the April 15, 2025 deadline. If you can't make that, you can use Form 4868 to file for an extension, like some 15 million Americans did in 2024, according to the IRS.

Where to find IRS tax forms 2024

There are several places where you can pick up free physical tax forms from IRS to fill out, but we recommend moving every part of your taxpaying life online if you haven't already. It just makes everything easier, from keeping track of your expenses and deductions to filing and paying your taxes to receiving refunds from the IRS. Here's where to get tax forms that you'll need:

Tax forms from the IRS website are the most reliable, and you use the list of tax forms above to download each one.
Call the IRS and have a self-employed tax form mailed to you
Check your local library or post office, or stop by your local IRS office (yes, they exist)
Try one of the tax software programs that provide federal tax forms 2024 as part of their packages

A guide for filing taxes on time and avoiding fees. Tips include checking for necessary documents, filing online, and double-checking deductions. Suitable for self-employed, freelancers, and those with 1099 forms.

Wondering how to fill out taxes?

31% of Gen Zers (about 25 or older), who make more than $50,000 a year said "how to do my taxes" is the thing they most need to learn. The 2024 survey by Investopedia said the number was even higher for people making under $50,000. It's clear that tools like this Ultimate Guide are so important for empowering taxpayers. In addition, here a few tips for maximum efficiency once you get to the step of actually filling out the forms: Make sure you look at each form beforehand to gather the information you will need before filling it out. File on time so you don't have to pay late fees or interest on what you owe. Double-check all deductions. The IRS sometimes pays a lot of attention to this part of self-employed and freelancer taxes. File online. Filing digitally has a decades-old track record of reliability and data security. And refunds are much faster online.

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What documents do I need to file taxes?

If you're wondering how to fill out taxes and asking questions like, "What do I need to file my taxes," or "What are tax returns," here is a tax document checklist with some of the major things that just about everyone will need when they prepare their tax return.

Social security number or your tax ID number
Bank routing and account numbers to pay taxes and receive any refund
Information about any dependents, like birth dates and social security numbers
Info about your spouse like social security number and birth date
If you have W-2 income, you'll need that info
If you received unemployment, you'll need a 1099-G form
Information about your mortgage, if you have one
All the relevant 1099 forms that report the amounts of income you received that year, including social security and interest income
If you paid quarterly taxes, you'll need that information
Cryptocurrency transactions are now required to be reported
A record of all the expenses you had that year from your work or running your business

IRS tax forms 2024

The information you'll find here goes in-depth on 2024 tax forms from IRS, but it's always a good idea to reference them directly at the source at the IRS Self-Employed Help Page. Sometimes the devil is in the details, and the site gets even deeper into the nitty-gritty of the taxes for self-employed people and freelancers.

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