Today, I have something a little different for you for our Brilliant Blogger series. Usually, I post a little about the topic myself, link to three of the best posts I can find, and then give you a list of links to other posts about the topic. This week is a little different – the topic is taxes for bloggers (and the self-employed in general), and although I have several years of experience with it, I don’t feel qualified to talk about it myself. When it comes to taxes, I also don’t think I can choose just three brilliant posts you should read – you should read as much as you can about the topic…and get a professional to help you complete your return.
Instead, I just want to give you some resources to get you started. If you haven’t yet done your taxes, don’t wait – they’re due mid-April, but most accounting firms don’t have time for last-minute freelancers. So, check out the following links and then get them done ASAP:
Taxgirl – “Because paying taxes is painful… but reading about them shouldn’t be.” Taxgirl is by far my favorite site when it comes to learning about taxes. You can ask a question, but before you do, make sure to search through her site – there’s a ton of information on that site. Kelly Phillips Erb (taxgirl) has also done some posts for Problogger, which you can find at the following links:
- 7 Things That Every Blogger Should Know About Tax
- 46 Tax Deductions that Bloggers Often Overlook
- 6 Types of Business Entities to Consider for Your Blogging Business
About.com: Blogging – About.com’s blogging section is full of great information, and the tax tips page is especially helpful for bloggers. On this page, you’ll find information about how taxes work for someone self-employed, deductions bloggers can take, and more.
What Bloggers Should Know About Taxes from BlogHer – BlogHer’s blog has some of the best information out there, and this post on taxes is no different. What I love about it is that blogger Melanie Nelson links to a number of other great places to learn even more about taxes for bloggers, so it becomes a hub of information.
So, that’s the short list of resources I wanted to share. As always with Brilliant Bloggers, feel free to link to your own posts, but please make sure that they’re well-researched and clear – you don’t want to lead anyone down the wrong financial path.
On April 7, we’ll be back to regular Brilliant Blogger posts. It’s an awesome topic, so I hope you’ll all submit posts!
Next Week’s Topic: Product Launching
I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Blogger Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.
Thanks, Alli. Though taxes are the reason I married an accountant, they can be very confusing. (In fact, we have our own accountant now.) If you’re blogging as a freelancer, it’s easy enough to figure out but once freebies, products, trips and commissions come in to play it’s a whole different issue.
I love Taxgirl and Kelly as well.