It’s that time of year again: the time when you realize taxes are around the corner and proceed to forget about it again until April 14. Just kidding – because you are a hard-working, organized, and on-top-of-it freelancer! Filing 1099s might be one of the most miserable parts of freelance life, however, there are a few basic, but important things that can help you stay prepared and make the most of your tax return.

Before we jump into it, a refresher: everyone pays taxes. While W2 employees get their 7.65% automatically taken out of each paycheck (and their employers pay the other 7.65% for a total 15.3% tax), freelancers have to pay their 15.3% themselves. And while Tax Day is the deadline for everyone to file their returns, full-time freelancers (anyone estimated to owe over $1000 in federal taxes) have to pay estimated taxes on a quarterly basis! Come April, most freelancers will fill out a 1040 Schedule C to report profits and losses related to their self-employment, and the more info you have, the easier it will be to file.

Stay organized and double-check your information!

1099s start coming in from your clients as early as January (January 31 is the deadline for employers to file 1099s), so as soon as you receive your 1099, do yourself a favor and cross-reference the income listed on the 1099 with the invoices that you have just in case there are any mistakes. If there are any discrepancies, the earlier they are resolved, the better. If you receive a mixture of paper and digital 1099s, ensure you either have all forms in one format or another.

Write-offs done right

As a freelancer, tax deductions are the name of the game and make a huge difference in determining how much you owe the feds. A deduction is an amount of money you can subtract from your income, thus reducing the total taxable amount, and yielding a lower amount to taxes. You can claim the Standard Deduction, which for 2023 is $13,850, or, if your itemized deductions related to your business expenses are greater than $13,850, you can go that route.

Business or Personal?

Telling the difference between business expenses and personal expenses can be tricky. For example, typically the costs related to someone’s commute to work are not tax deductible, but for freelancers who work from home, travel expenses directly related to business including lodging, meals, and even laundry are deductible.

On top of that, business deductions can be knotty particularly for freelancers because many times our business and our personal lives overlap. Ideally, you want to have separate credit cards and bank accounts for your business and personal financial dealings. But there are certain things that are unavoidable.

Deduct Proportionally

Not all freelancers have a separate phone line dedicated to all things business, but if you use your personal phone number to conduct business, you can calculate how much of your phone use is dedicated strictly to your business and deduct that proportionate amount.

Same with the home office deduction: if you use part of your home to run your business, you can calculate what percentage of your home you dedicate to your business, apply that ratio to your rent or mortgage, and deduct that monthly amount. One important detail about this is that the part of your home you claim you use for business must be separate and exclusively used for business. Separate office rooms or even clearly segmented parts of a room qualify, but if you are freelancing from the couch, unfortunately, that does not qualify.

The key is to be honest. Did you buy a computer for work but watch Netflix on it in your free time? Try to calculate how much is dedicated to the business and write off that amount.

Other business expenses that you can write off can look like:

  • Tech: A computer, monitor, graphics tablet, etc.
  • Website Hosting
  • Software: Photoshop, InDesign, Final Cut, etc.
  • Art supplies
  • Storage: Dropbox, IDrive, etc.
  • Advertisements: Digital or print (unless it’s for a political party or candidate)
  • Assistance: If you paid someone to assist with your work
    Educational courses
  • Self-employment tax: Because W-2 counterparts split that 15.3% of taxes equally with their employer, you can do the same by writing off 50% of your self-employment tax.

Back it up

The most important part of deductions is to have those receipts. Always be sure to have documentation of the purchases and costs you are deducting! No record, no write-off. And if your itemized deductions are less than the standard, then just go standard!

Hire a Tax Preparer

One of the best gifts freelancers can give themselves during tax season is hiring a tax preparer. You’ve already done so much work yourself anyway, so you deserve to take a load off (and not stress yourself out trying to decode the American tax system with 60 tabs open across 4 windows)! And just in case you think hiring a tax preparer is too bougie, over half of all tax returns are filed on behalf of the payers by tax preparers.

Because nothing about taxes is simple, there are different kinds of professionals who can help you with your taxes in slightly different but overlapping ways. When it comes to basic tax filings, Certified Public Accountants (licensed by the state to offer accounting to the public), Tax Attorneys (licensed by the state to practice law), Enrolled Agents (licensed by the IRS to prepare taxes), and non-credentialed tax preparers (not licensed by the state or IRS) can technically file taxes on your behalf but in all cases, the preparer legally must have a Preparer Tax Identification Number or PTIN, which is an identification number given by the IRS.

CPAs have to undergo rigorous education and licensure, but not all CPAs specialize in tax preparation. While tax attorneys are typically best suited for dealing with tax disputes with the IRS, some offer basic tax preparation. Enrolled Agents specialize in taxes and can interface with the IRS easily, but the certification doesn’t guarantee experience. Be sure to do your research and read reviews while cross-referencing with more official databases like state accountancy boards! As you are navigating this web of professionals and how they might be suited to your specific needs, here are a few tips to consider:

  • Ask your network for referrals. Talk to friends, family members, fellow 1099ers, or trusted people you’ve worked with about who they hire for tax prep.
  • Meet in person. Many high-quality tax preparers offer remote services across states without any issue, but for that added layer of reassurance, it can be helpful to go local. Set up an in-person appointment at an established accounting or tax practice that is open year round, not just during tax season.
  • You’re not totally off the hook. Hiring a tax preparer doesn’t mean you can put your feet up. You still need to provide all the information and documentation about what you earned and what you spent and be available with your preparer to answer questions.
  • Remember: Nothing about taxes is too good to be true. Unfortunately, scams do happen in the world of tax prep. One of the biggest red flags to keep in mind is the promise of a huge refund. Of course, a big reason to work with a tax preparer is so they can navigate deductions and save you money, but big returns can signal shadiness—especially if the preparers are getting paid a percentage of your return rather than a flat rate. Hopefully, this goes without saying, but if you get a sudden text from the “IRS” demanding you pay your taxes in Amazon gift cards and crypto, please don’t.

Final Tip: Get started last year

The most important part of preparing your taxes is being prepared (imagine that!), and that means getting started early. This might be a bit counterintuitive, but the best way to set yourself up for success in April is to put in the work in January of the previous year.

Doing your taxes is all about being able to clearly track and categorize incoming and outgoing money, so it’s important to set up the infrastructure for that early. Whether you are using an old-fashioned spreadsheet or a project management software like Airtable or Notion, you can create a system that clearly identifies the movement of your projects and your money. The only thing is you have to stay on top of things and keep updating them for the rest of the year.

Other good habits to start early: As soon as you get paid, put at least 25% of the invoice in a separate account for tax purposes. If you have a lot of business expenses, open that separate credit card and make your life that much easier. Consider starting a self-employed retirement plan. Don’t wait til the day you file taxes to calculate how much you owe—start projections early so there are no surprises!

As we all know, nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes, but if you’re a freelancer, how those taxes work can be very uncertain. But by tracking as much as you can in a consistent, organized way, getting a handle on the deductions available to you, and working with an official tax preparer, you can make filing your tax return a little less painful.

 

About the author. 
Sam Mani writes about work, creativity, wellness, and equity — when she’s not cooking, binging television, or annoying her cat. 

Marketing is all about using the right words to elicit a reaction in the intended audience, so it can be bewildering as a job seeker to spend countless hours poring over listings that leave you questioning if you’re better off setting up a folding table on your street corner with a sign that reads: “Will make content for food.”

The language used in job ads matters—a lot. A well-written job advertisement can be the difference between applying for the role and not. Specific terms can alienate certain candidates—and some lists of qualifications read more laundry list than realistic. Simply put—words matter.

Here are five RED flags to look for in marketing job ads. Do your current—and future—self a favor and save these tips when searching for new opportunities.

 

🚩# 1: Beware of Biased Language

Ads that use phrases such as “hit the ground running” should make you think about running in the opposite direction. Typically, this line can point to jobs with little to no onboarding process, and you are expected to pick up the leftover mess(es) of whoever came before you.

Any mention of being a “family” can mean the company cares little about work/life balance, worker autonomy, and time boundaries.

Then there’s “wears lots of hats,” which could mean the company expects you to complete the workload of multiple positions for only one salary. Say hello to possible burnout, resentment, lower rates of productivity, and higher turnovers.

And beware of the use of words like “ninja,” “rockstar,” or “unicorn.” What works for a can of beer does not work for a job ad. These terms, in particular, turn off female candidates. Employers should post job ads with neutral, straightforward titles, like “Engineer” or “Account Executive,” to attract the most diverse candidates.

Smart Tip: If you see something, say something—don’t be afraid to incorporate questions about questionable language during the interview process. Ask about employee turnover rates, the history of the position you’re applying for, the actual working hours, and company expectations on after-hours communication.

 

🚩 #2: “Boilerplate” Job Ads

If it seems like you’ve read the ad before and it gives you no real insight into clear job responsibilities or duties, you may be applying for a company with little knowledge of marketing and what it takes to succeed in the role. Here are two big red flags:
No mention of a team or department
“Sales” is listed as a job duty

Language like this telegraphs that you are likely looking at a role where you may be the only person running the marketing show—not part of a marketing team.

Smart Tip: If the job description is vague and there are no clearly listed tasks, research whether there is a whole team or marketing department or if it’s a marketing team of one at the company. Ask directly about the history of the role and what the company considers as successes and failures of folks who had previously held the positions.

 

🚩#3: No Salary Job Ads

In the dawning age of pay transparency laws across the country, any company not providing a salary band or starting salary for an advertised role is raising a big red flag, indicating that the company negotiates salary based on each candidate—opening a can of ethics worms as women and people of color often make considerably less than their white, male counterparts.

No mention of a salary band can signify that the company doesn’t value workers as team members but merely sees them as cogs in a machine. If there is no mention of what you will be making if hired for the role, you will likely struggle with being valued in the company, which may indicate little potential for growth.

Smart Tip: Asking about salary isn’t taboo! An employer should expect to hear this question during an interview, so feel free to apply and inquire about the salary band for the role. As much as the company is interviewing you—you’re also interviewing the company. Don’t settle for less than what your work is worth.

 

🚩#4: Unpaid Sample Project Requests

Beware of this common pitfall. While a potential employer should do the due diligence and ask about your previous work experience, references to contact, and see examples of past projects—a line must be drawn when a company asks you to complete a pitch or do some other type of free work under the guise of a “sample project” for consideration for the role. See this for what it is: taking advantage of your labor. If it’s a dream position and you genuinely don’t mind doing the work, that’s your call. But for it to be a requirement in the application process is a giant red flag and indicates how you will likely be treated as an employee should you accept a role.

Smart Tip: Remember: if an application/interview process makes you uncomfortable, that’s a sign that your employment there is also likely to as well. If asked to do a sample project, politely ask the hiring manager what they are compensating candidates for this work. If they insist that candidates are doing the work for free, ask yourself if this is a place you want to call your next professional home.

 

🚩#5: No Mention of Benefits

If a full-time job offer does not come with benefits, consider it a significant sign that they’re not trying to attract top talent but rather see you as a cog with little worth. Companies looking to fill slots are not interested in investing in the fullest potential of their employees, and it likely signals that their organization is likely rife with low productivity and high turnover rates.

Smart Tip: When in doubt, ask. Inquire what benefits are offered and dig into the details—there’s more than just health insurance. Ask about vacation time, 401K, fertility benefits, life insurance, continuing education benefits, and more. If you care about the organization’s ethics, ask questions like “do LGBTQIA+ employees receive domestic partner benefits?” Remember, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask questions about demographics you don’t fit into—how else will we evolve the workplace toward a more equitable place?

 

Bottom Line

Tap into your gut. If things feel off in the courting stage, it will likely feel off if you accept a job with the company. Remember that as a marketing professional, you are essential to a company’s success. Marketing is pivotal for the growth of all organizations, and those in marketing deserve employers who respect their time, work, rights, and boundaries.

Women’s History Month commemorates the vital role of women within American history and society, paying tribute to historical women who have paved the way for the next generation of trailblazers. Here at Creative Circle, we want to celebrate our network of influential women leaders and learn about what has uplifted them along the way. This month, we’re highlighting the voices of our Circlers with everything from their favorite female leaders to advice to their past selves – we want to share it all!

 

1. What advice would you share with your younger self?

To have more fun and not take life so seriously

 

2. Who is an influential female figure in your life?

My mother, Meghan Markle, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

 

3. Which women helped you create your Creative Circle community and how?

There are so many to name! Houston Lead Recruiter Ramsay McCoy was the first friend I made at Creative Circle. She was also the first person to identify that I had what it took to really accomplish a lot within this company. Other women in my community include Enterprise Accounts Managing Director Alexandra Whitmore, Enterprise Sales Managing Director Lizzy Griffin, Dallas Managing Director Amy Knigge, Enterprise Accounts Managing Director Kristen Rosselli, Enterprise Accounts Managing Director Molly McGlynn Peek, Regional Director Ramona Estephan, Regional Director Gretchen Ciampi, Regional Director Carrie Ek, Regional Director Jenna Miller. I could honestly go on and on!

 

4. What do the women in your life mean to you?

Everything. I belong to several women-based communities where we can freely discuss finances, life, fears, career, goals, and family. The support system is crucial to my mental health and survival.

 

5. What are some ways you’ve felt supported as a woman during your career? Who has supported you?

I’ve worked with mostly or only women for most of my career, which has been a blessing. My past leaders and managers at Creative Circle both advocated and created paths for advancement in my career.

 

6. If you had to invite one inspiring woman to a dinner party, who would it be and why?

Definitely former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. I have followed her journey as one of the youngest national leaders in the world during her time as PM of New Zealand. She led one of the strongest responses to COVID in her country, leading to a very low spread in their region. Additionally, she showed that a leader can have children, enjoy a night dancing with friends on video, and still lead the world. I know she stepped down due to burnout but I wish she would’ve stayed in her post. I often find women put pressure and standards on themselves that men won’t.

 

7. What do you love about being a woman?

I love that we are so multifaceted. We can be strong, powerful, smart, and empathetic but also beautiful all in the same day.

Getting the first person to believe in your creative genius is exhilarating! Like, wow! You’re going to pay ME to make something for YOU? Read about creative’s first paid gig and the cool clients who trusted the process!

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People wonder why creatives know a bunch of odd fun facts!

 

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Everything begins and ends with pizza!

 

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We all make sacrifices!

 

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What a wonderful ending to a great story

 

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We love repeat business!

 

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BIG BIG BIG!

 

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Ever listened to a diverse group of creatives tell us about a project they’re working on? We have, and how cool! Like, we didn’t even know real people had those jobs. Read what our uber-creative audience is doing these days!

 

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We’ve never met a board game designer!

 

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Send us the link when it drops, Kimberly!

 

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Sounds amazingly boring!

 

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It’s amazing to see how far you’ve come, huh?

 

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We wish you all the success! Come find us when you’re ready!

 

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*Redoes house every 16 days

 

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Passion products keep make our creative spirit flourish!

 

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Ooh a creative tech!

 

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Can someone explain to us what NFTs are?

 

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The kids are getting lots of books this year!

Women’s History Month commemorates the vital role of women within American history and society, paying tribute to historical women who have paved the way for the next generation of trailblazers. Here at Creative Circle, we want to celebrate our network of influential women leaders and learn about what has uplifted them along the way. This month, we’re highlighting the voices of our Circlers with everything from their favorite female leaders to advice to their past selves – we want to share it all!

1. What advice would you share with your younger self?

Advice that I would share with my younger self is don’t be afraid to believe bigger. Your capacity isn’t limited by what you can see in front of you.

2. Who is an influential female figure in your life?

An influential figure for me would definitely be Sarah Jakes Roberts. Through her personal story, podcast, and sermons, she’s shared so much wisdom and gems that are so relatable and empowering all at once.

3. Which women helped you create your Creative Circle community and how?

There are so many women within the CC community that I can credit. Melissa Sanchez was the first person I interviewed with about 7 years ago and, to this day, she is someone I respect, admire, and look up to. She’s a BOSS in every sense of the word, she leads with kindness and is always so positive. As I grew within my role over the years, I knew that those were the same characteristics I wanted to have as a manager with my team. A few others are Amanda Miller, Lauren Ferrara, Lauren Schellenbach, Shaunda Lambert, Mona Estephan, Valaencia Thompson. The list could go on and on.

4. What do the women in your life mean to you?

The women in my life mean everything. Community is extremely important to me and cultivating strong relationships, especially with women, has been key to my growth both personally and professionally.

5. What are some ways you’ve felt supported as a woman during your career? Who has supported you?

Some ways that I’ve felt supported by other women have been in how they’ve affirmed me, corrected me, and shown up for me. I have been fortunate enough to have a whole tribe of women who I can call on at any time to pour into me in this way.

6. If you had to invite one inspiring woman to a dinner party, who would it be and why?

That’s a great question! I would invite Oprah Winfrey to a dinner party. Aside from the great conversation, I imagine we would have, I also would like the opportunity to personally thank her. Her life is a testimony of what it means to live life with purpose. Through her life’s purpose, she’s been able to impact and transform so many lives.

7. What do you love about being a woman?

What I love most about being a woman is knowing that life continues through us. We are that one! Period!

 

Women’s History Month commemorates the vital role of women within American history and society, paying tribute to historical women who have paved the way for the next generation of trailblazers. Here at Creative Circle, we want to celebrate our network of influential women leaders and learn about what has uplifted them along the way. This month, we’re highlighting the voices of our Circlers with everything from their favorite female leaders to advice to their past selves – we want to share it all!

1. What advice would you share with your younger self?

Younger self, you are enough just as you are. Don’t worry, one day you will realize that all those quirky things that make you feel different are actually your superpower. One day many people will love you for exactly those things. Do not dim your light.

2. Who is an influential female figure in your life?

I am surrounded by so many powerful women in my personal and professional life. It is impossible to name just one.

3. Which women helped you create your Creative Circle community and how?

Devin Daniel & the entire Houston team immediately made me feel at home at Creative Circle, and since then that has branched out to many other folks. Especially Sasha Nicolas and also Shanda Lambert when she was here! By being open and inviting and just checking in to make sure that I am okay, the little things go so far and I am thankful.

4. What do the women in your life mean to you?

The women in my life mean more than I can say. I feel empowered when I see them just being exactly who they are called to be unapologetically. This is not always something outward facing or loud (although I appreciate that too) – sometimes, it is just the quiet yet bold audacity to just BE, when the world tells us not to.

5. If you had to invite one inspiring woman to a dinner party, who would it be and why?

It would be Myleik Teele, she is the founder of CurlBox a natural hair subscription box company. However, she is much more than that. Myleik has built such a strong community for women to be exactly who they want to be, most recently I love being a part of her Myleik and Mommas community where she shares resources to help Moms be as supported as possible while raising FREE children – and in the process freeing themselves. As a soon-to-be Momma myself, I love having this example, especially from a Black woman.

6. What do you love about being a woman?

I love everything about it. I love the bonds I create with other women, I love that I am soft and also firm – and that I know that is okay. I love that the world needs us, no matter how much society says otherwise sometimes.