Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Consultants [Paperback]

Stephen Fishman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers, & Consultants | Publication Date: October 2004

Whether you're an independent contractor, freelancer, or consultant, it all adds up to the same thing: you need to be more aware of laws and taxes than the average person.

Fortunately, Working for Yourself provides all the information you need to stay on top of it all. An independent contractor himself, author Attorney Stephen Fishman shows you everything you need to know to:

*meet business start-up requirements *set up home or outside offices *comply with strict IRS rules *establish sound business relationships *avoid unfair contracts *draft good agreements *get paid in full and on time

The 5th edition now provides information on leasing space for work, Health Savings Accounts and solo 401(k) plans. It also examines how to choose a business name, deal with audits, take a home office deduction -- and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

As an independent contractor, you are your boss. This is why Fishmanfs book is so important. -- New Orleans Times-Picayune

Could well have been called The Independent Contractor Bible... Don't contract independently without it. -- Leonard Charla, Small Press Magazine

Whether you already work for yourself or are thinking about, Working for Yourself will help make sure it's done right. -- Des Moines Register

About the Author

Stephen Fishman received his law degree from the University of Southern California in 1979. After stints in government and private practice, he became a full-time legal writer in 1983. He has helped write and edit over a dozen reference books for attorneys. He is the author of Software Development: A Legal Guide, Copyright Your Software, The Copyright Handbook, Consultant & Independent Contractor Agreements, Wage Slave No More: Law & Taxes for the Self-Employed, and Hiring Independent Contractors: The Employer's Legal Guide, all published by Nolo.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: NOLO; 5th edition (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141330088X
• ISBN-13: 978-1413300888
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Legal Guides
  • #19 in Books > Law > Specialties > Labor Law
  • #98 in Books > Law > Business > Labor & Employment

More About the Author

Stephen Fishman is the author of many Nolo books, including Tax Deductions for Professionals. Other titles include Deduct It! Lower Your Small Business Taxes, Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide and Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn--plus many other legal and business books. He received his law degree from the University of Southern California in 1979. After time in government and private practice, he became a full-time legal writer in 1983.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Software Contractors, May 5, 2002

By 

Randy Given (Manchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Working for Yourself: Law and Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Consultants (Paperback)

I am a software contractor looking at incorporating. I had looked at LLC options, but some clients require incorporating, so that was ruled out. My best route seemed to be S-Corp. This book answered most of my questions. The "Incorporating Your Business, for Dummies" was pretty good, but not as good as this book. This book has a lot of details and laid some of my worries to rest. It will also save money with your professional team (attorney, accountant) by answering simple, but essential, questions. Definitely worth the money.

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on small biz that I have found, July 7, 2001

By 

zem (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Working for Yourself: Law and Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Consultants (Paperback)

After surveying most of the small biz books out there, this is the far and away the best. Fishman claims his focus is on sole proprietors in a service business (in part to not compete with Steingold's Nolo Press book on small biz which isn't nearly as good). Even if you have an inventory based biz, 95% of this book is still extremely helpful. It covers the widest rage of topics and in more depth and with better organization than any other book on the subject. You won't need many other books except maybe something specific for taxes (do not get Nolo's Tax Savy book -- its very superficial; I really haven't found a tax book that I like yet). If your business will be very large and complex (and especially if it will involve other investors, complex financing, employees or IP) also get the Entrepeneur's Guide to Business Law by Bagley and Dauchy.

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straighforward intro to the legal aspects of freelancing, May 4, 2004

By 

Genevieve Chan "gcanceko" (Flagstaff, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Working for Yourself: Law and Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers, and Consultants (Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers, & Consultants) (Paperback)

A potential employer asked that I incorporate my freelancing business before they start sending me jobs. I wanted to do some research on the pros/cons of incorporating, what kind of start-ups costs this would entail, and what kind of corporation I should be. At first, the whole process of incorporating sounded like a huge money burden on my part--with filing fees and taxes--but this book has helped me sort out the issues and provided detailed information about the different ways to incorporate--sole proprietorship, LLC, S-corps. Although I haven't yet decided which path I will take, this book has made the jump to freelancing, and self-incorporating, less scary.

Not only do I understand my choices better, but I also now understand the different structures for businesses and their tax responsibilities. Great distillation of information! The copies of tax forms in the back are also a great reference. Highly recommended.