Freelancing or gig work is a popular way to make money, especially if you’d like to work flexibly around a full-time job or other responsibilities.
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But if you did freelance work in 2025, you may be wondering how it will impact your taxes. Even a small amount of freelance income can create tax responsibilities that people don’t expect. Here are five tax questions to ask before filing if you freelanced in 2025.
Also see how a side hustle can impact your taxes and how to prepare.
1. How Much Freelance Income Did I Earn?
If you’re wondering when freelancers should report income for taxes, it’s important to know that you should always report any income you earn from freelancing so you can pay taxes on it.
However, the IRS states that if you earn $400 or more in gig work per year, you’re required to file a tax return and include this income.
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2. Did I Receive Any 1099 Tax Forms?
Depending on how you completed freelance work during the year, you may receive a 1099 tax form from the client or company you worked with. This is different from a W-2, and it typically shows how much you made (gross without any taxes being taken out).
You’ll want to track your freelance income on your own throughout the year and keep a good record. Then, you can check to see whether what’s shown on your 1099 matches what you have on file. If you find that the amounts are incorrect, you should contact the issuer (bank, client, etc.) right away and provide detailed evidence to support a change since the IRS also receives that 1099 information.
If you need more time to file your taxes due to an error like this, you can always request an extension with the IRS and talk to your tax preparer for help with that process.
3. Did I Track All My Freelance Income From All Sources?
Freelancers can receive payments through various types of methods, like PayPal, Venmo, direct deposit, paper check, etc. It’s important to make sure you’re tracking all the income you earn during the year.
You can use bookkeeping software if you freelance regularly, or create a basic Excel spreadsheet to track everything on your own. It’s also a good idea to keep record of all your invoices to make sure the payment amounts match what you billed and to confirm that you actually did receive the payment.
4. Can I Deduct Any Freelance Expenses?
Even if freelancing was only a small part of your income in 2025, you may be able to deduct some expenses that related to the work you did. Common deductions include expenses like subscriptions and services for work, equipment, office supplies, the cost of internet, and travel expenses.
5. Do I Owe Self-Employment Taxes?
As a freelancer, you may or may not owe self-employment taxes depending on how much you earn, what you deduct and other factors. Freelancers may need to pay self-employment tax to cover Social Security and Medicare contributions, which are typically withheld from a W-2 worker’s paycheck.
But for 2025, the IRS states that the self-employment tax rate is 15.3% on net earnings.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Tax Questions To Ask Before Filing If You Freelanced Even a Little in 2025
