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New Member
posted May 31, 2019 6:47:21 PM

How do I go about filing for my small online business I started halfway through last year? I don't pay myself or have any employees.

If I can file with TurboTax, what product will I need to choose?

And what other information will I need to file such as :

Expenses, Shipping supplies, etc.

0 9 2827
1 Best answer
Level 15
May 31, 2019 6:47:23 PM

Did you set it up as a LLC or Partnership or S Corp or C Corp, etc?  If you are a sole proprietor or self employed you probably file it on Schedule C in your personal tax return.

You will have to upgrade to the Self Employed version to enter it.  

You need to report all your income even if you don't get a 1099Misc. You use your own records.  You are considered self employed and have to fill out a schedule C for business income.   You use your own name and ssn or business name and EIN if you have one.   You should say you use the Cash Accounting Method and all income is At Risk.   

After it asks if you received any 1099Misc it will ask if you had any income not reported on a 1099Misc. You should be keeping your own records.  Just go through the interview and answer the questions.   Then you will enter your expenses.

Self Employment tax (Scheduled SE) is automatically generated if a person has $400 or more of net profit from self-employment.  You pay 15.3% SE tax on 92.35% of your Net Profit greater than $400.  The 15.3% self employed SE Tax is to pay both the employer part and employee part of Social Security and Medicare.  So you get social security credit for it when you retire.  You do get to take off the 50% ER portion of the SE tax as an adjustment on line 27 of the 1040.  The SE tax is already included in your tax due or reduced your refund.  It is on the 1040 line 57.  The SE tax is in addition to your regular income tax on the net profit.

Here is some IRS reading material……

IRS information on Self Employment
http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Self-Employed-Individuals-Tax-Center

Pulication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p334.pdf

Publication 535 Business Expenses
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p535.pdf

9 Replies
Level 15
May 31, 2019 6:47:23 PM

Did you set it up as a LLC or Partnership or S Corp or C Corp, etc?  If you are a sole proprietor or self employed you probably file it on Schedule C in your personal tax return.

You will have to upgrade to the Self Employed version to enter it.  

You need to report all your income even if you don't get a 1099Misc. You use your own records.  You are considered self employed and have to fill out a schedule C for business income.   You use your own name and ssn or business name and EIN if you have one.   You should say you use the Cash Accounting Method and all income is At Risk.   

After it asks if you received any 1099Misc it will ask if you had any income not reported on a 1099Misc. You should be keeping your own records.  Just go through the interview and answer the questions.   Then you will enter your expenses.

Self Employment tax (Scheduled SE) is automatically generated if a person has $400 or more of net profit from self-employment.  You pay 15.3% SE tax on 92.35% of your Net Profit greater than $400.  The 15.3% self employed SE Tax is to pay both the employer part and employee part of Social Security and Medicare.  So you get social security credit for it when you retire.  You do get to take off the 50% ER portion of the SE tax as an adjustment on line 27 of the 1040.  The SE tax is already included in your tax due or reduced your refund.  It is on the 1040 line 57.  The SE tax is in addition to your regular income tax on the net profit.

Here is some IRS reading material……

IRS information on Self Employment
http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Self-Employed-Individuals-Tax-Center

Pulication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p334.pdf

Publication 535 Business Expenses
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p535.pdf

New Member
May 31, 2019 6:47:26 PM

It is an LLC

Level 15
May 31, 2019 6:47:28 PM

Is it a Single Member LLC?  A single owner LLC would be reported on Schedule C unless the LLC elected to be treated as an S corp or C corp.

New Member
May 31, 2019 6:47:30 PM

It is a single member LLC.

Level 15
May 31, 2019 6:47:33 PM

Then file it on schedule C as I posted above.

New Member
May 31, 2019 6:47:34 PM

Thank you very much.. This has been so helpful 🙂

New Member
May 31, 2019 6:47:37 PM

It appears when filing for my small business, It also wants me to add my W-2 from my job. Is this right or do I have to do them separately? Or that is how I am supposed to file : Combine Business and Personal (W-2)

Level 15
May 31, 2019 6:47:38 PM

Yes you are filing 1 return for all your income.  You include a schedule C for self employment business income in your personal 1040 return with your W2 and all your other income.

Unless you set up your single member LLC as an S corp.  Then you do need to file a separate business return for it, a 1120-S.

New Member
May 31, 2019 6:47:40 PM

Perfect. Thank you very much.