1099-NEC but not self employed

[KZ22]

I received a form 1099-NEC for a part time home health care job I had in 2025. I am not self-employed otherwise nor do I have my own business. I didn't realize the tax implications this job would have. Since it was only a part-time job and I don't have my own business, is there a way around getting dinged pretty hard by these self-employment taxes?

[CesarJ]

When you receive a 1099-NEC for a part-time job without a business, the income counts as self-employment income subject to self-employment tax.

Even if you don't have your own business, this income typically requires filing Schedule C to report the earnings and Schedule SE to calculate self-employment tax, which covers Social Security and Medicare taxes.

There is generally no way to avoid self-employment tax on this income because it is treated as earnings from self-employment. However, you can reduce your taxable income by deducting eligible business expenses related to the job.

How to enter this in TurboTax Online:
1. Go to the Wages & Income section.
2. Find Income from Form 1099-NEC and select Start.
3. Indicate the income is Self-employment income.
4. Say Yes when asked if you had expenses.
5. Enter your income and the expenses you can deduct.

TurboTax will calculate your taxable income and self-employment tax accordingly.

[xmasbaby0]

No.    Perhaps you did not realize it, but when you work as an independent contractor instead of working as a W-2 employee, you are taxed as if you have your own business.   Did you not notice that no Social Security, Medicare or tax was being withheld from your paychecks?   If you made even $400 as an independent contractor, you are subject to paying self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare.

If you have self-employment income for which you will pay self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare,  you will need to use online Premium software or any version of the desktop software download so that you can prepare a Schedule C for your business expenses.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/self-employed/help/how-do-i-report-income-from-self-employment/00/...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/self-employed/help/what-is-the-self-employment-tax/00/25922

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/enter-self-empl...

Online Premium is expensive to use.   You might want to explore some other software options.

Use this IRS site for other ways to file for free.  There are 8  free software versions available from the IRS Free File site

https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/

[KZ22]

Thank you for the response!

[KZ22]

Thanks for the response!