Hello all,
I apologise in advance if this question is unclear or if I'm posting it in the wrong place—I'm from the UK and our tax system is very different.
As background, I'm in my first year of self-employment as a freelance copywriter, and have yet to file federal taxes. (I live in WA so, whilst I have filed Business & Occupation taxes in January, I haven't had to file state income tax because WA doesn't have an income tax. I hope that's correct.) Since I haven't filed anything yet, I wondered if I should do so sooner rather than later in case I have to file for unemployment. I hope to continue working but the reality is that work circumstances are changing for everyone at the moment, and my contracts could easily dry up at any given time. I'm just trying to make sure that I'm prepared if that's the case. I'm assuming that I would need to file and pay at least once to be eligible. If I filed, and in doing so paid my unemployment insurance, would I be eligible for any unemployment benefits?
Also, a separate note, am I allowed to file jointly with my husband even though my income is coming from self-employment? I'm operating as a sole proprietor and I think I read somewhere that that type of income (non LLC, etc.) can be filed just as if I were filing for myself.
Thanks in advance for your response.
Best, jmb1204
Edit: I have only earned $7066 in 2019. Do I still make self employment tax contributions on that even if the amount earned is less than the personal income tax allowance?
