Do I have to file?

[Tolipan]

Do I have to file and pay quarterly or can I file once a year in April. I am a free lance photographer

[Sean Enrolled Agent]

Hello,

Most independent contractors pay estimated taxes to the IRS and to their state during the year. That way, they are paying as they earn income.
You can use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator calculator located at this website: https://apps.irs.gov/app/tax-withholding-estimator

Once you have an idea of how much you will owe for 2023, you would then want to make estimated payments to the IRS so that you are paying taxes as you are earning the income.
You can use the IRS website in order to make estimated payments here: https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay

Our tax system is known as a "pay as  you go" tax system. This means that the IRS expects taxes to be paid as income is earned. That was easy to do when you had a job and your employer paid taxes for you on each paycheck.
Now that you are an independent contractor, you will want to make sure that you take care of these payments during the year. If you wait until the end of the year, you could face some penalties and fines for not paying taxes during the year.

For more help with how to plan for paying taxes as an independent contractor, please feel free to use the following websites for some tips and tricks:
https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/self-employment-taxes/
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/self-employment-taxes/beginners-tax-guide-for-the-self-employed...
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/irs-tax-forms/what-is-form-1099-nec/L5fbwIFSn

[Tolipan]

Thanks for the advice. Should I pay per month of wait per quarter? and If the payment accumulated can I make installments?

[Sean Enrolled Agent]

Great follow up question!
My suggestion to you is that you make quarterly estimated taxes in order to help prevent any type of IRS penalties when it comes to filing your taxes.

When you file your 2023 tax return, make sure that you have the information/receipts of your estimated payments handy. You will be asked about those payments during the tax preparation process.