Self Employment Tax Lawyers in Santa Rosa
In Santa Rosa, California, there are specific taxes that are imposed on employees, which are deducted from their paychecks. The typically well-known employment taxes are the Medicare and Social Security tax, for which a small percentage of every employee's paycheck is deducted.
It's extremely important to know that, if you are self-employed, you still have to pay those taxes, and it's also up to you to figure out precisely how much you owe, to ensure that you don't pay more or less than you are obliged to.
Typically, it's the employer who makes all these calculations, and the employee doesn't have to think about it. Most larger employers have payroll departments to oversee these matters, making it pretty simple for them. But, if you are self-employed, it's up to you to accurately determine what you have to pay in self-employment taxes
Self-Employment tax obligations in Santa Rosa, California
If you are an independent contractor, or run a sole proprietorship (a company which you own, and which is not incorporated as a separate legal entity), you must pay the so-called "self-employment tax" if your income from self-employment is higher than per year.
Employees in a regular employer/employee relationship do enjoy one substantial perk that the self-employed do not: their Social Security and Medicare contributions are matched by their employers. So, if you pay in Social Security and Medicare taxes with every paycheck, your employer has to match that. This essentially doubles your contribution to these programs, without doubling their financial burden on you.
But, if you are a self-employed business owner in Santa Rosa, California, you are liable for both the employee and employer contributions to Medicare and Social Security. This basically doubles your self-employment tax rate.
Currently, the self-employment tax rate in the United States is 15.30% of all income earned from self-employment in Santa Rosa, California. However, half of your hypothetical self-employment tax liability can be deducted from your income. This means that you only pay self-employment tax on about 92% of your income, which creates an effective self-employment tax rate of just over 14%.
Can a Santa Rosa, California Tax Attorney Help?
Self-employed individuals in Santa Rosa must ensure that they keep good, accurate financial records. This makes it much easier to determine what you owe, and, if you need a tax attorney, it makes it easier for them to advise you with your legal tax concerns.
If you have any difficulty calculating your self-employment tax liability, an efficient Santa Rosa, California tax attorney would probably have very little trouble helping you figure it out. A knowledgeable lawyer can also give you practical legal advice, which can help you avoid more serious tax law issues in the future, by dealing with them before they become problematic.