Self Employment Tax Lawyers in Boulder
In Boulder, Colorado, there are particular taxes that are levied on employees, which are deducted from their paychecks. The generally 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 clearly how much you owe, to confirm that you don't pay more or less than you are obligated to.
In most cases, employers make all the necessary calculations to determine how much needs to be deducted from an employee's check to pay these taxes. It's normally very simple, and any decent payroll software can automate this process. But the self-employed are accountable for figuring this out for themselves, or hiring an accountant to do it.
Self-Employment tax obligations in Boulder, Colorado
If you work as an independent contractor, or operate a sole proprietorship, you are deemed to be "self employed." You are required to pay the self-employment tax if your total income from self-employment exceeds $400 per year.
Workers who are employed by someone else enjoy at least one perk that the self-employed do not: their employer matches their Social Security and Medicare contributions, basically doubling the amount of money that's contributed to these funds on the employee's behalf.
However, self-employed workers in Boulder, Colorado must make both the employee and employer contributions. Therefore, this means that the Medicare and Social Security tax liabilities apply doubly to the self-employed.
Self-employed workers in Boulder, Colorado pay a self-employment tax rate of 15.3% of their income that's derived from self-employment. But, half of whatever they end up paying in self-employment tax is deductible from income tax. This basically creates a tax deduction of nearly 8% of one's income, requiring you to only pay taxes on 92% of what you earn. Further tax deductions may lower that number further. When this deduction is taken into account, the self-employment tax rate is effectively 14%, as opposed to over 15%.
Can a Boulder, Colorado Tax Attorney Help?
If you are self-employed in Boulder, it's necessary that you keep good records of your income and expenses, because a tax attorney will only be able to assist you to the extent that you help yourself.
Anyone having difficulty with figuring out what they owe in self-employment taxes in Boulder, Colorado should seek the help of a seasoned tax attorney. Most tax attorneys also have a good understanding of accounting, so making this determination probably won't be too hard for them. And on top of that, a qualified tax attorney can give you objective and useful legal advice, which can help prevent more egregious issues from forming in the future.