Self Employment Tax Lawyers in Kitsap County

In the U.S., Kitsap County, Washington included, almost everyone who is employed during most of their adult life is suitable for Social Security and Medicare benefits when they retire. These programs are supported by taxes deducted from the paychecks of most employees.

Individuals who are self-employed are still responsible for these taxes, and are responsible for figuring out how much they owe.

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 Kitsap County, Washington

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 Kitsap County, Washington, 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 Kitsap County, Washington. 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 Kitsap County, Washington Tax Attorney Help?

Self-employed individuals in Kitsap County 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.

Thus, if you have some trouble figuring out what you owe in self-employment taxes, for whatever reason, chances are good that a knowledgeable tax attorney in Kitsap County, Washington can advise you with much trouble, and can provide you with good legal and financial advice, which can help you head off much more significant legal and financial issues.