Self-Employed Tax Preparation,
Without the Stress
Going out on your own changes your tax return more than almost anything else you can do. There is no employer setting money aside for you, so you owe income tax and both halves of Social Security and Medicare yourself, usually in quarterly installments rather than a single April payment. At the same time, being self-employed opens a long list of deductions and retirement options that can meaningfully lower what you owe, from the home office and vehicle to a self-employed health insurance deduction and a retirement plan you fund on your own terms. A Schedule C rewards planning, and the owners who come out ahead are the ones who treat it as a set of decisions made across the year rather than a form filled out in April.
Our office is at 12305 Gold Street in West Omaha. Many self-employed individuals choose us because they know the price before we begin and deal directly with one credentialed professional throughout the process, not a seasonal tax preparer. Your return is prepared by a CFP® professional, CFA® charterholder, and Enrolled Agent. We respond promptly, even during tax season. Once your return is complete, you receive a recorded video that walks you through every number and what it means, so you understand what is being filed and why, and you do not pay until it is ready to be filed.
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Some Situations That Might Apply to You If You’re Self-Employed
You just went out on your own
The first year on your own brings changes that catch most people off guard. Income now arrives with no tax taken out, so what withholding used to handle automatically is now yours to plan for, and the IRS generally expects it in quarterly estimates rather than a lump sum at filing. Missing those brings an underpayment penalty even when you pay in full later. The first year is also when the choices that shape every return after it get made: mileage versus actual vehicle costs, how to treat a home office, and which retirement plan lets you set aside the most. Getting the structure right at the start pays off for years.
You have both a job and a business
A great deal of self-employed income sits alongside a regular paycheck: a side business, freelance projects, consulting on the side, or 1099 income on top of a W-2. That combination has its own rules. Self-employment tax applies to the business income even though your job already withholds, your W-2 withholding can often be adjusted to cover the business instead of filing separate estimates, and the business still opens deductions and retirement options a pure employee never gets. Balanced together, the two sides of your income can help leave you neither surprised in April nor overpaying through the year.
You are behind on estimates, or filing a Schedule C for the first time
Self-employment tax has a way of arriving before people feel ready for it. Perhaps the first quarterly payment came and went, perhaps a penalty showed up, or perhaps this is simply the first year a Schedule C belongs on your return. None of it is hard to bring current once someone maps it out: what is owed now, how to set up estimates going forward so the safe-harbor rules keep penalties away, and how to capture the deductions that lower the bill in the first place. Starting from behind is common, and it is very fixable.
We also help with related situations, including quarterly estimated taxes, IRS notice help, and HSAs. Or browse every income tax situation we help with.
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