Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Money and freelance

Need Instant Good Money, Who Doesn't?

VC Drake — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:39:22 -0800

Is there anything similar to Mechanical Turk on the Internet? When I say similar I am referring to being instant work and not like the freelance sites where you have to bid for work and wait around to see if you got accepted or someone else did.

Also, it would be nice if there was a site with instant work that was better-paying too.

Any other options out there, folks?

How do I get my client to pay?

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:31:23 -0800

How do I get my money from a client who is trying to dodge me? I recently did some work freelance design work for a start up web company. They client and I had a disagreement and I was let go. I sent them an invoice and now they want to argue about the amount and not pay. I have been trying to get in contact with them but it seems like they are avoiding my calls/emails. So how do I go about getting paid for the work I have already done?

How to make money off eHow?

spacefire — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:46:32 -0800

Can one make decent money (over $100/month) by writing eHow.com articles? If so, any tips? I just started with eHow.com, wrote five article but so far no earnings. I got some good tips like using (keyword trackers) to find out what people are searching for, also finding articles similar to what you wrote and clicking "I did this".

what are some other successful strategies in getting the best bang for the buck, or rather buck for the bang? I think with minimal research I can write a good article about any gadget or tech/computer related topic, which should definitely be things people are searching for...

Ways to insulate oneself from the economic downturn?

mintchip — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:38:21 -0800

Ways to make extra cash during the economic downturn? The thing about this economic downturn is that it's harder to do the usual things people used to do when they were worried about finances. In the past, maybe you'd get a part-time job in addition to your regular job...but many of these are in short supply. Maybe you'd sell things on Ebay...but who's buying nowadays?

I'm wondering if you guys would be willing to share all of your money-making ideas for the economic downturn--creative way to make extra cash on a part-time basis. Things that people may not have thought of.

Self-employment tax help for out-of-state web work

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:16:41 -0800

Self-employment tax help for out-of-state web work In late 2007, I moved from Ohio to San Francisco, leaving my full-time web-related job. In early 2008, the company I left started tossing freelance work my way. Lots of freelance work. So much that I never even needed to find local clients.

Questions:
1) Will I have to file an Ohio income tax form because the company paying me is located there? What about the city where the company is? (Yes, when I lived in Ohio we had city-level tax forms to file. I mentioned this to a SF resident once and it surprised them)

2) I'm assuming that I have to file a California income tax form since I live here, but are there any laws that say, for example, if the higher income tax state only gets the difference between the two rates? Or anything else pertinent?

Notes:
a. I have not been keeping up with estimated quarterly payments. Yeah, I know that's not really smart. I'd never intended to be a full-time freelancer. If I wasn't in the sweet situation of getting a steady stream of work from a company I was at for a decade, I don't think I'd have the temperament for it.

b. If it matters, we're talking about $73K of 1099 income.

What kind of records do most sole proprietors, freelancers and consultants keep?

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:39:33 -0800

What sort of state of organization are the financial records of most sole proprietorships in? I've had a small freelance business for about 15 years. About 3 years ago, I was in a car accident that was 100% not my fault. (The other driver admitted fault and there were witnesses.) I am now in the middle of legal dealings with my insurance company, because of the state of whiplash, the effect on my pregnancy and the effect on my ability to run my business and maximize earnings. (I do have a lawyer.) The insurance company is asking for all my financial records from the past nine years. They want copies of every receipt, invoice, mortgage interest statement, etc.

I've never kept a general ledger or anything like that. I just invoice and pay my expenses and credit cards and stuff like that. I've never been very formal about things, although I am excrutiatingly honest. I don't lie on my taxes. However, there have been situations where I just phoned the mortgage company to get the interest amount for my mortgage for the year (for business use of home), because I figured that if I got audited by the government, I would just phone and get a statement sent out. And, as I mentioned, I don't have cash flow statements or anything like that. And sometimes my receipts are in my name, my husband's name or both our names. But I always put money into our joint account to cover everything, usually lump sums throughout the year.

I had planned to incorporate and set up with an accountant, but, because of the car accident, I am just beginning that process now. Going forward, my records will be more diligent, since I'll be incorporated.

But, I'm wondering...what is the typical state of financial records for most freelance and consulting type businesses? My lawyer seems baffled that I have unaudited records...he's not used to sole proprietors. He seemed surprised that I had been doing my own taxes (for all but 3 of the total years, because, honestly, the accountants never got me any more tax back than I got on my own). For the most part, my business records are my personal income tax records, since the sole proprietorship income tax is part of that. I never saw any point to doing balance sheets and neither did the bookkeepers or accountants. Are other freelancers and consultants in a different situation? (Again, I'll be changing this going forward.)

How to be a working nomad?

bodywithoutorgans — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:20:33 -0800

I am a recent college graduate and I also suffer a good deal of wanderlust. There is the inevitable problem of combining work and play. At my university, the only career advice I received was graduate school or working the traditional 9-5 job. I'm wondering if it's possible to travel and earn money? I'm not really interested in teaching English abroad, being an au-pair, and I've read this post. I'm more interested in the nebulous world of telecommuting and freelancing. I've seen this guy's page, but it sounds a little vague. I'd like to make money in a country where cost of living is low with a unique culture (Thailand, Guatemala, Kenya) but at the same time has access to steady internet so I can work.
Some specifics:
1) How does one break into the freelancing/telecommuting world? I know some webdesign (PHP/MySQL) and programming but often geared at an academic level for university classes. I don't have the faintest clue how to make money out of this! I have some down time right now where I'm picking up skills and making a portfolio. Any advice?
2) Will the stability of the internet connection be a factor? Will I need to have access to an internet cafe every day?
3) How are taxes worked out? Are there any books/information for people who are US citizens but live/work globally?
4) How does health insurance work out?

Thanks a lot MeFi!

Help me fuel my Starbucks addiction through freelancing!

adverb — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:41:32 -0800

What are some good sites to find short-term freelance writing/Internet gigs? Similar to this post, I'm looking for some temp work that will bring in a little supplemental income. I've been using Mechanical Turk for a few weeks, and have made some nice pocket change, but I'd like something a bit more substantive (and, of course, better paying).

A lot of the freelance boards seem to focus on more full-time/daytime contract work, which won't work for me. I have a full-time job and would like something to work on during the evenings and weekends.

An ideal situation would be a site where I could view some projects, bid/accept them, and work a few hours/days to finish a product for $25-$50. My background is in writing and editing, but any type of broad IT-related jobs (IA, usability, blogging) would also be good.

Artist + biz = hope me

typewriter — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:45:41 -0800

Has anyone used mac freelance to manage their freelance biz? I am a freelancer wearing different hats in different creative industries. I like it like this as I am bored easily. But I am not great at managing the financial end. For instance, I have no idea in any given month how much I make because everything is so different, running on different timeframes and with completely different guidelines. I am okay with numbers (I have managed budgets of up to 65,000) but I have never tried to track my business(es) as it is far from intuitive for me. I have mostly just tracked things with a notebook. Eg. How much will I get paid? And when it gets paid, I highlight the entry. Now I am getting too busy and dare I say successful, that this system is really no longer sustainable. Will this program be useful and adaptive enough for me? Or is there some other way to do this easily? Any other financial freelancey tips more than welcome.

Will shoot for money!

sixcolors — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:52:35 -0800

Tips for finding well-paying photography gigs? I started photography as a hobby in 2002. I've been taking a lot of pictures with my point-and-shoot digital and film SLR camera. I got a digital SLR last May. Since then, I've been taking tons of pictures, sometimes over a 100 a day. My confidence has been increasing, and I'm now interested in taking some paid photo gigs.

The problem is that I don't even know how to start. What kind of businesses should I contact? What kind of individuals should I contact? How? Email? Phone? Craigslist? Word of mouth?

How much to charge for simple layout work?

reallygoodgirl — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:32:43 -0800

I'm asking for a friend of mine: this company she used to work for has contacted her and asked her to design brochures for them. Problem is, she doesn't have any real design experience and has absolutely no idea what to charge them. These are just one page, tri-fold brochures, nothing super fancy. Any ideas on a price range that wouldn't seem laughable? Thanks!

Make money fast?

Leon — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 21:03:05 -0800

I'm a web developer, not a designer. How can I leverage my skills to make some cash outside of my day job? I get the impression that the web design skillset lends itself well to doing small jobs on the side for other clients, and I'm at a point where turning some of my spare time into cash looks really attractive.

My problem is that I'm a web developer - I build applications that happen to run over HTTP - and individuals/small companies usually want web sites, rather than web applications. Any comments, no matter how off-the-wall, are welcome.

USA freelancing from abroad?

LongDrive — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:38:06 -0800

Are there any US citizens here who have lived abroad but did freelance or contract work for clients in the States who can share their experiences? I am a US citizen living in Australia as a Permanent Resident since 2001. I have just gotten some freelance work from the States and need to figure out who I need to talk to on which shores to figure out the details. My obvious main concern is how I can invoice and get paid. All my US bank accounts were closed for inactivity around 2002-3. Factors that may make a difference:

-I still have immediate family in the states.
-The businesses that I will be invoicing will be fairly large companies, so in the hopes of getting future work, the process would have to be as straightforward as possible. IE, no money wiring, paypal transfers, etc.

My secondary concern is how this affects my taxes. A previous post turned up a great link on the Australian Tax Office site with regards to foreign income, but alot of it is really greek to me. I am estimating the total income would be no more than 10-15k per annum, and I have no other source of income in the states (investments, etc) Should I be speaking to an American or Australian accountant?

Help me hive mind! Thankyou!

Tax accountant in Toronto?

Robot Johnny — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 08:35:22 -0800

Freelance artist seeks accountant in Toronto. I've recently quit my job in favour of becoming a fulltime illustrator. What's the best way of finding an accountant familiar with small home businesses that can be my tax guru?

Depositing money made freelancing into a 401k

blim8183 — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 13:44:15 -0800

I have a full-time job at a company that offers a 401k program which I'm currently participating in. I also have some freelance jobs that I'm doing. Is it possible to take all the money I get from my freelance work and put it into my 401k and avoid being taxed on it until I eventually take it out at retirement. I won't be needing this money anytime soon, it's just excess income, so I figured if I could put it away for retirement and not worry about the taxes on it, that would be great. Is this a good idea? I could put it in a Roth IRA but I feel like that would be confusing since typically you put money in a Roth IRA that's already been taxed but the company that is paying me isn't taking out taxes.

Freelancing Advice

blim8183 — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 09:29:05 -0800

I'm about to start some freelance web design work, this is my first time doing something like this, what do I need to know about taxes and sending my client bills? Is there special software that I can use to keep track of the time I spend on the project that will automatically produce invoices for me to send them?

What do I need to know in terms of taxes, how much should I set aside for taxes?

The best way to professionally raise my rates?

Famous — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 09:13:52 -0800

Independent contractor filter: what is the best way to simultaneously raise my rates and not lose the business? About 3 months ago, I left my full time web developer job and sort of fell into freelancing. Basically, I was looking for a new job, saw an ad looking for freelancers, answered it, and this company became one of my first real clients.

At the time, I gave them a hourly rate ($X) that I pulled out of the air based on my hourly rate as a web developer for a corporation. As time went on, I discovered I actually need to charge $Y as a freelancer.

How do I gently and professionally let the company know that my rates have changed for work going forward? This is complicated by a couple of things:

my increase from $X to $Y is about 58% -- which is a pretty substantial change to just spring on someone.
I have a great working relationship and fun assignments with this company, and really don't want to lose the business. It almost matters more to me than the money.

Would it be smarter to conservatively raise the rates over time, so I'm not just springing a 58% increase on them? Or am I just not being fair to myself at that point? Did working as a corporate code monkey for a few years dissolve my spine, and I just need to learn to be more assertive already?

Any thoughts on this, how ever out there, are appreciated.

Cashed rubber checks - now I want my money!

brianvan — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 20:18:39 -0800

I'm a newbie freelancer. Two of my clients, owing me money for services, wrote me checks that bounced. Details:

I'm a web developer. My services were graphic design, initial administration, and HTML coding for each client. Neither client has been notified yet, as I just found out this afternoon about the returned payment. My bank charged me nothing and I do not have a cash crunch at the moment - I won't bounce anything I write myself. I just need my money!

I've never handled anything like this before so I'll lay out each situation and then indicate my current plan of action. If there's something I'm doing that's very wrong or insensible, or if there's a better way of doing what I aim to accomplish, that's why I'm here. Suggest away.

One client has a site that is completed and active, under her own hosting account (not on my own hosting server). The fee for the entire job was lost on the bounced check. The check was written off her and her husband's joint personal account (not that it matters). Probably is just a big mistake. This is a very personable and gracious client who seemed to be enthusiastic to pay. (Sent the check enclosed in a sweet and detailed thank-you note) She just finished a successful career project and her husband works in a well-paid profession. I was sloppy with the business side of things, unfortunately, and I operated under written email agreement. No official contract was written specifying action or penalties in a situation like this. Legally, I believe she owes the money and I would feel confident approaching small claims court if it came to that. I hope not, as she's a friend of a friend. Widespread awkwardness (with effusive apologies in my direction) would ensue.

The other client has a new business starting up soon. She paid her 50% up-front non-refundable deposit (specified by contract) with a business account check. BOINNG! If I had to walk away now, the contract guarantees me the deposit. Work has just begun on her website, so there's virtually nothing lost. The contract does not specify bounced-check fees or procedure, though. I believe this is just a financial hiccup, but I'm more wary of payment failure for this one - it's a sign of deep cash flow issues (her store ain't even open yet). She's also a friend of a friend, again making things awkward among multiple parties.

I kinda know what I have to do. Notify them politely that their checks bounced, ask for the money again, and explore legal options if payment cannot be made immediately. I believe I'm not entitled to additional fees or new payment terms legally, but I feel a bit jilted and inconvienienced. I'm deep in the red and recieving partial unemployment payments during my downtime, so I'm not taking this well. I plan to ask for the following:

Client one: firmly demand full payment immediately in cash. I can't take the site down effectively (I could delete the files from the host, but I'm sure the host would restore them for the client from backups if I did such a nasty thing) so I don't have that bargaining chip. If I asked for inconvience fees or interest, she probably would agree to pay them since she's already offered - all kinds of project deadlines were blown on her part. It does not hurt my chances of getting paid in full for the job, since she either has the money or she doesn't (and in the latter case, time to find a cheap lawyer).

Client two: Will not ask for inconvenience fees because I suffered no actual loss and I have half my fee left to earn if I patch things up nicely. To keep the project active I want to insist on the following revision of payment terms (none of this is in the original contract): $300 in cash due immediately for the deposit, and $300 deposited in an escrow account for the future project completion payment. She must pay any escrow fees. Harsh, but probably necessary.

Again, if I'm doing something wrong or if something could be done better, let me know. To reiterate, each client agreed in writing (via email or by contract) to pay the amounts in the bounced checks. I think it's all a terrible coincidence and I will get my money if I ask nicely, but I'm also confident that I can still get paid if I have to ask not-nicely.

Little bits of paper with monetary value...

killdevil — Mon, 22 May 2006 19:08:13 -0800

How can I deposit a check made out to an as-yet-nonexistent business entity rather than to me personally? I operate as a freelancer under a particular "business" moniker ( "Acme Development," for sake of argument). I haven't yet gotten around to establishing an LLC or a corporation with that name. Despite instructions on my invoices indicating that checks should be made payable to me personally, a client has mailed a check payable to "Acme Development." Can I get my bank to deposit this somehow, or do I need to get the client to reissue the check?

I'd prefer to avoid asking the client to reissue the check, if possible.

I got the job! Now, what?

fletchmuy — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 09:43:20 -0800

So, I was just offered a job. It's a 12 month contract that will be going perm in the next year. So, first order of business is to find health insurance. Help me find the best option for me. Since I've never been a contractor, I don't know where to start. I am currently a full time employee with the company I've been with for the past 4 years. I'm married with no kids and we live in Georgia. My wife has her own business (no employees) and her business is set up as an LLC. Up until now, she's been listed under my health insurance plan at work. Should we set something up under her business? I know we can't do a group plan, but maybe a flexible spending account or something like that? Oh yeah, I should also add that we are actively trying to have kids, so a pregnancy in the next year is a real possibility.

Also, are there any other financial benefits or pitfalls to being a contractor that I should be thinking about?

I'll be contacting our accountant today to talk about this, but wanted to ask here first.

Thanks!