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Thoughts on ETSY?
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Thoughts on ETSY?
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Mentor
Here is the link to the W9. At the end of the year they’ll send you a 1099 certificate to file with your taxes.
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf
If you go on the payroll they’ll ask you to fill out a W4 tax withholding certificate. Then they’ll send you a W2 with a record of your earning and tax paid at the end of the year.
Note: If it’s a small agency it’s unlikely they’ll make you go on the payroll so you should be ok. That’s more common in big agencies with holding companies. Also if they haven’t brought it up with by now, it’s even more unlikely.
Mentor
Get an accountant, it’ll save you money in the long term. You don’t need the 1099 to know how much you earned and to determine what to put aside. It’s irrelevant where you grew up 😂
I would always ask whoever booked me who I should send my invoice to. Usually with the first invoice they'll also ask you for a W9
Thank you so much! You are all so incredibly helpful! 👏
Do this:
Email them and tell them your rate, and that you prefer to invoice as an independent contractor, with a signed W9 attached.
Hopefully they'll accept that and it'll be all good.
But be prepared for them to say they don't do it that way and that they want to put you on a W2 (payroll).
At that point you can either accept it, or if you want to push it a little bit come back with a higher rate to cover the taxes. But that's risky because they might just say no thanks and go with someone else.
Don’t fret about asking about the invoicing process. For small agencies it’s usually across the board. Some might even have the owner/CEO approve while others have resourcing or HR. We once had someone using our time sheets and didn’t know they still needed to submit an invoice. Whoops. Got it figured out but just use the statement “everyday agency seems to have their own processes for freelancers. How would you like me to invoice and what paperwork do you need from me?” Good luck!!
Conversation Starter
Also ask what their payment terms are. Normally it’s 30 days which is a law in NY but tons of places are late. So think about your finances. Like you might want to send your invoice after the first week of working with them. And put a date on it. MS word has invoice templates but I’m sure you can Google. And put aside money for taxes. Taxes are no joke. Good luck!