With just under a month left to file taxes, Cheddar News is keying in on freelance workers and wants to provide some tips so those Americans maximize either their refunds or what they have to pay back to the IRS.

Matthew Frankel, CFP and writer at the Motley Fool, joined Cheddar News to dish some insight into what freelancers can expect at filing time and how they can better plan in future filing years to avoid paying huge sums to the government.

"Freelancers are more responsible than the average person for keeping track of their own taxes and part of that requires putting money aside," he said. "It's important to know that you need to set money aside if you're just starting out as a freelancer or you will possibly get caught owing money."

The landscape of the U.S. labor market has shifted since the onset of the pandemic. 39 percent of Americans were freelance workers last year, which was a three percent jump from 2021.

Frankel noted that there are some breaks available to freelance workers that the general public is not allowed to take advantage of. Some of those include home office deductions, retirement accounts, self-employed health insurance and using your own vehicle for work can also be deducted.

"Honestly, the biggest mistake I see is people not asking for help when they need it. Not everyone is certified financial planner or tax attorney or anything like that," he said. "Being disorganized is definitely a big problem. I found this out the hard way early on in my career: to keep important records."

Share:
More In Business
NBA's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Investor John Koudounis Launch ETF
NBA's Giannis Antetokounmpo and investor John Koudounis are launching an ETF to make investing more accessible, with 10% of profits going to charitable causes. Both joined Cheddar News to discuss their partnership and explain the importance of their venture.
A Look at UPS Driver Safety Training
UPS has more than 100,000 drivers on roads across the globe. Lindsay Cordova, Site Manager for UPS Integrad, joins Cheddar News to discuss what this intense training entails, and its Circle of Honor program for employees.
Load More