Contracts and Finance

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Filing Independent Contractor Taxes: 4 Best Practices

By MBO Partners

Filing taxes as an independent contractor can be a tricky road to navigate. When you work as an employee, your employer is required to withhold federal income tax as well as Social Security and Medicare taxes from your payroll check, but as an independent you’re on the hook to do this yourself. When you work…

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How Do 1099 Contractors Get Paid?

By MBO Partners

There are a few different ways you can get paid working as an independent contractor. Typically, you will get paid either by the project or by the hour—this is determined by your bill rate and the written contract you establish with your client. 1. Hourly Payment Most independent contractors prefer to set an hourly-based bill…

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What to Include in a Consulting Agreement: 7 Sections Every Agreement Should Have

By MBO Partners

An independent contractor agreement should provide as much protection as possible, while also clearly establishing expectations of both parties. The exact language and sections included in your contract may vary depending on your industry, client type, and location. Independent contractor agreements are particularly important for independent contractors to provide: legal protection establish roles and responsibilities…

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5 Billing Tips for Contractor Invoicing

By MBO Partners

One of the most important tasks you’ll take on as an independent contractor is tracking and billing your time. Whatever billing method you choose, you’ll want to present a reputable, professional contractor invoice to your clients. Follow these five tips to present a clean, professional invoice to your clients. 1. Set a Billing Policy Creating…

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Womply PPP Loan Access: Sole Proprietors and Microbusinesses

By MBO Partners

We had a chance to sit down with Toby Scammel, the founder of Womply, a platform for small businesses. He shares the story of how their company saw the small business impact of Covid even before the government, and how they have tried to help. What is Womply? Womply is a small business focused technology…

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Gross Margin vs. Net Margin

By MBO Partners

Gross Margin vs. Net Margin: Important Accounting Terms for Self-Employed Professionals Gross margin and net margin are two common profit margin ratios you should track on your company’s income statement. These numbers indicate how good your business is at converting revenue into profit, and are important in assessing the financial health of your business. What…

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How to Claim a Mileage Tax Deduction in 2020

By MBO Partners

Beyond the daily hustle and bustle of grocery store trips and errand runs, many independent consultants depend on their car as a means to get from project to project, or client to client. When the family van becomes the corporate car, it’s time to take advantage of deductions for business-related mileage. Here’s what you need…

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Tax Reform and Independent Contractors

By MBO Partners

</ifram The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed at the end of 2017, is the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax code in more than 20 years. If you’re currently working as an independent professional, here are three things you should know about the new law. 1. Section 199A Section 199A is a new…

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Pay Rate vs Bill Rate: What’s the Difference?

By MBO Partners

Bill rate and pay rate are easily confused, but they both factor into the decision of how much you should charge for your services as an independent contractor, consultant, freelancer, etc. When negotiating with a client at the start of a consulting project, make sure you are clear on your rates, and if you are…

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Financial Advisors Independent Contractors Need

By MBO Partners

Being self-employed means you need to be a lot of things: CEO, new business developer, project manager, collection agent, and more. When independents can balance it all, they can have it all: good clients, a solid rate, a strong and steady pipeline of projects. This is what makes these independents rock stars. However, due to lack…

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