Three platforms, four 1099s, and an accountant who replies next week.

If you earn from YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, Patreon, sponsorships, or affiliate links, you are running a business and the IRS treats it that way. Bookkeeping keeps platform income, 1099s, and expenses reconciled so the return is right and you do not overpay or underreport.

Yes, and it is a smart thing to do before filing. We check that the accounts reconcile to your bank and platform statements, flag anything miscategorized, and point out what is missing. You keep the work you have done and find out where it needs fixing before it lands on a return. The free Books X-Ray is the place to start.

Yes. Self-prepared books usually record what was paid, not what is deductible. The common misses are the business share of phone and internet, a home studio or office, software subscriptions, gear bought on a personal card, and travel for shoots or events. We go through the year with you and ask the questions a spreadsheet cannot.

Yes, and that is the right time to ask. Most cameras, lenses, lighting, and computers can often be written off in full in the year they are placed in service, through Section 179 or 100% bonus depreciation, which the 2025 tax law made permanent for property acquired after January 19, 2025. Timing matters, a full write-off is not always the best answer in a low-income year, vehicles have their own rules, and part of the deduction can come back if you sell the gear later. We model it on your numbers first. See tax planning.

Nine states have no tax on wage or earned income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. That is not the whole story. Some of them tax businesses another way, such as the Texas franchise tax, the Washington business and occupation tax, and Tennessee taxes on certain entities, and property and sales taxes matter too.

A move also has to be real. States look at domicile, meaning where you actually live, where your home is, where your car is registered, and where you vote. High-tax states such as California and New York look closely at people who leave, and the year you move usually means two part-year returns. We compare the options on your real income and tell you what a clean move looks like.

A sole proprietor reports on Schedule C and pays self-employment tax on profit. A single-member LLC adds legal separation and is usually taxed the same way, though some states charge a yearly LLC tax or fee. Once profit is consistently high, an LLC can elect S-Corp treatment, paying you a reasonable salary through payroll so the rest of the profit is not subject to self-employment tax, in exchange for payroll and a separate return. If you create with a partner, a multi-member LLC is usually taxed as a partnership.

It is a numbers decision, not a rule of thumb, so we model it with your income, your state, and your salary before anything is filed.

A 1099-K reports gross payments, including refunds, fees, and sometimes personal transfers. The books have to show the gross figure with fees, refunds, and non-income items separated, so the return agrees with the 1099 without overstating income. Here is how that reconciliation works.

Yes. Platform earnings reports, bank and card statements, PayPal and Stripe exports, and prior 1099s are enough to reconstruct the books, even for several years, and then prepare or amend the returns.

By email and video call, on your schedule. You share access or documents, we do the work, and you get a reply within one business day. We work with U.S. creators in all 50 states and prepare the federal return along with the state returns you need, including part-year returns for the year you move.