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A plain-English guide to what a bookkeeping spreadsheet for self-employed people must contain, in what order to build it, and what the weekly and monthly routine looks like. No accounting background required.
The 15.3% self-employment tax, the four quarterly due dates, and the IRS safe-harbor rule that removes the guesswork, in plain English, cited to IRS sources.
A five-question structural test for self-employed Schedule C filers, cited to current IRS record-keeping guidance, including the specific conditions where you genuinely should buy the software instead.
Self-employment tax is the same Social Security and Medicare contribution every W-2 worker pays. Your employer just covered half of it invisibly. Where the 15.3% comes from, why $400 of net profit triggers it, and why write-offs shrink it but never erase it.
The one recommended bookkeeping setup for consultants and coaches: which Schedule C categories to use, in your own words, which to ignore, and the two things consultants and coaches habitually miss.
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Look up your state's top rate, see how it ranks, and verify at the official source.
See each category mapped to its IRS source as of 2026.
Use the prompt library to turn IRS-cited guidance into a clearer question, checklist, or CPA prep note.
Browse the Prompt Library →Start with the deduction cheat sheet and use the coming worksheets to verify the rule before you file.
Browse the Resource Library →