Freelancer Taxes: Don’t Panic!

To thrive as a voice-over artist, you must sharpen more skills than the ones you use behind the mic. Besides taking care of your voice and perfecting your craft as an artist, you need to become proficient as a business owner, which means excellent organization and superb focus. 

It’s one thing to be a talented voice-over artist, it’s quite another to be a professional creative entrepreneur with a booming voice-over business. 

Yes, you should deliver quality audio, but you must also answer inquiries quickly, communicate effectively across language barriers and time zone differences, use your time efficiently throughout the week, guard against burnout, and, once a year…file taxes. Womp womp.

Filing taxes as a freelancer can be tricky the first few years, but after you get into the groove, it becomes second nature. 

So, the first rule of filing taxes is…Don’t Panic! 

Before we get started: I am not an accountant or a professional financial adviser, and this is not financial advice from me or from Such A Voice. Please take this information as my personal experience and not step-by-step instructions for what to do in your specific situation. Consult an accountant before filing your own taxes. Caveat complete. 

Personally, my experience with filing taxes as a freelancer has been an interesting journey. I hope you’ll be able to take away a few helpful tips from what I share today. 

My First Year

In 2015 I was newly married and filing joint taxes for the first time. We gathered our 1099s and mailed them, likely crumpled, to an accountant we heard was a specialist in taxes for working artists. Excited to get our rebate (we made so little money after all…) we planned the weekend away we’d take when our check arrived in the mail. 

Weeks later I received a phone call that shocked me – I owed taxes! A lot of them. Over $4,000! And what’s more…I didn’t have it. After a few tears and additional conversations, I discovered I could file for an extension and pay in October, giving me a few months to scrape together what I could. 

Bullet dodged in the end. Those six months were incredibly stressful as I scrimped and saved to pay Uncle Sam. 

I love a desktop calculator as much as the next person but…you might want to look into Quickbooks.

This doesn’t have to happen to you! 

To avoid panic at tax time, do these three things:

  1. Think ahead.
  2. Track expenses and earnings. 
  3. Use tools. Don’t do it alone.

Think Ahead

I learned this lesson my first year (see above) and I vowed never to find myself in that situation again. A crucial mistake I made filing taxes as a freelancer was simply forgetting I had to pay taxes! I was so used to having taxes deducted from my paycheck (from previous jobs), that I didn’t plan ahead. This lack of foresight caused a major headache in April. 

To avoid this, train yourself to save money for taxes throughout the year or even pay ahead of time online

Make sure you’re putting aside about 30% of your earnings so you’re not surprised come April. (Check specific rates for your state/country). You can also pay quarterly or monthly ahead of time, this way you’ll owe less (or maybe even get a refund) each spring. Note that at a certain income level, paying quarterly or monthly is required, not an option. Make sure to check what this income threshold is for your area!

Track Expenses and Earnings

Every business (even your personal voice-over studio) has both expenses and earnings. Expenses are what you pay for, and earnings are what you’re paid! Earnings in…expenses out. Earnings minus expenses equals your INCOME. And your income is what is taxable. 

As freelancers and independent creative contractors, we’re in a special category of taxpayers. Working from home, especially in a creative field, means you get to deduct some unexpected costs. 

Always check the deductions available in your particular state (and country), but some common ones include internet, mobile phone, office supplies/furniture, books/training supplies, and coaching/education. Yes, you can deduct your voice-over classes and coaching costs! 

Some states even allow you to deduct a percentage of your mortgage if you have an at-home studio, or your Wondry subscription if you’ve got a podcast! 

Freelancer Must-Have Tax Tools

Mile Tracking App: Any time you have to work away from home as a contractor, you’ll be eligible to deduct the mileage for your travels. This is in lieu of deducting the cost of gas. A great tool for this is an app that will do that for you. Don’t be like me in 2011 and write your odometer readings in pencil in a notebook in the glove compartment. That just amounted to a lot of unnecessary math. Let technology do that for you!

Accounting Software: Accounting software like Quickbooks or Freshbooks is crucial when getting organized for tax season. While I admit I spent a few years with an Excel spreadsheet, it’s much easier to let software lift the load for you. Plus, you can deduct the software’s cost!

What are your favorite tools for tax season? Comment below – let’s make this stressful time easier for everyone!


Caroline Turner Cole is a writer, voice actor, yoga therapist and lover of coffee. Follow along on Instagram @carolinecolestories, Twitter @ccolstories, or YouTube at The Business of Storytelling

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