Guides

Most self-employed people buy ACA marketplace coverage (with income-based premium tax credits), often paired with an HSA-eligible high-deductible plan. Premiums are deductible via the self-employed health insurance deduction — no itemizing required.

Accepting international payments is legal and simple via major processors, but watch four things: currency conversion costs, sanctions compliance (don't transact with embargoed countries), possible foreign VAT/GST registration when selling to consumers abroad, and US reporting of all income.

The big four deductible benefits: self-employed health insurance premiums (above-the-line), retirement plan contributions (SEP-IRA/Solo 401k), HSA contributions, and the 20% Qualified Business Income deduction — together often worth five figures annually.

Both let you shelter substantial income, but a Solo 401(k) usually allows bigger contributions below ~$200k of net self-employment income (employee deferral + employer share) and offers Roth and loan options. SEP-IRAs win on setup simplicity.

States tax based on domicile (your true home) and statutory residency (often 183+ days present). Moving requires severing old ties — license, voter registration, home, doctors — and establishing new ones, or your old state may keep taxing everything.

Courts increasingly apply the ADA to business websites, and WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the de facto compliance standard: alt text, keyboard navigation, sufficient contrast, captions, and proper heading structure. Overlay widgets don't immunize you — and can attract suits.

If you have EU/UK visitors and use non-essential cookies (analytics, ads), you need real opt-in consent. For US-only audiences, no federal law requires a banner — but state privacy laws increasingly require opt-out mechanisms for tracking.

If your foreign financial accounts exceed $10,000 in aggregate at any moment during the year, you must file FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR) by April 15 (auto-extended to October 15). Willful violations can cost the greater of $100,000+ or 50% of the account balance.

US citizens owe US tax worldwide, so nomadism doesn't escape the IRS. Keep a US business home base (often a no-income-tax state LLC), respect visa work limitations, watch foreign tax residency triggers (commonly 183 days), and track FBAR duties on foreign accounts.

The US taxes citizens on worldwide income, but three tools prevent double taxation: tax treaties (defining which country taxes what), the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (excluding $120,000+ of foreign-earned income via Form 2555), and the Foreign Tax Credit.

SaaS terms need: subscription and billing mechanics (renewals, refunds), license grant and acceptable use, data ownership and processing terms, uptime/support commitments, liability limitation, and termination/data-export provisions.

You file Form 1099-NEC for independent contractors paid $600+ and Form W-2 for employees (with payroll tax withholding). The worker's legal classification — not convenience or agreement — determines which applies.