Tax Code for Photographers

[TxTowman]

Would the run of the mill CPA be able to decipher and handle this for me?

[brad]

Originally Posted by stacyreeves

Not entirely true. In many states, if the end item is shipped rather than picked up, you're supposed to pay sales tax on the entire booking to the county/state that the order is shipped to. Just depends on where you're at.

Actually, I think that changed a couple years ago... they "simplified" those rules... it was getting too complicated for them to track. I know it changed the way we report sales for my wife's business when she does trade shows around the state and it probably affected this, too... you might check it again.

[ggeen]

Brad, you are correct. A couple of years ago Texas simplified some of that. Before you needed to charge the tax rate of the county/city in which you sold the item. Now, you just pay the county/city taxes in which your business resides.

Back when I was running a freelance PC repair business, I kept close physical address records as I visited offices rather than have them come to me. Yes, I did it before geek squad! I remember the comptroller's office asking me if I would be traveling to locations or having them come to me. I told her my business model was to travel to the client's office. She then handed me a sheet with the city/county tax rates covering Dallas County.

[brad]

Yea.. it doesn't affect us when we actually go to a city and set up a trade show booth... if we do that, we have to collect the local tax.. but for small scale appointment type work, its collected for where the business is located... I would think that would apply to photographers as well... at least, that's how I interpreted it.

[MomTog]

So afraid of making a mistake and then getting audited :(

Can anyone share what they use for accounting purposes (software, standard photographer's record keeping sheet, self-made excel sheet?)

Does anyone use outside help for this? Will I ever get it?!