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    boyoftx's Avatar
    boyoftx Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    May 27, 2009, 01:33 PM
    New independent contractor getting paid on 1099
    Hi, I got laid off in January. In March, I got a temporary job working as a contractor for 3 months. I will be making around $10k during this period. Can I invest all in Self Employed 401k so I don't have to pay any taxes? If I invest all the money in Self Employed 401k then Do I have to pay SS and Medicare tax? If yes, then How do I pay and how much do I pay and how often do I pay? Can I invest money in Self Employed 401k in the January 2010 or I have to invest before that?

    I appreciate your insight and thanks for helping.
    AtlantaTaxExpert's Avatar
    AtlantaTaxExpert Posts: 21,836, Reputation: 846
    Senior Tax Expert
    		  
    #2

    May 27, 2009, 02:48 PM
    I assume you are a U.S. citizen.

    If so, you MUST pay self-employment taxes on the $10,000 you earned. Investing in any type of tax-deferred pension will NOT affect the assessment of the 15.3% self-employment tax.

    If the $10K is you only income, the combination of your personal exemption ($3,600) and the single standard deduction ($5,600) will mostly offset the $10K in income, so investing in a tax-deferred pension really does not make sense tax-wise.
    MukatA's Avatar
    MukatA Posts: 7,110, Reputation: 176
    Tax Expert
    		  
    #3

    May 28, 2009, 12:25 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by boyoftx View Post
    Hi, I got laid off in January. In March, I got a temporary job working as a contractor for 3 months. I will be making around $10k during this period. Can I invest all in Self Employed 401k so I don't have to pay any taxes? If I invest all the money in Self Employed 401k then Do I have to pay SS and Medicare tax? If yes, then How do I pay and how much do I pay and how often do I pay? Can I invest money in Self Employed 401k in the January 2010 or I have to invest before that?

    I appreciate your insight and thanks for helping.
    1099-misc income: You are self employed or independent contractor. You must file your tax return if yourself employed income is $400 or more. You will report your income and expenses on schedule C or C-EZ (Form 1040). Then you put net income (or loss) on line 12 of Form 1040. This income is subject to SE tax at 15.3% (this is shown on line 57 of Form 1040). Half of SE tax is deductible on line 27 of Form 1040. Read: Your U.S. Tax Return: Tax Filing by Self Employed Sole Proprietor or Independent Contractor
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