From F. John Reh,
Your Guide to Management.
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Dateline: 06/23/97

Disclaimer: The following information is general in nature and intended for informational purposes only. It is not to be construed in any way as tax or legal advice. You should consult with a trained professional familiar with the laws and regulations of your area for specific advice.

Recently I met with accounting professional Steven Palmer to discuss some of the tax implications that face consultants as independent contractors. He agreed to help me make self-employed consultants more aware of tax items that they haven’t had to think about as employees.

Steven M. Palmer is currently the Manager of Accounting for Chiyoda International Corporation of Seattle, Washington. Steven has been with this engineering design and construction company for almost nine years. Prior to joining Chiyoda, Steven was the Manager of Financial Systems Development for Safeco Title Insurance Company, of Los Angeles, for five years. In addition, he has been an independent accounting consultant for almost 20 years. Steven did his undergraduate work in business at the University of Washington and continued his studies at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). His specialties include insurance, manufacturing and construction accounting.

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Q: Steve, I understand the IRS has a 20 point test that determines whether an individual is an employee or an independent consultant.
smp: That is really more an issue for the employer than the individual because there are serious tax penalties for improperly classifying an employee as an independent contractor. If you look into this for your clients, however, the IRS does provide some relief. It is spelled out in Section 530. (Click here to view or download a pdf file containing Section 530's tests .) If you work for several companies, direct your own work, and supply everything need to do the work you will probably be classified by the IRS as an independent consultant, not as an employee.

Q: Most of us know that self-employed individuals have to make quarterly tax payments to the government. Is there any way to avoid that?
smp: If you have paid at least 90% of your total tax liability by the end of the year you don’t have to make quarterly tax payments.

Q: If you are not making quarterly payments how do you get to that 90% level?
smp: Well, if your spouse works, he or she can have taxes withheld at the higher single level, claim zero exemptions, and even direct that additional amounts be withheld from each paycheck. Just make the appropriate changes on their W-4. Or if you do work for an employer in addition to your self-employed work you can do the same things with your W-4 with that company. I know a writer who also delivers newspapers. He has his newspaper employer withhold enough to cover his writing income too.

Q: If, at the end of the tax year, you find that your tax withheld does not exceed 90% of your tax liability can you just send the IRS a check on say December 30th to get it to the 90% level?
smp: If you do, the IRS will see that as a fourth quarter quarterly payment for the current year. Once you start making quarterly payments you will need to continue filing quarterly payments for as long as you are earning self-employment income.

Q: Well, if you make a fourth quarter quarterly payment is the IRS going to expect you to have filed quarterly payments all year?
smp: If you make a huge payment in the fourth quarter, the IRS will want you to go back and determine when the income was actually derived. You are supposed to go back and self-assess and pay penalty and interest for late payments.

Q: So if you are not making quarterly payments, and you get to the end of the year with less than 90% of your taxes paid, you are going to end up making quarterly payments retroactively for the entire tax year right?
smp: Right.

Q: If I am not making quarterly payments what is the limit to the amount that I can owe on April 15th?
smp: If the amount of tax you owe at the end of the year is less than ten percent of your total tax liability you’re okay.

Q: How soon after the end of a quarter do I have to make a quarterly tax payment?
smp: Quarterly payments are due 15 days after the end of the quarter. For instance, first quarter tax payments are due April 15th. Second quarter payments are due July 15th and so forth.