Proof of Income for Self Employed People

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proof of income for self employed

Cash is great, right? For self-employed individuals, it may seem advantageous to simply not report cash payments. Self-employed individuals may receive cash payments for all types of self-employment, whether they’re doing landscaping or accounting.

This approach might be effective until you need to apply for a loan and find yourself unable to provide proof of income for self-employed jobs.

What is Proof of Income?

Proving self-employed income is easy to do. Here are some documents that help to prove income:

  1. Tax return
  2. Business credit card report
  3. Schedule C – Profit and loss statements
  4. 1099’s, which are also reported to the Internal Revenue service
  5. Bank statements from a business account, with records of business-related deposits (linked to pay stubs)

What do Self Employed Individuals Need Proof of Income for?

One reason it’s important for a self-employed individual to have proof of income is to get a loan. If you haven’t been providing income on your tax returns, you’ll be hard-pressed to qualify for a loan.

There are other reasons proof of income for self-employed is important:

  1. Applying for health insurance purposes
  2. Applying for a lease or mortgage
  3. To purchase equipment
  4. To get a good business credit card

How to Prove Income When Self Employed

As any business owner knows, it is important to stay organized with documentation and records. Getting those in order are key steps to show proof of income as a self-employed person.

As a self-employed individual, incorporating the necessary documents to provide proof of income for self employed into your routine is straightforward. Once you establish this practice, you can easily include that proof of income when filing your tax return. Here are several key areas to consider:

  1. Cash deposits – your business bank statements may include records of cash deposits. You’ve got to back up those bank statements with documentation, such as invoices marked paid, to show a clear picture of proof of income.
  2. Accounting software – companies such as Zoho and Quickbooks make it easy to consolidate financial info for business purposes. With good software, you can match invoice documents with payments and deposits, especially with online banking.

Wage and Tax Statement 1099 Form

The IRS 1099 forms that a payer issues to a payee serve as trustworthy documents to demonstrate proof of income for self employed individuals. The 1099-MISC form is provided by any entity that compensates you as a self-employed person, and that entity is also responsible for reporting this information to the IRS. If you receive more than $600 from any entity throughout the calendar year, they are obligated to issue a 1099 to you.

Profit and Loss Statements

The 1040 Profit and Loss statement form is also called Schedule C. The form is a legal document. Examples of business expenses (not an exhaustive list) include vehicle expenses, advertising, insurance (not health), depreciation of equipment, legal services, office expenses, and more.

Annual Tax Returns

As you’re tabulating expenses, such as those listed above, keep this amount in mind when filing taxes on self-employment income: $12,000. That’s the amount of the standard deduction that single people can use when filing tax returns.

For example, let’s say you’re the owner of a landscaping business. Your gross earnings were $32,000. You could take the standard deduction and pay taxes on $20,000. If your expenses were greater than $12,000, you would itemize them on your federal tax return using the Schedule C profit and loss statement. That’s where you’d show self-employed proof of income versus expenses.

Bank Statements

You should have set up a separate bank account for your business and a business credit card that is only used for your business.

Self Employed Pay Stubs

You can request pay stubs from an entity or client. Alternatively, you can connect client payments to invoices. It is important to maintain detailed records that associate these documents with your deposits.

Online Payment Records

You might receive payments online through platforms like PayPal or similar apps, or you could get paid via direct deposit into your business bank account, which is easy to verify with your bank statement.

With all of those methods, you can generate monthly, quarterly, and/or annual records of payments.

Read More: How to File Self Employment Taxes

How do you Prove Income for Self-Employed Mortgage Loans?

A bank or entity that provides mortgage loans is going to want to see your tax return records for the past 3 years. Your other financial holdings and properties will also carry weight. For example, you may have a 401K, IRA, and/or HSA. You may own business property and equipment. You may own stock. A lender and other potential creditors like all of that, which show your total income.

Provide all the information you can. A lender wants to know that if you default on the loan, the financial institution has ways to get its money.

What’s your credit score? When you apply for a mortgage, you’ll quickly discover your score. If it turns out to be low, investigate the reasons behind it and take action to resolve any issues that may be negatively affecting the number.

Can You Get Personal Loans for Self-Employed With No Proof of Income?

Yes. However, if you have little or no proof of income for self employed, lenders might view you as a high risk. While it is possible to obtain a personal loan, the amount may be limited, and you will likely face a high interest rate.

How do you Prove Income if you are Paid Under the Table?

There’s a reason it’s called “under the table.” The expression implies a secretive exchange of cash because……well, that’s what it is.

If you are paid that way and want to prove income, you’ll have to provide some sort of documents to support your cash deposits. When you file your 1040 Schedule C profit and loss statement, you’ll list your income – and the sources of income.

Keep in mind that if you receive “under the table” income, the entity that paid you in this manner may also come under scrutiny. If you were compensated more than $600 in a calendar year, why didn’t the entity issue a 1099 form? It is advisable to address this matter with the entity that compensates you in this way.

If paid in cash you can:

  1. Make bank deposits and link the cash amount to (paid) invoices that you generate.
  2. You can also get a business credit card that can be “refilled” using cash deposits. The credit card statements will help you prove your income by showing cash deposits. There are several credit companies that issue this type of card, which is a great option for a sole proprietor.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, “Proof of Income for Self Employed People” was first published on Small Business Trends