# Tax questions & is it necessary to become licensed?



## TracyJDickey (Oct 25, 2015)

I'm building my photography skills to the point I'm wanting to make a small business out of it ... With that being said I want to make sure I'm doing what I need to do to become a "legit" & tax paying photographer so what steps do I need to take?


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## The_Traveler (Oct 25, 2015)

Why not scan through the General Shop Talk | Photography Forum for one or two of the hundreds of previous queries about licenses, taxes and insurance?


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## TracyJDickey (Oct 25, 2015)

I'm doing that now  I'm new to the forum world so bare with me! Thank you!


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## Designer (Oct 25, 2015)

My answer to your question in your title is; licensing is local, taxes are both local and national.

Call your local city clerk to find out about the license, call the state to find out about taxes, and they can probably help you with the federal tax reporting as well.


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## beagle100 (Oct 28, 2015)

you should check with local and national authorities concerning tax issues but be aware, actually earning a profit (revenues > expenses) is extremely rare for that type of business !


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## Overread (Oct 28, 2015)

As other have said contact your local council - they  will likely have a department that can not only provide you with the right tax advice; but might also have resources to give you some pointers on starting your own business.


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## dennybeall (Oct 28, 2015)

You didn't  say where you are located but if in the US you could contact a SCORE Chapter in your area for free business help. Also, many States have websites to support business, In Florida it's MyFlorida.com.
Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE)


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## KmH (Oct 28, 2015)

TracyJDickey said:


> I'm building my photography skills to the point I'm wanting to make a small business out of it ... With that being said I want to make sure I'm doing what I need to do to become a "legit" & tax paying photographer so what steps do I need to take?


That depends entirely on where you are.

The requirements for being a 'legal' business vary by local, county (or equivelent), state (or equivelent), and country laws.
Requirements also will vary by business type.

Which taxes do you have questions about?  - income, sales tax (if applicable), use tax, unemployment insurance tax?

Making money by doing photography is more about having business skills than having photography skills.

A lot of start up photography businesses owned by photographers that have substantial business knowledgeable and skills can't keep their business going because the business was under capitalized at the beginning.


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