The Side Hustle Tax Survival GuideExpert Edition
1099 forms, self-employment tax, quarterly estimates, home office, and mileage.
Gig apps, freelance clients, resale shops, and weekend work, read against the IRS's own 2026 forms and publications: which forms will report you and at what dollar amount, the tax that surprises new freelancers, how to pay during the year without a penalty, and the deductions and records that hold up.
38 pages · 8 chapters · 4 figures · 4 worksheets
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Three pages, unedited.
The cover, the contents, and a page from the book exactly as you will receive it. Tap any page to enlarge it.
Written for you if
- Gig app drivers and delivery workers, freelancers paid by clients, resale and online sellers, and anyone with weekend or side income.
- Employees with a W-2 job and a side business, whose wages can reduce the Social Security part of self-employment tax.
- New freelancers who have never paid a quarterly estimate, or who owed money in April despite a low income.
- Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs that report on Schedule C and want the home office and mileage rules right.
Chapter by chapter.
- 01
Business or Hobby: Where Side Income Goes
How the IRS tells a business from a hobby, why the answer changes your tax bill in both directions, and the form each kind of income lands on.
- 02
The Forms That Report You
Form 1099-K, 1099-NEC, and 1099-MISC, the dollar thresholds and the years they apply to, and what to do when a form is wrong or missing.
- 03
Self-Employment Tax
The 15.3 percent tax figured with the 2026 numbers, how a W-2 job can reduce it, and the deductions that soften it.
- 04
Quarterly Estimates and the Safe Harbor
Who must pay during the year, the 2026 due dates, the safe harbor that prevents a penalty, and the ways out of a penalty most people never hear about.
- 05
The Home Office
The exclusive and regular use tests, the administrative work rule, the simplified and regular methods, and the effect on selling your home later.
- 06
Mileage and the Car
The 2026 rate, the first-year choice that locks you in, which trips count and which are commuting, and what a mileage record must show.
- 07
Records That Hold Up
What to keep for income, expenses, and assets in the IRS's own words, how long to keep it, and a simple system for a one-person business.
- 08
The Quick Reference Vault
The reporting thresholds, every 2026 number, and the formulas, designed to be printed.
Four worksheets close the book: an income log with 1099 reconciliation, a quarterly estimate planner, a mileage log, and a home office calculator. Answers to every check-yourself question, a glossary, and the complete source list follow.
The IKE standard.
Built from primary sources
IRS news release IR-2025-107 and Fact Sheet FS-2025-08, the Form 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC instructions, Publications 334 and 505, and the 2026 Form 1040-ES, with Publications 463, 583, and 587 and Treasury's April 2026 proposed regulations in support.
Every threshold dated
Each reporting threshold carries the years it applies to, including the move from $600 to $2,000 for Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC on payments made after December 31, 2025.
Shows its arithmetic
Self-employment tax worked line by line with the 2026 wage base, the safe harbor worked from last year's tax, and both home office methods compared for one renter. Each example is labeled as an illustration.
Honest about limits
Where a 2026 document did not exist yet, such as the Form 2210 instructions, the guide says which 2025 version it relied on.
Built to use
4 figures, the critical facts and one action you can finish in under 30 minutes at the end of every chapter, four worksheets, and a printable quick reference.
Specs and terms.
- Format
- PDF, US Letter, live source links
- Length
- 38 pages, 8 chapters
- Inside
- 4 figures, 4 worksheets, glossary, complete source list
- Tax year
- 2026, with notes on 2025. Sources verified October 2026.
- Covers
- US federal income tax for individuals with self-employment income. State income and sales tax are not covered.
- Price
- $19 USD, one-time purchase
- Delivery
- Instant PDF download on a private page right after checkout, plus a copy by email
What this is. An educational reference. It is not legal, tax, financial, credit, or investment advice, and it does not create a professional relationship. Rules change; each figure in this edition carries the date it was verified against its official source. For advice on your situation, consult a licensed professional.
Covers US federal tax rules as verified on the date shown inside. State rules differ. Interstellar Kinetics does not prepare returns; confirm with a CPA, enrolled agent, or tax attorney before you file.
Your license. One purchase covers one person, for your own learning or your own business. You may print a copy for yourself. Please do not share, resell, upload, or use this file to train AI models. Terms.
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The Side Hustle Tax Survival Guide
38 pages · 8 chapters · 4 figures · 4 worksheets. $19, instant download.