Category: Side Income
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Babysitting Money and Taxes: Where the Line Sits
When a babysitter is a household employee, when the money is self-employment income, and the 2026 thresholds that decide who owes what to the IRS.
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Side Gig Records: What the IRS Expects You to Keep
Driving, freelancing, or selling online? IRS Publication 583 spells out the records to keep, the receipts that back them up, and how long to hold everything.
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Mystery Shopping Jobs: Telling Real Gigs From Fakes
Real mystery shopping jobs exist, but so do costly fakes. How the fake-check version works, the upfront-fee red flag, and how to vet a company.
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Freelance Income Counts Toward Social Security Too
Self-employment income builds Social Security credits just like a paycheck. How the 2026 credit math works, and why unreported cash costs you twice.
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Selling Used Stuff for Profit: When the IRS Cares
Sell old furniture at a loss and the IRS does not care. Sell a collectible for more than you paid and it does. The real tax rules on selling used items.