Introduction to the Work at Home Blog

The “Virtual Office Work at Home” Blog provides useful information and guidance regarding opportunities for working from home via a virtual office. There is a great amount of information on the web about legitimate work at home jobs and also the various opportunities available to allow working as a freelancer online and it helps to have these topics researched and organized in an accessible way to obtain and use.

Independent Contractor vs. Employee The first question to address is whether or not you want to work at home as an independent contractor or as an employee of a company. There are many work at home jobs that are provided through companies that hire virtual employees and also it is possible that the current job you are working can be transferred into a telecommuting position based on then needs of the current company you work for. The pros and cons for each scenario must be considered and also the type of “work” personality has a lot to do with it. Do you thrive on setting your own hours and organizing your workload? Do you need structure and guidance? How many hours per day/ week are you willing to work? There are pros and cons to each side of becoming either an independent contractor or working at home as an employee. Take time to research all of the options available and the amount of commitment and effort that is needed in order to figure out what is the right path of work for you. Is it right for you?

Pros vs. Cons of Working for Yourself One of the pros to working independently would be that you are your own boss, but on the other hand more time is spent on selling and marketing yourself and keeping a professional appearance and not just providing the services that you originally wanted to provide.6 steps to being your own boss - MSN Money An additional plus is that there are more business deductions at tax time, but financial decisions, organization of time, prioritizing of workload, client inter-action, paying ‘self employment’ tax and tax filing at the end of the year; are all tasks that an independent contractor would need to do in addition to regular work that is generating income. Working as an Independent Contractor An independent contractor receives 1099 forms and needs to keep accurate and organized records of expenditures and earnings in order to file taxes. Reference the IRS website in order to make sure you are filing the correct forms and keeping all the tax information that is needed. Irs.gov If this becomes complicated, it is best to consult an accounting professional in order to figure out what expenses are valid and what are the correct tax forms to be filed. Find a qualified local Accountant or Tax Professional