How to price a job

[dirtydeed]

No go hire professionals in their respective fields to make sure your legal in your business. No form of government care who is paying the taxes so long as they are paid. Period. There's a big difference between a single person running a business vs having employees and or retail space. Your assumptions are pompous, and based on a one shoe fits all mentality. Besides just having been through this with my wife, my father has ran his own business for nearly 30 years now. Besides setting up a DBA and getting insurance (which the customers request not the state) he's never had an LLC, corporation, or sole proprietor status. All sales taxes are included in the invoice. The tax estimates are paid quarterly, and reconciliation is done at the end of the year and filed under your personal taxes. Can't remember the tax form, but it's done every day by average people that did not fall into the false beliefs that an LLC or whatever will save them, their business or any property if they screw up on a job. The company can be sued and the individual (s) that preformed the work can be sued. If ypu don't believe me, feel free to contact the IRS and spend lots of time on the phone with them, then call your local municipality and spend a little time on the phone with them, then call the state. Then go talk to a certified accountant and finally talk with an attorney. I quite assure you I've not given any bad information. Besides all this hyping up about mowing a neighbors yard and insurance and everything were going on about we've successfully made a mountain out of a mole hill.
If you want to mow the neighbors yard for them, mow it. Your really over thinking it at this point.

There. Fixed it for ya.

 

[radas]

I'd shoot for $100-125/week, have her sign a release of liability waiver for damage and such. To get an EIN and add a schedule C to your personal income tax is a little tedious, but it can be done. You can report your revenue from services (few thousand a year) and deduct your cost of sales (e.g. fuel, maintenance, depreciation, etc...) and pay a few bucks in taxes annually and make it work from a legal standpoint. You will have to research your local and state tax laws as well as IRC for federal or work with a competent EA/Accountant to guide you through the process. Personally, I wouldn't go through the hassle for ~$1500 of annual net revenue and deal with all the hassles unless you plan on picking up more similar jobs.

Also doing work for neighbors can get ugly as you change the dynamic from simply being neighbors to a service provider/customer relationship and it doesn't always work out for the best. Ask me how I know