How Do I Report Finder’s Fee Income?

Lisa (not self-employed) asks:

I do not run my own business. I work as an employee at a media company. However, my financial advisor has a program where he pays a “finder’s fee” everytime somebody refers a person to him who becomes a client. Are these finder’s fees taxable, and how do I report them if they are?

Answer:

Lisa-

Yes, these finder’s fees are taxable. Generally speaking, all income is either investment income, employment income, or self-employment income. This obviously isn’t investment income; and you clearly aren’t an employee of your financial advisor. As such, this income defaults to self-employment income.
You’ll end up filing a Schedule C to report income from a business and Schedule SE to calculate the self-employment tax due on your finder’s fees.

For More Information, See My Related Book:

Book6FrontCoverTiltedBlue

Surprisingly Simple: Independent Contractor, Sole Proprietor, and LLC Taxes Explained in 100 Pages or Less

See it on Amazon now

A testimonial from a reader on Amazon:
"Quick and easy read. No fluff, just straight to the point and gives you more helpful information that you might imagine. If you are looking to get the bottom line information you need to start your business right then this book is a must have."

Comments on this entry are closed.

Disclaimer #1: Many of the links on this site are affiliate links. That means that if you click through from my link and buy the linked-to product, or sign up for the linked-to service, I receive a commission. For example, if you click through to Amazon via one of my links, I receive a 6.5% commission for any product you purchase.


Disclaimer #2: By using this site, you explicitly agree to its Terms of Use and agree not to hold Simple Subjects, LLC or any of its members liable in any way for damages arising from decisions you make based on the information made available on this site. I am not a financial or investment advisor, and the information on this site is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.


Copyright 2010 Simple Subjects, LLC - All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy