The Freelancer's Year-End Close Workbook (US Edition)
Close your books, prep for tax season, and meet the January 15 and January 31 deadlines in one calm weekend. A checklist-driven workbook, not tax advice.
If you're a solo freelancer or 1099 contractor, December tends to arrive with a pile of loose ends: a client payment you can't find, a card statement mixing groceries with software subscriptions, a nagging question about whether you owe a fourth-quarter estimated payment, and a subcontractor whose W-9 you never collected. This workbook turns that pile into a sequence of small, finishable tasks. You'll gather your records, reconcile your income, sort your expenses into the categories your tax return uses, document your home office, mileage and equipment, handle your own contractors' paperwork, chase unpaid invoices, and hand your accountant (or your own tax software) a tidy, complete packet. Then you'll set up a simple routine so next December is easier. It's a checklist-driven workbook, not tax advice: it helps you get organized and ask better questions, and it leaves the judgment calls to you and a qualified professional.
This workbook is built for us solo freelancers and 1099 contractors (designers, writers, developers, consultants) who earn $30k-$200k, do their own bookkeeping in spreadsheets or basic apps, and hand files to an accountant or file themselves.. It's practical, written in plain language, and designed to be used the same day you download it.
It is not for you if you want theory, motivation or a get-rich scheme. It is a working document.
You get the full product as a browser-friendly HTML file, a Markdown file you can paste into Notion or Google Docs, and a PDF where available. Personal-use license.
What's inside
- How to use this workbook: a one-weekend close plan and an honest not-tax-advice disclaimer
- Key dates for the 2026 tax year: Q4 estimated payment, 1099-NEC, W-2/1099 receipt, and filing deadlines with official source links
- Step 1: Gather everything. Checklist of bank, card, payment-platform and invoice exports
- Step 2: Reconcile income. Worksheet matching invoices to deposits and 1099-K/1099-NEC forms you receive
- Step 3: Categorize expenses. Plain-English guide to common Schedule C categories plus an expense worksheet
- Step 4: Home office, mileage and equipment records. What to document and how
- Step 5: Paying contractors. Collecting W-9s and preparing 1099-NEC info by the January 31 deadline
- Step 6: Unpaid invoices and bad-debt follow-up email scripts
- Step 7: Assemble the accountant handoff packet. Cover sheet template and questions to ask
- Step 8: Set up next year. Separate accounts, a monthly 30-minute bookkeeping routine, and a tax set-aside tracker
- Printable trackers: income log, expense log, mileage log, estimated-payment log
- What to do next
Format
Instant download: a browser-friendly HTML version, a Markdown file you can paste into Notion, Obsidian or Google Docs. Personal-use licence; adapt freely for your own work.
Parts of this product were drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by a person. Educational content, not professional advice.