Most freelancers estimate their receipt chaos costs a few hundred dollars in missed deductions. The honest number runs in three columns: missed deduction taxes, excess accountant billing, and audit exposure. For a self-employed person earning $70K to $100K, the full stack is closer to $1,800 to $5,800 a year. Here is the math.
The biggest 2026 OBBBA tax breaks got a lot of attention. Most do not reach Schedule C filers. Here is a clear breakdown of which ones do, which are conditional, and which skip the self-employed entirely.
The QBI deduction is now permanent. Learn who qualifies, what the OBBBA actually changed in 2026, and how Form 8995 connects the deduction to your return.
Most home office deductions that fail at audit fail on one test: exclusive use. Here is what the IRS actually requires from self-employed filers, how both calculation methods work, and what records you need to keep.
The 2026 IRS mileage rate is 72.5 cents per mile. Most self-employed filers focus on that number and skip the records standard that determines whether they actually keep the deduction. Here is what the IRS requires, and what fails at audit.
