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Thread: Business Licensing as a dancer

  1. #1
    ajbaer
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    Default Business Licensing as a dancer

    I live in MD and dance in WV. I've been told that in order to file taxes I need to get a license from WV and pay taxes there...then ALSO file with MD (and they deduct what I've paid WV). I went searching around on the WV licensing website but have NO idea what type of license to get. There is no listing for entertainer, dancer, etc. You can choose self-employed but there is no drop down box for any of the above. Do I put something else, even though that's not what I'm doing? I'm really confused. Should I just look for an accountant? And if so, do I get one for MD or WV? I want to start getting everything documented so my credit will go up, and I have history of paying taxes (which I do up until now). Thanks!

  2. #2
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Business Licensing as a dancer

    while I can't give you any specific advice re WV, in general the states that get all worked up over business licenses are only referring to self-employed sole proprietor businesses in general for income tax purposes and sales tax purposes(as opposed to a dancer's license for ID purposes). In general, self-employed dancers aren't responsible for collecting and forwarding sales tax from customers, so the business license thing is little more than a formality.

    In regard to multiple state income tax reporting, don't feel like the lone ranger. Recently I had to fill out six state tax returns, a resident income tax return for my home state of NY and non-resident state tax returns to 5 other states with income taxes in which I had earned money in the same year. There is a system in place where tax obligations to other states get credited against tax obligations in your home state. However the paperwork can get really tedious. I used Turbotax for home & business to take care of all the tedious calculations, but if you are new / unfamiliar with multiple state income tax filings it might be a good idea to use an accountant the first time around.

  3. #3
    ajbaer
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    Default Re: Business Licensing as a dancer

    I'll look into an accountant this time around. I've heard ou have to report like every 4 months. I don't know if I just report or if I need to get something. I'll try calling the number that is listed for the county I work in and see if the gentleman listed there can help me. I have no idea how to find a good accountant either. Maybe H&R block can help..but they LOVE to take people's money I've heard.

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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Business Licensing as a dancer

    you're probably referring to the necessity of making estimated tax payments to both the IRS and to each state in which you are earning money every THREE months. There are a lot of previous threads on estimated tax payments that can be found using the search function above.

    I would tend to shy away from the 'paycheck' tax preparers i.e. H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt etc. since they are basically unfamiliar with self-employed tax filings and are VERY unfamiliar with acceptable business expense tax deductions for self-employed dancers. If you pay the extra few bucks for a CPA that specializes in sole proprietor businesses you'll probably save every dollar back in 'legal' deductions.

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