The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently made headlines with its rule to ban noncompete agreements across the United States. This rule will dramatically alter the landscape for millions of workers, including freelancers and independent contractors. Here's everything freelancers and members of the Freelancers Union need to know about the new FTC ruling on noncompetes. Overview of the FTC Noncompete Ban The FTC's rule aims to prohibit all forms of noncompete clauses in employment contracts. Noncompetes are often used to prevent employees from joining competitors or starting similar businesse ..read more

If you own a freelance business that was formed in New York State, you are now officially required to report information about your business ownership and more at both the state and the federal level. This is because as of January 1, 2024, the federal government has enacted the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). and beginning January 1, 2026, New York State is introducing its own version of the Act. As a refresher on the federal CTA, which was just introduced late last year, effective January 1, 2024, all corporations, S-Corps, LLCs or any other entity created by paperwork filed with a Secreta ..read more

The Internal Revenue Service today kicked off the annual Dirty Dozen list with a warning for taxpayers to be aware of evolving phishing and smishing scams designed to steal sensitive taxpayer information. With taxpayers continuing to be bombarded by email and text scams, the IRS and the Security Summit partners warned individuals and businesses to remain vigilant against these attacks. Fraudsters and identity thieves attempt to trick the recipient into clicking a suspicious link, filling out personal and financial information or downloading a malware file onto their computer. "Scamm ..read more

This post is provided by our partner, HoneyBook. Book clients, sign contracts, manage projects, and get paid on HoneyBook, the leading clientflow management platform. Sign up today for 50% off your first year: https://freelancersunion.org/honeybook/ The payment process can be tricky for small business owners. Especially when it comes to unpaid invoices, you have to maintain a balance of being polite enough to keep a great relationship with your client, but stern enough that your client feels a sense of urgency to pay you. Whether your client is a week late or a month late on payments, we ..read more

Moving from the security of a full-time job to the world of freelancing might seem a slightly daunting and unpredictable step to make. For many aspiring freelancers with a passion and talent for providing a service that benefits their clients, making that switch is one of the most enriching and fulfilling steps you can take. For some, however, reassurance and peace of mind are key, especially in times when competition is high and fierce, and where budgets are invariably tight. Freelancers want to feel assured that they can have a steady stream of high-quality client work keeping them busy. Ye ..read more

This post is provided by our partner, MetroPlusHealth. Find affordable health plans for New Yorkers of all ages from MetroPlusHealth. Riding a bicycle can be an excellent fitness activity. Cycling is also a good way to cross-train, because it puts much less stress on your joints, knees, and hips than running or walking. Getting a good workout on a bike isn't always easy, though, because you have more time to recover — or to just coast. With this in mind, here's how to get the most out of your ride, whether you're cycling on vacation, around your neighborhood, or to and from work. Si ..read more

What is your work worth? In traditional wage-labor relationships (aka “normal jobs”), your work is worth whatever your boss says it is worth. In most instances, you’re compensated for your time, which means efficiency and growth are disincentivized. If you’re hourly, you make more if you work slower. If you’re salaried, the more efficient you are, the more work is assigned. In a supposedly “capitalist” economy, we have no control over worth or the relationship between time and money when working for others. What is the promise of capitalism? (Stay with me here…I promise we’ll get to the prici ..read more

This past February, California State Senator Scott Wiener introduced Senate Bill 988 (SB 988) or as we like to call it, the Freelance isn’t Free Act. As in other parts of the country, where we have been successful in implementing similar laws, it aims to ensure fundamental protections for freelance workers, enforced by the State Labor Commissioner and the Attorney General. These protections include the right to a contract, prompt payment within 30 days of completing work, and the right to double damages for non-payment. We took a huge step in February of 2023 when we passed similar legislatio ..read more

Updated for tax year 2023. This article is posted with permission from our partner TaxAct. File your freelance taxes with confidence using TaxAct’s easy-to-use tax software. Freelancers Union members get 25% off the cost of federal and state tax filing: https://bit.ly/freelancers_taxact_blog The April 15 tax deadline is quickly approaching. If you haven’t filed your taxes yet and are starting to feel the pressure, you’re not alone. According to a recent IPX 1031 survey, one-third of Americans say they wait until the last minute to file their taxes. But if tax season snuck up on you ..read more

This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ How often do clients find you on freelance platforms and ask you to continue talking on WhatsApp? Once you’ve been officially hired by using an Upwork or Fiverr contract, it’s generally fine to conduct business on any other messenger.  However, with many advantages and flexibility of Wh ..read more