Business question -- setting up business

[smokeylo]

Hi ladies,

I'm new to the wahm game. I want to do some tutoring from my home. I think there will be a good market for it locally. My question is, how do I do this from a paperwork standpoint? Do I need to create a business name, register, etc? Can I just have people write checks to me (I know that would be "under the table" - at what point do I need to be ABOVE the table, and how do I get there in the most simple way without a lot of fuss?)? I've been an independent contractor as a babysitter, but then someone else paid me and took care of tax forms, so how do I do this?

[willowbean]

Having people write checks to you would necessarily be under the table. So long as you report all of the income and pay the required taxes you don't have to have a separate "doing business as" name.

Since things vary by state it's always a good idea to start by checking out your state's dept of revenue page.
http://www.state.ia.us/tax/business/newbus.html

SCORE is also a great resoucre
http://www.score.org/index.html

You'll also want to check with your city and county governments to see what if any business permits/licenses you'll need.

This looks like a good regional resource as well
http://www.iowalifechanging.com/business/blic.html

And of course the feds want some of the money too
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/index.html

It seems like a lot but if you spend a little time with it you should be able to find everything you need.

Good luck in your ventures!:

[nursingmom]

There is no need for you to create a business name unless you want to. You can just tutor and ask people to payable to your name on the check. Many tutors and music teachers do that. And it's not under the table since you will be reporting how much you earned when you file your tax.

If you go to your county website, (that's what I did) it may tell you how you can register your business name locally (that is if you want to have a business name). In my county, I think I paied $20 to register the name. Then, you can have a separate check account (free business check acct is available in my area) with the business name.