Whether you’ve set yourself up as an independent contractor or an LLC, you’ll need to track your financial progress throughout the year. If you can’t afford to hire a bookkeeper, a well-designed spreadsheet is a great budgeting tool. Quicken and QuickBooks can help you stay organized as well; PayPal can help you receive income quickly and safely. Regardless of how savvy you are, if you stay organized tax time and budgeting will be painless.
Freelance Writing Tip #3: Estimate Your Word Count
Many publications will either pay you by the word or by the page; one formatted page is equivalent to about 500 words. Figure out how many words you can realistically write in an hour, a typical week, or a month. There are several free word count meters available for you to use to help you determine what your limits are.