MY FREELANCE EXPERIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES
I had just had a last lunch with colleagues from the distant time when I was working in a company; I packed up the stuff of my cubicle - without putting anything in a box, like in the movies, I only had a few postcards on the wall, a company cup and a dried up plant. I went out and said , shit, what did you do? " I was immersed in the world of self employment , with from one contract in progress, and I had no idea how it worked.
If I had read at the time an article that explained things clearly and simply step by step, it would have helped me a lot, so here is my version of " becoming freelance in the United States " in several stages, as if life only consisted of following a magic recipe:
1. Make sure you have the right to work in the United States
In my case, my J2 visa allows me to have a work permit, an EAD , which allows me to work on American soil. There is no specific visa for freelancers.
NB: I have already been asked if it was possible to work for a French company living in the United States, and without having an adequate visa (type H4) or work permit. I am not an immigration specialist or a visa, and honestly, I do not know, because that's not my case. I would tend to say that it is not legal, because how to declare taxes in this case if you reside in the United States? In any case, the best when you have a question like this is to turn to an immigration lawyer, the consulate can give you recommendations.
2. Should a freelance status be created? No, not exactly.
There is no status to be created in the United States to be independent contractor (this is the official name of freelance ): the status is created de facto when paying taxes, before April 15. In other words, it is the tax filling forms that declare that I am self employed alias, that I work on my account. The basic forms for freelancers are 1040 and C.
✏ To read: the definition of an independent contractor on the IRS website, US taxes
✏ Read: the papers to be filled for taxes as freelance in the United States
In Boston specifically, you can work as an independent contractor (= free lance) under a different name than your own name (if you want to work with a more salesman name for example), without creating a company: you have to declare your business with from the city of Boston: all information on the site of the city . It is also often asked to have a business declared to open a professional bank account, separate from the personal bank account.
✏ Always inquire about the specific laws of each state + of the city where you reside.
I know, reading these pages would discourage more than one person from starting on his own. Courage! The hardest part comes: make his accounts!
3. Have a book keeping software and a CPA
In my own account, I discovered the pleasure of keeping my accounts cleanly. I have long searched for the best possible software, I wanted one that manages two currencies (euros and dollars) and that allows to make bills, to connect his bank accounts and Paypal to the software, and whose free features (or inexpensive) are of a good level = I chose Wave , and I am very happy with it.
✏ The Wave website to do accounts online
At first, I did not know at all how to "do my pro accounts"! I contacted a CPA, a Certified Public Accountant, in other words an accountant, who gave me lots of advice on book keeping , how to record my expenses and my money. It's expensive: $ 80 a half-hour consultation, so I prepared my questions well in advance. We spoke twice in 4 months, and it helped me get started and have reliable answers. It was worth paying someone competent, not just looking for standard answers on the internet.
If you want peace of mind, also take a lawyer to sort out these kinds of questions.
In addition to knowing where we are financially, keeping your accounts in the US is important for:
to be in good standing with immigration , which is tantamount to saying, among other things, paying taxes on time. Taxes for freelancers are paid quarterly = it's called quaterly taxes and it's estimated taxes. Information on the subject to read here .
Budget: whether it is the different contributions - retirement, health insurance - or a "security" account (for months with less work, since I do not have a "salary" but seasonal cash inflow) , set aside for personal expenses, etc.
By being freelance in the United States, there is no mandatory contribution. It can be seen as pure and simple freedom, but keeping a budget and paying for oneself allows one to live one's life more serenely. I followed Lifehacker's guidelines to establish a good budget - as soon as I find the article in question, I add it as a link. Help to budget
4. Find a job!
What good is it to do all this if we have no project to put in hand?
To work with American companies , I advise you to use Linkedin, you can have a profile in French and in English. Of course, the network counts a lot, talking around me that I'm looking for work (being specific) was probably the best way to find one. Even during my guided tours that have nothing to do with freelance , I had the opportunity to meet freelancers in Quebec who gave me advice. My advice is: Speak up!
Paperasse : Attention, I come back to point # 1, US companies always askproof that one is allowed to work on American soil if one is foreign, there is always paperwork to fill before starting the job itself, in particular form W9.
To work with French companies , I mainly use "the network", this vague notion made of knowledge and word of mouth.
Having a blog helped me too, that's how some of the publishers found me and saw my work "in action" and in the long run.
Nevertheless, it's complicated for me to work with French people, because I'm very rarely in France, we talk to each other by phone, email, Skype, but I'm aware that it's not, in the long run, the most sustainable way to work when you live so far.
That said, I also created a pro site, which summarizes my skills and presents my recent work, in a single well formatted page. It does not make it possible to find miraculously work with dozens of fabulous solicitations that fall from the sky, no, it's more a tool that I send to complete a request: I consider it as my CV online , contemporary version and well presented.
Paperasse : Again, there are papers to work with a French company, but this time, the purpose of the papers is to prove that I live in the United States, so as not to pay taxes in France AND to USA, but only where I live = the USA.
The legal service sends me some papers to fill in by my American bank to justify all that (forms 5000 and 5003 ) - alas, it happens that the US bank does not want to fill / sign the papers, they are probably too suspicious to have papers from another administration, even translated into English (with mistakes, this which does not help). In these cases, I insist, or I will see another window someone more accommodating.
5. Organize on multiple projects
I could write novels about the organization , I love it. I like to juggle my freelance activities, blogs, guided tours, and everyday life. The questions of efficiency , where to work , to take breaks , when to work in the day, not to check his emails on weekends or not, I love - to a certain extent all the same.
If that tells you, I'll develop it more, but to start with the 2 tools / sites I use the most:
to have all my projects in front of me, their stage of progress, who does what and when, there is TRELLO . Visual, easy to use, and collaborative.
for new ideas on how to do better, or what tools to use, I read the must-have Lifehacker , probably one of my favorite sites.
To keep your feet on the ground and a cool head to work: meditate, drink cocktails and dance (I add this line only for people who read the articles to the end).
