There is little doubt in the minds of many observers that the world of work—an environment in which a legion of wage earners commute to an employer’s office or worksite to toil from 9 to 5—is changing, and that impression is bolstered by recent studies. Among those studies is a Gallup report titled “The Gig Economy and Alternative Work Arrangements.” The changing nature of work for many taxpayers is likely to have an effect on tax preparers’ need to prepare Schedule C.

The gig economy, an economy characterized by multiple types of alternative work arrangements including independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-call workers, and temporary workers, engages 36% of U.S. workers. Gallup, in its report, also estimates that 29% of all workers in the U.S. have an alternative work arrangement as their primary job.

Whether the strength of the gig economy is due to the flexibility and freedom it affords, the fewer limits on income it exerts compared to being a wage earner, or results from some other advantage it offers, it seems clear that barring a cataclysmic event affecting the economy, the gig economy is here to stay and intent on growing larger with each year. With that growth is the likely growth of tax preparers, who need to be familiar with the preparation of Schedule C.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the types of income reported on Schedule C


• Determine proprietors’ installment sale income when using the installment method


• Describe the business expenses deductible on Schedule C


• List the differences between a business and a hobby


• Apply the rules governing the deduction for business use of a taxpayer’s home